"Negating Humanity": Modern Slavery in its Historical Context and its Implications for Policy

这是我们这个时代的一个可怕的例证，据估计，购买一个人的平均价格为100美元。在1860年的美国，一个奴隶的价格是1000美元——今天大约是2万美元。几乎从任何指标来看，今天的奴隶制似乎都在蓬勃发展，而且不仅仅是在发展中国家。这个问题无疑引起了更多的关注。在大英帝国禁止奴隶制近一个世纪之后，在国际联盟重申这一禁令近一个世纪之后，国际机构一直试图定义奴隶制并将其定为非法。然而，它依然存在。在过去的五年里，英国和美国都通过了立法，并引入了更为严格的警务措施。然而，有些人会认为，它的持久性在某种程度上是一个定义问题。奴隶制从来就不容易定义，但可以肯定的是，“现代奴隶制”不是古代世界或新大陆典型的老式“动产”奴隶制。远非如此。英国2015年的《现代奴隶制法案》包括禁止摘取器官和胚胎；强迫婚姻和债务奴役。其他人则认为这是一个强制执行的问题，将奴隶制与全球化和缺乏充分约束的资本主义内在地联系在一起。他们会争辩说，在最极端的情况下，这些力量鼓励并原谅了许多形式的奴隶制，本质上是将它们正常化。本研究旨在研究这两个问题。主要研究者的研究通过考察美国第一个“现代奴隶制”立法——1910年的《白奴法案》——的推动力量、影响和影响，解决了定义问题。从表面上看，它将美国的奴隶制扩展到通常的种族禁止的边界之外，似乎将第十三修正案中的理想主义提升到了一个新的水平。即便如此，人们还是认为该组织在制止其试图解放的年轻女孩被奴役、厌恶女性和（具有讽刺意味的）本质上的种族主义方面非常不成功。然而，直到21世纪，它仍然是该领域立法的主要来源。共同调查员的工作着眼于英国2015年现代奴隶制法案的影响。这项立法将一系列不人道、有辱人格和残忍的行为定为犯罪，并将其称为“奴隶制”。正是这种概念化的广度被视为其弱点，而这正是本研究试图研究的。该项目将确定该法案是如何执行的——它侧重于哪些罪行，以及它的重点将把辩论引向何处。虽然这两项研究相互补充，但该项目也有其他目标。项目合作伙伴在本次投标中表现出更大的实效性。保罗·布罗德本特（Paul Broadbent）是Gangmasters授权机构的首席执行官。他的职位是在2004年莫克姆湾灾难之后设立的，他负责监管和调查食品行业对工人的剥削。它的职权范围将扩大到整个工业。因此，他主要参与了这个项目的主题——政策定义、公众认知和现代奴隶制立法的有效性。资金将用于两个讲习班和建立一个由记者、主要决策者、执法人员和学者组成的长期网络，他们将通过该项目进行合作，并用于调查者的研究。这些研讨会将以定义和公众感知为主题，讨论和解决诸如当今伦敦无家可归者的奴役以及在美国使用人工智能跟踪劳动力供应链等问题。为了在这个项目结束后保持活跃，会员将使用其他网络来扩大他们的信息，改善其联系，并作为会议、网络存在和出版机会的平台。该项目旨在为2017年10月举行的反对奴隶制的历史学家第一次会议制作一个编辑卷，两篇同行评议的文章和一个小组。

It is a frightening illustration of our times that it costs on average price an estimated $100 to buy a person. In the US in 1860, a slave cost $1,000 - some $20,000 today. By almost any indicator it would appear that slavery is thriving today, and not simply in developing nations. The issue is certainly exciting more attention. After nearly a century since the British Empire banned slavery, and for almost a century since the League of Nations re-iterated that ban, international bodies have attempted to define and outlaw slavery. Yet it persists. Over the last five years both Britain and the US have passed legislation and introduced far more stringent policing. However, some would argue that its persistence is in some measure a question of definition. Slavery has never been simple to define, but what is certain is that "Modern Slavery" is not the old -fashioned "chattel" slavery exemplified in the ancient world or the New World. Far from it. The UK's 2015 Modern Slavery Act includes within its remit prohibitions on organ and embryo harvesting; forced marriage and debt bondage. Others see it as a question of enforcement, intrinsically linking slavery with globalisation and insufficiently restrained capitalism. They would argue that at their most extreme these forces encourage and excuse many forms of slavery, by essentially normalising them.This study aims to examine both of these problems. The research of the Principle Investigator addresses issues of definition by examining the forces that drove, the effects of, and the implications of, what was arguably the first "Modern Slavery" legislation in the US: the 1910 White Slave, or Mann Act. On the surface it expanded US slavery beyond its usual racially proscribed boundaries, and seemed to take the idealism within the Thirteenth Amendment to new levels. Even so it has been considered notoriously unsuccessful in checking the enslavement of the young girls it sought to free, misogynistic and - ironically - inherently racist. Nevertheless, it remained the main source of legislation in the field until the 21st century.Co-Investigator's work looks at the implications of the UK's 2015 Modern Slavery Act. This legislation criminalises a range of dehumanising, degrading and cruel practices under the remit of what it terms "slavery". It is this breadth of conceptualisation that has been seen as its weakness and it is that which this study seeks to examine. The project will establish how the Act has been enforced - what crimes it has focused on, as well as where its emphasis is taking the debate.While these two studies compliment each other, the project has other objectives as well. The Project Partner in this bid shows its more practical stress. Paul Broadbent is the CEO of the Gangmasters Licensing Agency. His post was created in the wake of the 2004 Morecambe Bay disaster and he is charged with regulating and investigating the exploitation of workers in the food industry. Its remit is to be expanded to industry in general. As such he is centrally involved with the themes of this project - policy definition, public perception and efficacy of modern slavery legislation.Funding will pay for two workshops and the establishment of a long-term network of journalists, leading policy makers, law enforcers and scholars who will collaborate through this project, as well as the research of the investigators. Themed on definition and public perception, these workshops will discuss and address such elements as the enslavement of the homeless in present day London and the use of AI in tracking labour supply chains in the US. Aiming to remain active after this project, members will use other networks to amplify their message, improve its connections and as a platform for conferences, web presence and publishing opportunities. The project aims to produce an edited volume with CUP, two peer-reviewed articles and a panel for the Historians Against Slavery's first conference in October 2017.