"Bury the chains" - Adam Hochschild

Yes, the chains was buried - but no. They aren`t. Even if England got this law against slavery in 1833, the slavery still exists. I have been reading this remarkable book about how a prosess amongst few men became a national and international movement for essential human rights, - the fight against slavery.

Through this wonderful book Hochschild describes how these men worked to create an awareness about the reality of slavery. People like Thomas Clarkson, Olaudah Equianos, Granville Sharp and William Wilberforce were some of the main persons in this fight.

The slavery at that time is similar to the slavery we see today. In many ways! It is so interesting to see how the history repeat it self. The mask fall down (at the face of the slave) and we cannot see the true story behind and the life of the slaves. Even the newspapers photo of a trafficked women could be something which hide the true story about how it really is TO BE HER! We just see a mask, and because it is so difficult to understand - some really think that she is ok. Despite of what they read and see.

But the heroes (named above), didn`t stop telling the world, what slavery was. They didn`t stop telling true stories and creating awarenss and attention of the situation. Fundamental human rights was something to fight for.

And it is today.

I met one girl in Nigeria... She told me her story. She was one of the poor girls working in the street of Benin City. One day a woman came to her and gave her this fantastic possibility of having an education and a job. Even maybe also in Europe! She had no idea about the world outside Benin City. She didn`t know that it would take her months to come to the north of Africa. And then months of waiting in Marocco...
She told me, visible traumatized and with tears in her eyes, that she saw women who died of hunger on her way. They were dumped in the desert. And then (i was not prepared), she told about the women who became raped and killed. I didn`t really understood what she said. It was too awful. But i saw her eyes and wrote down what she told me.

And then, in a conversation with one of the nigerian back home in Stavanger and Norway. She asked me about how it was for me to be in Nigeria. I told her about all the the meetings, conversations and impressions i got. I told her about this special girl who told me about her way to Europe.

And the woman said seriously: "oh, the same story. I didn`t know if i ever would come to Europe. But i did. And now i am a slave".

And the debat of criminalize the buyer of sexual services is going on in Norway. As a social worker i see which kind of consequences prostitution have for the women. I also see that the open and not illegal market of sex-workers in Norway suits the traffickers. The money flows, and it surely increase.

I will not stop describing the "slaves of today"! And Adam Hochschild has done a great job, in letting us know how to "bury the chains".

Talk about it!