Slavery Got a Rebrand

Modern slavery is closer than you think.

Art 1.: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948.

Have we forgotten? Was 1948 so long ago that these principles, so humanly stated, are now irrelevant?

Who can say that we respect human dignity these days after watching videos and pictures coming from Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, Afghanistan, etc., etc., etc.?

People are saying that the UN is irrelevant. The problem is that nobody cares anymore about human rights and declarations. We have entered a new viva la pepa or, in English, a new barbarism [1] where the international rules are not respected anymore. Civilians’ deaths are seen as collateral damage and, while we are horrified and scandalized, governments seem to be unable or unwilling to do anything to stop the carnage. And we, let’s admit it, just go on with our lives.

But if you don’t see how much we don’t…