All political parties have influential landlords, businessmen and rich people within their ranks
FAISALABAD: Modern-day slavery is a multi-billion dollar industry with estimates of up to $35 billion generated annually. Despite being illegal in every nation, it is still present in several forms today. According to the Global Slavery Index 2015, Pakistan ranked third in modern-day slavery. Forced labour in farming, fishing and manufacturing, commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriages are the worst types of slavery in Pakistan. Around two million people are in bonded labour in our country while slavery is supposedly illegal.
Unfortunately, bonded labour and feudalism have become the foundations of our political system. All political parties have influential landlords, businessmen and rich people within their ranks. They always protect their interests while making laws in parliament. So-called labour laws have been passed but there is no implementation.
I urge the government to look more closely at illicit labour recruitment and execute a crackdown on those that provide a conduit in which people end up in slavery.
Engr Mansoor Ahmed
Published in The Express Tribune, June 3rd, 2016.
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