PULSE / Featured Cause
Modern Day Slavery compiled by: Sara Luer Underneath the shiny exterior of wealth in SW Florida, many
disenf ranchised individuals are living a much darker reality. It is shocking and unsettling to learn that slavery not only still exists in the world today, but actually thrives under the radar in our own backyard. International watchdog organizations including Amnes- ty International, the United Nations, and Anti-Slavery International estimate that 20-27 million people are currently living in forced la- bor predicaments worldwide. No region of the globe is exempt from modern-day slavery and
many local residents might not be aware that within the United States, Collier County is considered a major hub of such activity. “Since 1997, the US Department of Justice has successfully pros- ecuted seven farm labor servitude cases in Florida, prompting one federal official to label the state ‘ground zero for modern slavery’. Today the Florida agricultural industry remains mired in a human rights crisis made possible by the continuing poverty and powerless- ness of farm workers.” (SOURCE: Coalition for Immokalee Workers Mu- seum booklet)
A 2009 United Nations Protocol defines debt bondage as a sub-
group of slavery which is the most common scenario in SW Florida. There is often a “blame the victim” reaction considering that many of the exploited individuals residing in Immokalee are undocument- ed workers. However, basic human rights covenants negate the hows and whys along the road to human exploitation, leaving the immi- gration factor firmly out of the modern day slavery discourse. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers has been a leader of anti-
slavery efforts in Florida’s agricultural industry for over a decade, successfully establishing a voice for farm workers and a critical precedent of corporate accountability. Pulse Magazine SWFL had the opportunity to discuss the issue with Marc Rodrigues of the Stu- dent/Farmworker Alliance in efforts to further illuminate the dark-
34 | Pulse Magazine SWFL
est side of humanity. Please provide a brief history of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers - when it was started, what prompted its creation, and its primary mission. The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) is a nonprofit com- munity organization based in the farm worker town of Immokalee, about 45 minutes inland from Naples, Florida. The CIW was formed and continues to be led by the very people who have to go out and deal with the extremely strenuous, dangerous and, at times, abusive reality of harvesting fruits and vegetables for a living. The CIW seeks to unite the farm worker community on a basis of reflection and analysis, with constant attention to coalition-building across ethnic divisions, and an ongoing investment in leadership develop- ment in order to help its members develop their skills in commu- nity education and organization. From this basis, the CIW fights for a more sustainable food system in which farm workers earn a fair wage, are respected by their bosses, and have a voice in the industry. Furthermore, the CIW seeks to put an end to modern day agricul- tural slavery.
What are specific defining characteristics of modern day slav- ery in Southwest Florida? When the CIW uses the word slavery, we do not mean “slave-like” or “resembling slavery” -- rather, we are referring to conditions that meet the high standard of proof and definition of slavery under U.S. federal laws. The cases we have helped bring to justice have been prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, either under laws forbidding peonage and indentured servitude passed just after the Civil War during Reconstruction (18 U.S.C. Sec- tions 1581-9), or under the 2000 Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. In Florida alone, there have been nine federal pros- ecutions since 1997 for modern-day slavery involving farm workers,
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