Think back to a time in third grade when the teacher stood at the head of the class and began talking about the horrors of slavery. On March 25th, 1807, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade was abolished (Thipanyane). But when one door closes, another door opens. The general consensus was that slavery was a thing of the past, but a new form of slavery has emerged. Human trafficking is just modernized slavery happening beneath the noses of governments across the world. This is a particular problem in Africa where human trafficking is an unnoticed trade that calls for an increase in women’s rights, stricter consequences, and more aid programs for those affected. Human trafficking is a practice that dates back as far as the 1800’s ("SOUTH AFRICA:
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Many countries still have laws that place men at the head of the household, yet 75% of women feel that “they should have the same rights as men.” Women are restricted from holding offices such as prime minister or president in a Muslim country. African women are completely dependent on men for the simplest of things. These women are not even able to initiate a divorce (Mark). On top of all this, widespread denial of education and employment is common. Women are even rejected in trade, industry, and government (Mutume). “Four in ten women feel that they were treated unfairly by employers and the traditional court system in Africa,” (Mark). The Sub-Saharan region of Africa leads the rejection of education for women with 23,000,000 girls out of school. Recently, the region had a 38% increase in women out of school (Mutume). Education is a basic right that is denied to African …show more content…
Even with change on the horizon, many countries are not where they should be. Weak laws and inadequate enforcement have kept Africa stagnant when it comes to punishment for offenders of human trafficking laws (Thipanyane). A perfect example is South Africa. The South African government has created and implemented a strong human rights based constitution and government programs, yet this nation still is home to 106,000 slaves (Thipanyane). They have stricter guidelines than most African nations, but parts of the legislation that would force their citizens to obey the law are still being passed ("FACTSHEET: Understanding Human Trafficking - Africa Check."). The Sub-Saharan
Many countries still have laws that place men at the head of the household, yet 75% of women feel that “they should have the same rights as men.” Women are restricted from holding offices such as prime minister or president in a Muslim country. African women are completely dependent on men for the simplest of things. These women are not even able to initiate a divorce (Mark). On top of all this, widespread denial of education and employment is common. Women are even rejected in trade, industry, and government (Mutume). “Four in ten women feel that they were treated unfairly by employers and the traditional court system in Africa,” (Mark). The Sub-Saharan region of Africa leads the rejection of education for women with 23,000,000 girls out of school. Recently, the region had a 38% increase in women out of school (Mutume). Education is a basic right that is denied to African …show more content…
Even with change on the horizon, many countries are not where they should be. Weak laws and inadequate enforcement have kept Africa stagnant when it comes to punishment for offenders of human trafficking laws (Thipanyane). A perfect example is South Africa. The South African government has created and implemented a strong human rights based constitution and government programs, yet this nation still is home to 106,000 slaves (Thipanyane). They have stricter guidelines than most African nations, but parts of the legislation that would force their citizens to obey the law are still being passed ("FACTSHEET: Understanding Human Trafficking - Africa Check."). The Sub-Saharan