Index IntroductionA case for Nestlé supply chainsThe many faces of inequalityWhat we can do todayReflectionConclusionIntroductionTo delve deeper into the many labor inequalities around the world we must uncover their roots and causes. For first world countries like the United States, employment inequality falls under the umbrella of income inequality and lack of opportunity. Examining the layers of inequality within the global workforce reveals far more oppressive inequalities. These labor inequalities come in many forms, such as modern slavery, debt bondage, human trafficking and forced labor, but it is difficult to put a finger on why they still exist. Historical inequalities were rampant and fostered the development of the slave trade, which is one of the largest forms of labor inequality. The traditional form of colonialism was a way for nations to increase their power and influence. During this era, it was accepted that military force could be used to obtain resources from foreigners and their land. Human labor was not seen as a resource, but rather as a variable that influences productive returns. The colonists had no desire or need to dismiss human suffering, and its victims were often ignorant and could not speak out or erase their problems. With the introduction of globalization, our nations have come together in markets and organization to free themselves from practices such as colonialism and imperialism. The free market expanded to every nation it could reach, leaving room for further inequality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Countries no longer invade foreign settlements and acquire their lands for economic gain, but their method still reverberates around the world. Instead, multinational corporations and global lenders use their political and economic control to influence foreigners for their economic growth. Imperialism still exists in its final form called neocolonialism. Some key characteristics of neocolonialism are (1) a trend of economic growth characterized by a heavy dependence on the export of primary products, (2) a system of forced labor for agricultural resources, and (3) a governed and regulated global supply chain by multinationals, traders and intermediaries. A nation subjected to neocolonialism has its economic system directed from outside and therefore its political policy is controlled by external sources. The use of this regime is to exploit developing nations rather than develop them. The economic dependencies formed with these nations give them no choice but to ask for further aid that adds to their national debt. These companies take control of the land and become a major source of employment, thus leaving their economy and its population dependent on the companies' actions. When the imperial power has much more capital power, it can dictate government policy in the newly colonized state. Multinational corporations may often begin operating in another nation, but that does not always mean they are the source of exploitation. They often begin to operate on land that does not necessarily belong to them, exploiting the territory and the people who live there. The modern colonizer decides to expand their supply chain and build factories, manufacturing plants and exploit the land and farms to liquidate all the resources within the territory. Now they canonly do so with permission from the country's government, which is why they prey on underdeveloped nations that are weak and in need of help. This practice keeps alive the practice of keeping the flow of wealth alive from poor nations to the first world ruling class. Neocolonialism is often the reason why many labor inequalities and exploitations exist in a foreign land. On a superficial level, neocolonialism appears to refer to companies creating production structures that need local workers to operate, but this is often not the case. Neocolonialism often perpetuates current inequalities within a foreign land. Their economy is strangled by financiers who create empty promises and one-sided deals created solely to drain the nation's resources as quickly as possible. Many point the finger at the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. After World War II they began offering loans to poor, underdeveloped countries that desperately needed aid. This promise would only be made if the ailing nation agreed to privatize its economy and allow companies access to its materials, and if it reluctantly accepted efforts to develop its economy and basic infrastructure. Workers themselves are racialized and in a position where they are forced to accept deals that lead to debt slavery out of desperation. Coincidentally their governments must do the same to these financiers and companies to keep their economy afloat (Bonacich 2008). As we all know by now, these nations' infrastructures have not been as developed as they hoped and their economies have only faltered. They now suffer from some of the worst income, employment and environmental inequalities in the world. The omnipresence of slavery in the modern era is entirely motivated by the ability to produce significant profits with almost no real risk while the economy and its participants accept the suffering of the victims. Fortunately for these companies, when they are caught exploiting the land and its people, only a brief outrage occurs, an empty promise is made, and consumers return to buying their products. center of the African slave trade and, in a sense, the practice continues. Their instability began when their government led by Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown in a coup. There is speculation that this coup was planned and approved by the governments of Great Britain and the United States under Lyndon B. Johnson. Since then the territory has been characterized by instability with evidence of famine and drought. They had triple-digit levels of inflation and desperately needed aid. They undertook an economic reform effort through the IMF that has since led to positive structural reforms that, unfortunately, also perpetuate modern slavery. The IMF now has Ghana under control and is threatening to stop lending unless they continue to comply with what they want. One of the biggest companies keeping slavery alive in Ghana is Nestlé with its massive and growing demand for cocoa. Cocoa harvesting is labor-intensive and has high demand for jobs, but requires low-skilled labor, which is why children are often targeted. Around 2 million children are engaged in growing cocoa in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire on farms that are part of the Nestlé supply chain. These two places alone produce around 60% of the world's cocoa and the work required to harvest it is dangerous and abolishes children's chances of continuing their studies. Children work in the cocoa fields for over 8 hours a day wielding machetes, burning fields,spraying pesticides and lifting bags of cocoa weighing more than 100 pounds. Workers aren't given enough chemical pesticides, so they have to buy their own from China, which contains instructions they can't understand. These chemicals have nowhere to be stored and are often found stored in workers' homes. The spray tanks are even washed into water sources from which communities draw drinking water. With an estimated 30% growth in global cocoa demand over the next 5 years, this problem could get worse. In a study conducted by the Fair Labor Association, they examined Nestlé's cocoa plantations along the Ivory Coast in West Africa. Nestlé promised to eliminate child labor in its supply chain back in 2001, but the 2012 study proves otherwise. Ivory Coast is the world's largest producer of cocoa and also the largest exporter. The problem with Nestlé's supply chain is that it is not entirely transparent. To moderate and regulate ethical cocoa production, Nestlé created the Nestlé Cocoa Plan, but only 20% of their cocoa farming falls under this plan. The remaining 80% corresponds to a standard supply chain that is not as transparent and well maintained as it should be. This, unfortunately, means that around half of their cocoa production is untraceable. This is not the first of Nestlé's misdeeds. They are also under fire for forced labor, human trafficking and child labor within their fish production sites. A case conducted by Verite highlighted inequalities within the seafood industry in Thailand, highlighting deceptive recruitment practices (Verite 2015). The workers had been subjected to these recruitment practices in their home countries, then transported to Thailand in inhumane conditions. Some were forced into debt bondage and exposed to exploitative working conditions, such as no days off and forced overtime. The workers interviewed said they earned about $10 a day after taxes and withholdings, while paying about $400-$500 for the job itself in hiring costs. The recruitment process was carried out without going through the legal immigration and employment procedures defined by Thailand's Alien Employment Act. The Many Faces of Inequality The exploitative nature of slavery has never changed, its face has only changed its mask. In 2016, approximately 40.3 million people were victims of modern slavery (Alliance 2017). The Trafficking in Persons Protocol defines human trafficking in three terms. The “act” refers to the act of recruiting, transporting, harboring, or receiving a person. The second term is “purpose,” which is the particular reason why the act occurs, whether it is forced labor or exploitation. Finally, the “means” is how the person is convinced to give up their rights, whether it be through the use of force, kidnapping, fraud, coercion, debt bondage, etc. Traditional slavery was usually entirely forced while modern slavery is often contractual and temporal and classified as forced labor. Forced labor differs from slavery because it involves coercion under the threat of any punishment that was not offered voluntarily (Kartha 2017). Most victims experience numerous forms of coercion to prevent them from getting out of their debts. Approximately 24% of workers had their wages withheld due to threats of non-payment, 17% experienced threats of physical violence and 16% experienced actual physical violence. Threats also include rejectionof food, shelter or water, the manipulation of debts and the threat of deportation. In 2016, of the 40.3 million victims of modern slavery, 24.9 million were forced into forced labor. Of these 24.9 million forced laborers, 16 million operate in the private economy which generates illegal profits of approximately $150 billion per year. Forced labor can be imposed by the state with work imposed by public authorities, the military and in some cases even prison labor. . An estimated 4.1 million people were victims of state-imposed forced labor. This includes recruiting citizens to work for economic development, military workers doing non-military-related jobs, and prisoners forced to work against their will. The most widespread form of slavery today is debt bondage. In North Korea, 1 in 10 people are forced into forced labor by the state after being recruited against their will. This involved children working in agriculture and schools receiving payment in place of the children. If they did not participate they would be punished within the school itself, but this could be avoided through bribes. Adults participate in community work where they work for up to 100 consecutive days and, if they refuse, receive a reduction in food rations. Comparing all forms of slavery, debt bondage confines more victims than all other forms of slavery combined. Debt labor/bondage is a predatory interconnection between labor and credit arrangement. Victims often enter into loan agreements with individuals seeking to exploit their labor. When the party without assets requests such a loan, he often commits his own labor to repay it. Because power imbalances exist between the two parties, the debtor is often exploited so severely that he becomes a slave. Victims find themselves working for extremely low wages and repaying interest rates of 10 to 20 percent per month. Sometimes up to half of the debtor's salary is used to repay the debt, and the borrower has the power to make deductions for poor work performance or whatever he deems necessary. When workers cannot afford to live on this meager salary, basic goods such as food and clothing require more loans which add to the debt. If the debt is not repaid it can last a lifetime and be passed on to future generations. Debt bondage often results in workers paying recruitment fees to secure a job along with related paperwork, training, permits and travel expenses. The topic of slavery and human trafficking is already recognized as extremely unequal, but even deeper inequalities exist within the system. Most victims of human trafficking are women and children. This is because the majority of victims identified globally are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. In a group of women, men, girls and boys, women represent 49% and girls 23%, for a total of approximately 72% of detected victims of human trafficking (UNODC 2018). Approximately 99% of victims of forced sex work are women (ILO). Another form of modern slavery is forced marriage without consent which targets women and girls. In 2016, approximately 15.4 million people were living in a marriage to which they had not consented. More than a third of these victims are under the age of 18 and, among these underage victims, 44% were forced into marriage before they even turned 15. What we can do today For international business, slavery is extremely profitable. Modern slavery generates approximately $150 billion in illegal profits every year (ILO 2016). It often arises.