Free the Slaves’ college chapter coordinator Laura Murphy has been doing an awesome job recruiting and maintaining the FTS presence in schools. (If you haven’t already, check out our new “students” page on our website to find out how you can make your own student chapter).
When she’s not managing FTS’ student chapters, Laura is a professor at Loyola University in New Orleans. And, she has told us, her favorite class to teach is a freshman seminar called “Slavery and Abolition in the 21st Century.” As part of this seminar, Laura has created a blog—called, appropriately, “Slavery in the 21st Century.”
The blog is updated with four new posts every Thursday. The articles will be used as discussion points in Laura’s seminar. But, you don’t have to attend her classes to be educated—and intrigued—by the information. A recent post tackled the issue of rehabilitation—once enslaved people find freedom, how do they move forward? How can society, the rule of law support their freedom?
It’s a good read. And we’ll do our best to keep you, the wider FTS audience, up-to-date with the latest on the Loyola blog!
Also, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the Loyola New Orleans Free the Slaves chapter! You can check out their facebook page here. And, while you’re at it, join the Free the Slaves student Facebook page as well!
Here’s the latest from the “Slavery in the 21st Century” blog, written by Molly Alper:
It’s a Man’s World
China’s one-child policy was originally created to help minimize China’s already dense population. Created in 1979, it limited each family to only raising one son or daughter. Although successful in limiting the population, this policy has triggered an increase in the child sex trafficking industry. With government officials turning a blind eye, and the policy holding strong today, many female children are left without answers and looking for help.
China’s long withstanding traditions and cultures have always placed more emphasis on the importance of men. Men are viewed as a key factor in helping care for their elders, and also can carry on the family name. Due to this gender discrimination, many families are choosing to raise males rather than females. Chai ling, founder of the group “All Girls Allowed” explains how this policy affects the families’ gender selection in children by saying “some families are taking this matter into their own hands by selectively aborting, abandoning, and selling their baby girls” And the sex trafficking industry is more than willing to pick up these children.
