Statement on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

December 2, 2022

CUASA Statement on the International Day for the Abolition of Slavery

Slavery in the modern context is an umbrella term which enfolds “forced labour, debt bondage, forced marriage, and human trafficking” [1]. According to the UN, more than half of all forced labour happens in upper-middle income and high-income countries. In Canada, one often overlooked form of modern day slavery is the prison labour industry. Although much has been written about prison labour as modern day slavery in the context of the United States [2, 3], the crisis is just as present in Canada [4]. Salaries for working in Canadian prisons have been frozen since 1981, averaging at about $3-$6 a day before deductions [5, 6]. 30% of that pay is deducted for “room and board” and other miscellaneous charges such as phone systems [7], leaving incarcerated people with next to nothing to show for their labour. This system of exploitation disproportionately targets Black and Indigenous people, who are grossly overrepresented (despite the fact that only 4.3% of the population is Indigenous and 2.8% is Black, 26% of incarcerated people are Indigenous and 9% are Black) [8]. CUASA advocates for a fair wage for all workers, and calls for an end to all forms of slavery.