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Photo courtesy of Associated Press

According to the Associated Press, hundreds of penguins have been washing ashore in Brazil this year, both dead and alive. Approximately 300 penguins have been found in recent days alone along the shoreline.

Biologists are not exactly sure why this is occurring, but they do have theories. Some biologists believe that “stronger-than-normal ocean currents have pulled the birds north” (Associated Press). Others believe that the penguins are being forced to swim farther out to search for food due to overfishing in Antarctica and Patagonia.

This isn’t the first time penguins have been spotted off the shore of Brazil. It is fairly common for a few sightings of the birds a year, however, the number of sightings this year are extremely high. Most of the birds getting washed ashore are babies who aren’t strong enough to fight against the currents of the water.

The environmental authority in Brazil is telling residents if they spot a healthy, uninjured penguin to leave it alone so it can swim back home. Rescued penguins are swamping their bird rescue centers and 90 have since died.

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Above Photos © Allison Stone, 2008. Schoolchildren located near Samburu, Kenya. Taken in 2006.

This report is so horrific, heinous, and saddening that I can’t even express my emotions in words. Please note this post contains disturbing descriptions from the Associated Press and is not for the feint hearted.

Dozens of scared children filed silently into the bare room, their eyes on the cracks in the floor. One by one, in low voices, they told of being tortured by the Kenyan army because they were suspected of aiding rebels. They told of being beaten and made to shake hands with corpses. They told of being forced to crawl through barbed wire tunnels and of genitals squeezed by pliers. Then the children took off their shirts. White scars crisscrossed the dark skin on their backs like grains of rice. Some were still bleeding.

These children are among hundreds in western Kenya who have been terrorized, many twice over, first by a militia in their villages and then by the army sent to fight it. The militia forced children as young as 10 to become soldiers. In a widespread crackdown, the army then rounded up the children and thousands of adults and tortured them, human rights groups say.

In March, the Kenyan government sent its army to crack down on the Sabaot Land Defense Force militia, which is named after the Sabaot region. But instead of hunting down militia fighters where they hide in the forests of Mount Elgon, the army swept up thousands of men and boys from the surrounding villages.

Since then, so many reports of murder and torture have emerged that Kenya’s state-run human rights commission is calling for the prosecution of the defense minister and top army and police officials.

It only gets worse. The militia thrived in the dense forests in Mount Elgon, where an estimated 160,000 people are living in very poor conditions. These families are given horrific choices: pay $50,000 Kenyan shillings ($830) - impossible for almost every family- give up their son, or die. Katharine Houreld reports:

One 15-year-old joined last year to protect his family after the militia killed his uncle.

“They shot him in front of me,” the boy said. “He was begging for his life on his knees.”

He spent two months in the forests and learned to shoot alongside eight other children. He saw a boy forced to kill his own father. He fled with a 10-year-old when the militia began producing victims for reluctant recruits to kill.

Some children simply disappeared. One 17-year-old girl was abducted by four men armed with machetes on her way back from school. Her father dared go to their forest hideout and ask after his missing daughter, who sang in the school choir and dreamed of being a doctor.

“They threatened to slaughter me if I took it further,” he said, his voice suddenly raw. “I could not protect her.”

These families can’t do anything to protect their children. They have to live every single day in immense fear that they won’t see their sons or daughters again. A year and a half ago, 650 children were reported missing from a “partial survey” of schools.

These disgusting individuals who torture these children have absolutely no value for human life. The most heartbreaking part of this report is that it doesn’t shock me one bit. There are so many cultures in the world where people really don’t value human life and have no guilt, shame, remorse, or pain from torturing and massacring people. It’s disgusting and disturbing and I wish the UN and the Super Powers of the world, such as the US, would do more. I wish threy would spend less time fighting wars over oil, power, and money and would fight for peoples lives and humanity in the poorest of the poor countries.

Photo © Allison Stone, 2008. Schoolchildren located near Samburu, Kenya. Taken in 2006.

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Photo © Allison Stone, 2007

1. There are more people in slavery now than in any other time in history.

According to research conducted by Free The Slaves, there are more people enslaved now than ever before in history. During the 400 years that the transatlantic slave trade was shipping off Africans to various Western colonies, it is estimated that there were 12 million slaves. Todays estimate? 27 million people enslaved.

It is also estimated that three out of every four slavery victims are women and half of all of modern day slaves are children (according to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center).

2. The value of slaves has decreased.

In the 1800’s, a slave could be purchased for $40,000.00. Today, the average cost of a slave is approximately $90.00 depending on type of labor. However, women are more expensive, especially if they are disease free, such as from AIDS. An HIV-free woman can sell for as much as $1,000.00.

Expert Kevin Bales says that because modern slavery is so cheap, it is worse than that of the Atlantic slave trade. People have become disposable and their living conditions are worse than ever before as a result of their value.

3. Slavery still exists in the U.S.

The CIA estimates there are more than 1,000,000 slaves in the U.S today. However, it is difficult to take legal action because it is hard to prove force or legal coercion. It is estimated that 17,500 slaves are illegally trafficked into the states each year an over 50,000 of them are forced into prostitution, farm labor, or being servants.

4. Slavery is disguised under different names and terms, hiding it from society.

Some of these names include chattel slavery, which refers to the traditional meaning of slavery, bonded labor, trafficking, forced labor, forced marriage, etc.

This fact, to me, almost seems like an excuse for not trying harder to prosecute those involved in the slave trade. There are countless numbers of names for the different types of illegal drugs out there and they still manage to prosecute drug lords.

5. The least known method of slavery is the most widely used.

“Bonded Labor occurs when labor is demanded in order to repay a debt or loan and the cyclical nature of debt and work can enslave the person for the rest of their life. Some conditions are so controlled that slaves are surrounded by armed guards while they work, many of whom are slaves themselves. This has been found in Brazil. It is estimated that there are 20 million bonded labourers in the world.”

6. Human trafficking has recently been described as “the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world.”

Madeline Albright, the former Secretary of State made that statement while still in office. The UN estimates that the human trafficking “enterprise” generates $7 billion dollars each year.

7. To buy all bonded laborers out of slavery would cost a mere $40.00 per family.

This figure was provided by the Center for Global Education located in New York.

8. The organization Free The Slaves believes we can eradicate slavery in 25 years.

They state “The 25 Year Plan: As big and ugly as it is, we can end slavery. In Ending Slavery, FTS puts forward a plan to bring slavery and human trafficking to an end. Forever. Governments, the UN, businesses, our communities, and each one of us has a role to play.”

9. Many products that households purchase are produced by the slave trade without your knowledge.

Products such as cocoa, cotton, steel, oriental rugs, diamonds and silk are known to be involved or previously involved with the modern day slave trade. To ensure the products you purchase are not produced by victimized laborers, make sure you buy “Fair Trade Certified” goods.

10. Your actions affect global slavery.

“By buying fair trade, learning more about modern slavery, spreading the word, and joining a movement such as Free the Slaves, Anti-Slavery International, or the American Anti-Slavery group, you as an individual can help abolish slavery completely.”

The original article is from matador.org and was written by Caroline Nye.