Slavery: An Old Crime in the New Global Econony
October 2, 2008
The Global Issues Lecture Series
October 2, 2008, Ben Skinner, author of A Crime So Monstrous, and Kevin Bales, president of Free the Slaves presented the second fall 2008 Global Issues Lecture entitled “Slavery: An Old Crime in the New Global Economy,” in the Barco Law Building at University of Pittsburgh. First, they defined slavery, as a relationship where a person looses freewill, is controlled through violence or threat of violence, is economically exploited, and receives no compensation for his or her work beyond subsistence. Both Bales and Skinner shared their vast knowledge on the topic, with examples of their experiences with slavery upfront. The speakers estimated that there are roughly 27 million slaves around the world today and empathized while acknowledging that every individual and consumer has a responsibility to think about the supply chain of the everyday products that we buy and use.