Of Human Bondage

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Sellin' lil' kids into slavery...

Chinese children 'sold like cabbages'
April 29, 2008 - THOUSANDS of children in southwest China have been sold into slavery like "cabbages", to work as labourers in more prosperous areas, a newspaper has reported.

China announced a nationwide crackdown on slavery and child labour last year after reports that hundreds of poor farmers, children and mentally disabled were forced to work in kilns and mines in Shanxi province and neighbouring Henan. "The bustling child labour market (in Sichuan province) was set up by the local chief foreman and his gang of 18 minor foremen, who each manage 50 to 100 child labourers," the Southern Metropolis Newspaper said.

"The children generally fall between the ages of 13 and 15, but many look under 10," it said. The newspaper said 76 children from the same county, Liangshan, had been missing since the Chinese Lunar Year festival in February, 42 of whom had already left the region to work. "The youngest kids found in the child labour market were only seven and nine years old," it said.

According to a contract exposed by an undercover reporter, a child labourer was paid 3.5 yuan (50 Australian cents) an hour and must work at least 300 hours a month. "These kids are robust and can do the toughest work," a foreman was quoted as saying, as he pulled a scrawny girl to stand beside him, the paper said. Xinhua news agency said the county government had sent officials to rescue the children, but some were unwilling to leave, having been sold into slavery by their parents or volunteering to work themselves.

Chinese children 'sold like cabbages' | NEWS.com.au

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House apologizes for slavery and Jim Crow...

House issues historic apology for slavery
Tues., July. 29, 2008 WASHINGTON - Resolution does not mention reparations; commits to rectifying 'misdeeds'

The House on Tuesday issued an unprecedented apology to black Americans for the wrongs committed against them and their ancestors who suffered under slavery and Jim Crow segregation laws. "Today represents a milestone in our nation's efforts to remedy the ills of our past," said Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The resolution, passed by voice vote, was the work of Tennessee Democrat Steve Cohen, the only white lawmaker to represent a majority black district. Cohen faces a formidable black challenger in a primary face-off next week.

Congress has issued apologies before — to Japanese-Americans for their internment during World War II and to native Hawaiians for the overthrow of the Hawaiian kingdom in 1893. In 2005, the Senate apologized for failing to pass anti-lynching laws.

Five states have issued apologies for slavery, but past proposals in Congress have stalled, partly over concerns that an apology would lead to demands for reparations — payment for damages.

No mention of reparations