John Miller seems to be one of the most familiar and dedicated advocates against modern day slavery. He doesn’t give up easily and has continuously pushed for countries to be ranked as they should.
It comes as a shock to me to understand how most of these people living in debt bondage have been working off a small debt for generations. A debt that was smaller than one dollar, because of high interest, has resulted in a life long debt that drags into generations who weren’t even born at the time of the encounter.
When Miller confronted the Indian labor secretary as to why no justice has been served for the survivors of the atrocities of masters in India, the secretary responded so simply I was honestly left without words. The secretary said investigations has been made but there was “nobody in chains.”1 This small minded perception of what slavery is supposed to look like is what prevents actual progress to be made. Just because someone isn’t in chains doesn’t mean there’s no evidence that they aren’t enslaved. Slavery comes in so many shapes and forms and that’s what makes it so complex and difficult to try to end. It shouldn’t be hard to understand that enslavement is horrible in whatever form it’s presented in, but some see slavery as a particular form and fail to prevent other forms that are just as horrible.
Miller's fight began again as he tired to demote India to Tier 3 with opposition from all sides.Everyone was focused on prostitution and didn’t see these people forced into domestic labor,because of their debt bondage, as slaves. They didn’t “fit the picture” to represent what America was fighting against as easily as prostitution. Because relationships were being built with India and because some politicians and government officials didn’t view debt bondage as slavery, the United States didn’t call out India as a country who has millions in bondage. America, “fighting” so hard against this atrocity, waived sanctions for Tier 3 countries and invested in six years to free slaves what they invested in two days to the Iraq war.
Miller, who has given up his life to fight against slavery, lived by one thought: “if he didn’t show up, slaves would die” and it brings into perspective a lot for me. Miller and many others fight everyday against slavery, but what happens when they’re gone? Are there still people who are going to strive to fight against this violation of human rights? What do you do when people don’t see the way you do? How do you fight?
1. E. Benjamin Skinner, A Crime so Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern Slavery, New York: Free Press, 2008. 253.