by crossriverwatch admin
It doesn’t come as a surprise when one mentions slavery in our world today. We are people who suffered it in the past; many people watched their own brothers and sisters taken away into the chains of this monster.
It wasn’t over, a fight began, many voices were heard, many lives were lost and the cry for freedom came resounding!
Many years later, the big question is, is slavery gone for good?
My answer is NO in caps lock, hold on, I’ll give you reasons.
Just when we thought it was over, whispers were heard, once again that cry for liberation and freedom came screaming once again.
Awa Naija of today suffers from what I term, “Modernized Slavery”. Just take a walk, through busy streets, during odd hours, see the number of people who suffer, men, women and children alike. Yes, we have to suffer to survive but, we don’t have to suffer to live.
These days, people sell their children out to masters or mistresses as a result of poverty or to receive “temporal” gifts from them.
Some fall into the right hands, others are not that lucky. They are brutalized, sent out to hawk during school hours, denied meals, made to do hazardous jobs, some young girls are turned into sex slaves, the young boys are sent to pick pockets, underage children forced into marriage, or some are turned into baby making machines (bmm), hold on a second, what do you call that again? Calling it child labor is giving it another name; it is called Slavery and spelt S L A V E R Y.
How about the dangers that await this innocent children?
Those who get raped by mindless criminals? The fear of the sexually transmitted disease that awaits them, the trauma they have to face later in life. Everybody needs somebody to talk to; who do these people ever talk to?
The tears they shed, the pain they feel and the feeling of loneliness, like no one understands them or they are some kind of breed who do not deserve freedom.
How about those who have to feed from public garbage bins, because for sure they is no hope for the next meal if they don’t finish up the days sales?
Think about those who spend the nights in uncompleted buildings, maybe after an escape from their masters.
You need not be told the kind of treatment they get from their masters, and the truth is, no matter how much you try to be right before your master, you remain a slave and you are always wrong.
Now think about what life will force them to become, because society has shoveled shit on their faces: criminals, drug addicts, prostitutes etc.
Now, how about those who fall ill everyday and die maybe because of hunger or hardwork?
They bow to you today, but you will lie before them tomorrow. Trust me, not all these people will turn out to be King Jaja or famous slaves-turned-legends, many of them will rebel without understanding, a lot of them will constitute nuisance, either now or in the nearest future.
Alot of us will say these things do not happen in this 21st century, but believe me, they happen, in homes you would never expect.
Through people you would never suspect. Most times they happen under our own very nose, it might not be your child or your brother and sister, but what if it was?
Would you just fold your arms and watch a child suffer because he/she was born into poverty?
It is barbaric. We need not be told. Yes! Agreed, in the past we sold our flesh and blood to slavery, we were obviously blind, or we didn’t have a choice, but now, it is no excuse when we practice this act.
Let us fight against it. Conscience is an open wound; if you are guilty allow it to judge you!!!
Christiana Ukung Alawa is a 20 year old student of UNICAL and writes from Calabar
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