Movement as dance vs. Movement as a need for survival
" The United States of America is home to the largest number of international migrants in the world. According to the US Census Bureau (2006 American Community Survey), there are 37,547,789 foreign-born persons legally residing in the US, making up 12.5 per cent of the nation's population. Approximately 53 per cent of the foreign-born in the United States hail from Latin America, 25 per cent from Asia, 14 per cent from Europe and 8 per cent from other regions of the world. The United States employs foreign workers through limited guest worker programmes operated by the US Department of Labor. Additionally, the US is home to a large number of irregular migrants (estimated between ten and thirteen million people) who make up a workforce operating without rights or documentation. Opinions vary greatly over whether these irregular migrants, many residing in the United States for a number of years, ought to be deported or granted amnesty and a path to US citizenship. Construction of a 700-mile border fence along the US-Mexico border has been underway since the passage of the Secure Fence Act in October 2006. All other recent attempts to pass immigration reform in the US Congress have been unsuccessful to date."
And you have probably heard stories about migrant workers who are forced to work on farms, construction sites and fishing boats, and in textile factories and food processing plants.
You may even know that some of the everyday products that you find at your local shopping centre have been produced by people working in sub-human conditions for little or no pay.
But have you ever thought about the part you play in all of this?
It is true that trafficking for forced labour and migrant exploitation are global problems. It is also true that trafficking for forced labour and migrant exploitation are local problems.
When you purchase a product at your local shopping centre, you are supporting the way it was produced. If the product is the result of someone’s forced labour, you are encouraging the company which has relied on forced labour to continue relying on forced labour.But isn’t it good that migrant workers have jobs – even if the work is hard?
Migrant workers need jobs, yes, but they have a right to fair and decent working conditions, just like any other person.
Private companies don’t have the right to profit by exploiting or abusing migrant workers – even migrant workers who don’t have residency and/or work permits.
Why would migrant workers accept working in hazardous conditions in a foreign country for little or no pay?
Some migrant workers leave home because traditional forms of employment are no longer viable, while others know that they can earn more money abroad.
But migrant workers, and especially those without the necessary visa or work permit, may not feel they have the luxury of choosing between employment opportunities - either because there is no social safety net to fall back on if they remain unemployed, or because they have families at home who are depending on their wages for basic survival.
The desperation this creates puts many migrant workers at a significant disadvantage when looking for work, and so many ‘accept’ sub-standard working conditions and pay.
Still others find themselves trapped in situations in which they must work to pay off a debt to a criminal gang, or face physical violence.
What are the major industries where workers, including migrants, may be tricked or forced into working in hazardous conditions for little or no pay?
Industries which have proven vulnerable to human trafficking and migrant exploitation include commercial agriculture and fishing, textiles manufacturing, construction, and mining.
As consumers, we may regularly eat food or wear clothing that is the result of someone’s abuse and exploitation.
There are some estimates, but trafficking for forced labour and the exploitation of migrant workers are notoriously difficult areas in which to gather accurate data. Some of the more widely-publicized estimates are as follows:
Source: International Labour Organization ILO, A Global Alliance Against Forced Labour (Geneva: ILO, 2005), 10also cited by the 2009 GTiP report. See US State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report (Washington D.C.: Office of the Under-Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs and Bureau of Public Affairs, 2009), 8.
Source: ILO Conference Paper, International Labour Conference, 12 May 2009, ILC 98: Report I(B), International Labour Conference; http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_106230.pdf, p. 32.
Source: 10 September 2009, http://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/pm/articles/2009/09/slim-pickings.htm
Source: OSCE-Report 11/2005, « Human Trafficking for Labour Exploitation, Forced and Bonded Labour. Identification – Prevention – Prosecution, http://www.osce.org/publications/cthb/2008/05/31148_1143_en.pdf.
Source: International Labour Organization ILO, A Global Alliance Against Forced Labour (Geneva: ILO, 2005), 10.
Source: ILO Conference Paper, International Labour Conference, 12 May 2009, ILC 98: Report I(B), International Labour Conference; http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---relconf/documents/meetingdocument/wcms_106230.pdf, p. 32.
