Tuesday 29 April 2008
Most people who come into slavery today are enticed simply by the prospect of employment. The fundamental relationship between master and slave is essentially the same today as it has always been: it is based upon violence and physical power. Perhaps the only thing entirely new about modern slavery is the collapse of the price of slaves. Adjusted for inflation, the average price of a slave through the centuries has been about $40,000. The average price today: $100. The highest price for a slave is roughly $10,000, and in his research Bales encountered an example of debt bondage in India that was as cheap as 62 cents. The New Slavery ☀
