Blood and earth: modern slavery

Rebecca Fricker reviews a new book by Kevin Bales

by Rebecca Fricker 17th June 2016

Kevin Bales is co-founder of Free the Slaves, consultant to the UN Global Program against Trafficking of Human Beings and author of a widely praised book Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy.

Don’t talk about how the big people eat at the big table

These words, spoken by an official to a human rights activist in the Congo, could equally apply to most companies and their customers. Fortunately, Kevin Bales is prepared to talk about how consumption of technology, jewellery and food at our ‘big table’ contributes to slavery and ecocide elsewhere in the world.