May Day: The Role Of Human Trafficking In Indonesia

I. Introduction

May Day falls in 1st May which is celebrated in various countries. From the very beginning of the history known as to demands enforcement of working hours for eight hours from American labors. In Indonesia itself, May Day has already existed since 1920. In Netherlands colonialism, the labors were treated just like a slave, even was not with sense of humanity and very poor at the time. Indonesian people is known as a slave, as stated on literacy in the age meneer Van Den Berg which had power in labor. The labors’ condition from the reformation era until now also it is not so different. By the boss’ attitude in this era which only see the labor is a worker machine or just as a tool.

The real fact of labor nowadays still in the

This concern led the international community to adopt a new instrument in 2000 called the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. The Protocol offers UN member states, lawmakers and the global community an internationally-agreed definition of human trafficking which is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

Human Trafficking can be in many forms. Most associate Human Trafficking with Sex Workers. However, there is another form of trafficking that is just as common and is closer to Brands and Manufacturers. This variety is Forced Labor. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), 21 million trafficked people are being forced to labor with little or no pay and

Currently there are around 50,000 people working in forced labor situations in the United States (Bales 47). Although this number is smaller than it was during the 18th century, finding and freeing these individuals is difficult because they are hidden away and exploited. The United States is now at a critical juncture in its struggle to end forced labor. In 2000, the U.S. Government enacted legislation that holds perpetrators of forced labor accountable, and which assists the victims of this crime. Since this date, prosecutions of perpetrators, as well as social and legal services for victims, have increased. However, in order to fully eradicate the problem of forced labor in the United States, the government needs to evaluate the reasons for forced labor within the country, and identify the most useful policies to control this problem. Sweatshop manufacturing, factories in which employers violate labor laws, is another economic sector that utilizes forced labor in the United States. Low-cost imports that create competitive pressures on U.S.-based manufacturers to cut costs perpetuate this problem. Forced labor exists in this industry because U.S. labor laws do not offer adequate protection. For instance, corporations and manufacturers are not held legally responsible when an outside firm that is