On the Libyan Slave Trade
There are some things that Americans like to pretend only exist in the past. We can now marry people of all races and sexes, thanks to 1967’s Loving v. Virginia and 2015’s Obergefell v. Hodges. Bathrooms are no longer labelled “white” and “colored”. Many of us have never seen any acts of outright racism and sexism.
Inside our progressive bubble, we forget there is a world outside our fifty states and subnational territories. We forget that even though the emancipation proclamation attempted to erase slavery —one of the most vile evils committed by mankind— it still exists today.
On November 14, 2017, CNN published an exclusive report revealing that Libyan migrants are being sold to smugglers in a modern day slave trade. Video evidence of an auction was sent to the International Criminal Court according to the network’s website.
In the days that followed, protesters tried to bring the issue to the United Nations and Libyan government. While many world leaders expressed their outrage, very little has been done besides the creation of a committee.
Although the EU migration chief called the despicable system a world issue, the response from the Western world has been underwhelming at best and disturbing at worst. Trump has repeatedly called CNN “fake news” since their liberal biases contrast with his conservative party. Since CNN was the first network to break the report, Libyan news channels tried to use his tweets to prove that the trade was fake as well. It is heartbreaking to think that many Libyans are not aware of what is going on in their country.
Meanwhile, an Amnesty International report revealed that Europe was “knowingly complicit in the torture and abuses of tens of thousands of refugees and migrants detained by Libyan immigration authorities…by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya.” Member states such as Italy have returned migrants.
Clearly, better action must be taken. So what can you do? Although the incident seems distant, there are many local ways to fight this inhumanity.
One of the most important things you can do is learn about the issue and spread the facts. Most people are just vaguely aware of the slave trade but making sure you and all of your friends are informed can help you keep your community aware.
The best way to resist the slave trade is to contact UN representatives (our UN ambassador is Politician Nikki Haley) and support organizations such as IOM Libya. While there’s not much you can do to get in on the action, institutions that deal with the problem directly need all the support they can get.
Finally, be smarter about how you shop. Many businesses, such as H&M, Nestle and Haribo have been accused of using slave labor to make their products. Do your research before purchasing items from stores that your frequent. A dollar towards corrupt businesses is another dollar towards the slave trade.
Since we live half-way across the world, it is sometimes hard for Americans to care about Africans as human beings. This detachment from our fellow humans is what led settlers to view Native Americans and Africans as subhuman creatures in the first place. Fighting against current injustice won’t right the wrongs of the past but it can prove that our society has changed.
by RIA BHANDARKAR