CYIL 2012

MODERN SLAVERY AND CURRENT INTERNATIONAL LAW In the Czech Republic the organization called La Strada 31 works in this field. La Strada is a specialized non-profit organisation focusing on prevention of human trafficking and exploitation, identifying the causes and consequences of human trafficking and exploitation, influencing public policy and providing social services for trafficked persons. 7. Conclusion Most people know that it is illegal to buy or sell another human being anywhere in the world and therefore assume that slavery no longer exists. Yet, despite the fact that there is international agreement that slavery should be prohibited and eradicated in all its forms, millions of people continue to live in slavery. The practices which constitute slavery today are defined in various international standards. Although slavery takes different forms, the great majority of contemporary slavery practices contain a forced labour component as well as domestic servitude, that is to say, the individual is compelled to work against their will under the threat of some form of punishment. As it has been shown above the law will not be enough to end slavery. However, the existence of quality legislation that prohibits and adequately punishes slavery is an essential first step towards its eradication. Furthermore, governments should support initiatives to carry out comprehensive and independent national and regional surveys to identify the total number of people in their national territories who are victims of debt bondage, trafficking, forced labour or other forms of slavery. Collecting and breaking down data in this way will be of great benefit in combating slavery. This is because it establishes where slavery exists, the scale of the problem and who is affected – all of which are key to developing strategies to eradicate the practice. However, this information is often difficult to obtain, both at the national and international levels. Identification in itself will not lead to successful prosecutions, particularly if victims do not have confidence in law enforcement bodies. It must be acknowledged that releasing individuals from slavery will not necessarily prevent them or other people from being enslaved in the future, if the issues that led to their enslavement have not been addressed. However it is necessary to conclude that every country has passed laws against slavery and by doing so they have promised to end it within their borders. Many countries, however, fail to enforce anti-slavery laws. As a result of this fact numerous non-governmental organizations have been established to work at local, national and international levels to eliminate all forms of slavery around the world. To achieve all these goals the governments should cooperate with established inter-governmental agencies as well as non-governmental organizations.

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31 see: http://www.strada.cz/en/news ( opened 4. 4. 2012 ).