Abstract

This book explores areas of human experience that are highly complex, and which evoke powerful and contradictory feelings amongst those attempting to understand them. Although many view the institution of slavery as a purely historical phenomenon, slavery remains widespread today. One aspect of modern slavery which elicits particular revulsion is the trafficking of women and young girls and boys into the sex industry and this is the focus of many of the authors of this book. This book examines the operations of trafficking and other kinds of 'modern-day' slavery, from a gender perspective. It explores the relationships between gender, poverty, conflict and globalization that are driving today's slave trade. The authors provide an overview of what trafficking and slavery are, their magnitude, and their complexity. They introduce the key debates, competing definitions, and conceptual divides within this controversial subject. In their search for solutions, the contributors expose the weaknesses in national and international legal frameworks intended to protect bonded workers and trafficked persons. They analyse and assess the attempts of development and human-rights organizations to support those at risk, to create alternative livelihood options for them and to help those who escape slavery to rebuild their lives.