Slavery is widespread
Reader comment on item: A Modern-day Mock Devshirme

Submitted by Abdul Rahman Reijerink (Australia), Jun 17, 2006 at 06:10

As the newspaper in Australia read about two weeks ago (SMH), there are slave auctions within the airport in London of women for sale to brothels. Estimates are that there are between 1800 (confirmed) and double that number in England today.

Here in Australia, I know from acquaintances who have/do work in the sex industry that the practice is rife, and getting worse, especially now that a serious organised crime element is getting involved, no longer do prostitutes have to work in one place and score their heroin in another, it is all organised under the one roof.

A friend of mine went to Sudan about thirteen years ago and interviewed the then leader of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army (a very dangerous task at the time... no NGO's including the UN would touch Sudan at the time), the christian rump of the SPLA after the muslim FSPLA split from it. We supported this side (interestingly about the only time I have ever supported the same side as the CIA in a conflict) but the real reason for his visit was to collect evidence on boy soldiers, his article was the first ever on this subject published in my country... no major newspaper would touch it only independant Penthouse (what an ally! yuck). Boy soldiers are slaves, kidnapped and brutalised sexually and with violence to turn them into remorseless killing machines.

People of the muslim faith have no monopoly when it comes to the exploitation of human beings.

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