Kevin Bales
Encyclopedia
Kevin Bales is an expert on modern slavery
and President of Free the Slaves
. Free the Slaves is the US sister organization of Anti-Slavery International
, the world’s oldest human rights organization. He is currently based in Washington, D.C.
in 1994. He also holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Oklahoma, an MA in Sociology from the University of Mississippi, and an MSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics.
In 1990, Bales teamed with Simon Pell, then head of Arts for Labour in the UK, to form the fund-raising and research consultancy, Pell & Bales Ltd. The firm has since grown to be the largest company of its kind in Britain, and has raising funds for medical charities, human rights groups, environmental campaigns, overseas development, and the Labour Party. In November, 2011 fundraising by the company passed the one billion pound mark (£1,000,000,000 or $1.6 billion dollars).
He has since served as a Trustee of Anti-Slavery International and as a consultant to the United Nations Global Program on Trafficking of Human Beings. He has advised the US, British, Irish, Norwegian and Nepali governments and the Economic Community of West African States
on matters relating to the formulation of policy on slavery and human trafficking. Bales edited an Anti-Human Trafficking Toolkit for the United Nations
, and published a report on forced labor in the US with the Human Rights Center at Berkeley
.
From 2001 to 2005 Bales was a visiting professor of International Studies at the Croft Institute at the University of Mississippi.
Presently, in addition to his role as President of Free The Slaves, Bales holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Roehampton University
in London
as well as Professor of Contemporary Slavery at the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE), University of Hull
. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Cocoa Initiative
.
(1999; revised edition, 2004, further edition 2012), a firsthand analysis of the operations of five slave-based businesses: prostitution in Thailand
, selling of water in Mauritania
, production of charcoal in Brazil
, general agriculture in India
, and brickmaking in Pakistan
. Archbishop Desmond Tutu
called the book "a well researched, scholarly and deeply disturbing expose of modern slavery". It was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and has been published in ten different languages. The book formed the basis for a film, "Slavery: A Global Investigation", made by TrueVision in 2000, which won a Peabody Award
in 2000 and two Emmy Awards in 2002.
Bales currently is writing one book on the relationship between slavery and environmental destruction and another, in collaboration with Jody Sarich, on the subject of forced marriage.
theory and Darren O'Byrne's theories on human rights have influenced Bales' research, as has the empirical training he received from Jack Gibbs and Larry DeBord. Some commentators believe his views on modern slavery were anticipated by contributors to the 1970s mode of production debate, and that his work on debt bondage in India and Pakistan was anticipated by the Marxist Tom Brass.
; in 2004, the Judith Sargeant Murray Award for Human Rights; and in 2005 the Laura Smith Davenport Human Rights Award. In 2006 the association of British Universities named Bales' work as one of the top "100 world-changing discoveries of the last fifty years". Two years later in 2008, Utne Reader named him one of "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World." In 2008 he was also invited to address the Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Paris, and to join in the planning of the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative. The following year he was awarded a Prime Mover fellowship, and in 2010 awarded an honorary doctorate by Loyola University of Chicago for "outstanding service on behalf of human rights and social justice."
Most recently, Bales received the 2011 Grawemeyer Award
for Improving World Order.
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
and President of Free the Slaves
Free the Slaves
Free the Slaves is an international non-governmental organization and lobby group, established to campaign against the modern practice of slavery around the world. Formed in 2001, it is the largest anti-slavery organization in the U.S. It is the sister-organization of Anti-Slavery International...
. Free the Slaves is the US sister organization of Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International is an international nongovernmental organization, charity and a lobby group, based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1839, it is the world's oldest international human rights organization, and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery and...
, the world’s oldest human rights organization. He is currently based in Washington, D.C.
Professional and academic career
Bales graduated from Ponca City High School in Ponca City, Oklahoma in 1970. Bales gained his Ph.D. from the London School of EconomicsLondon School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
in 1994. He also holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Oklahoma, an MA in Sociology from the University of Mississippi, and an MSc in Economic History from the London School of Economics.
In 1990, Bales teamed with Simon Pell, then head of Arts for Labour in the UK, to form the fund-raising and research consultancy, Pell & Bales Ltd. The firm has since grown to be the largest company of its kind in Britain, and has raising funds for medical charities, human rights groups, environmental campaigns, overseas development, and the Labour Party. In November, 2011 fundraising by the company passed the one billion pound mark (£1,000,000,000 or $1.6 billion dollars).
He has since served as a Trustee of Anti-Slavery International and as a consultant to the United Nations Global Program on Trafficking of Human Beings. He has advised the US, British, Irish, Norwegian and Nepali governments and the Economic Community of West African States
Economic Community of West African States
The Economic Community of West African States is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region....
on matters relating to the formulation of policy on slavery and human trafficking. Bales edited an Anti-Human Trafficking Toolkit for the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, and published a report on forced labor in the US with the Human Rights Center at Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
.
From 2001 to 2005 Bales was a visiting professor of International Studies at the Croft Institute at the University of Mississippi.
Presently, in addition to his role as President of Free The Slaves, Bales holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Sociology at Roehampton University
Roehampton University
The University of Roehampton is a campus university in the United Kingdom, situated on three major sites in Roehampton, south-west London.-History:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as well as Professor of Contemporary Slavery at the Wilberforce Institute for the Study of Slavery and Emancipation (WISE), University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the International Cocoa Initiative
International Cocoa Initiative
The International Cocoa Initiative was created in 2002 as a result of a groundswell of opinion urging the chocolate industry to ensure child and forced labour were not used in the production of their products. An international protocol was signed in Washington, D.C...
.
Literary contributions
Dr. Bales has written extensively on modern slavery. Perhaps his best-known book is Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global EconomyDisposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy
Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy is a book on modern slavery by Kevin Bales, the head of Free the Slaves.The book is published by University of California Press. It is currently print in a "revised edition", with its publication date being November 1, 2004, and it has the ISBN...
(1999; revised edition, 2004, further edition 2012), a firsthand analysis of the operations of five slave-based businesses: prostitution in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, selling of water in Mauritania
Mauritania
Mauritania is a country in the Maghreb and West Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean in the west, by Western Sahara in the north, by Algeria in the northeast, by Mali in the east and southeast, and by Senegal in the southwest...
, production of charcoal in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, general agriculture in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and brickmaking in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu
Desmond Mpilo Tutu is a South African activist and retired Anglican bishop who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid...
called the book "a well researched, scholarly and deeply disturbing expose of modern slavery". It was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and has been published in ten different languages. The book formed the basis for a film, "Slavery: A Global Investigation", made by TrueVision in 2000, which won a Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
in 2000 and two Emmy Awards in 2002.
Bales currently is writing one book on the relationship between slavery and environmental destruction and another, in collaboration with Jody Sarich, on the subject of forced marriage.
Influences
Martin Albrow's globalizationGlobalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
theory and Darren O'Byrne's theories on human rights have influenced Bales' research, as has the empirical training he received from Jack Gibbs and Larry DeBord. Some commentators believe his views on modern slavery were anticipated by contributors to the 1970s mode of production debate, and that his work on debt bondage in India and Pakistan was anticipated by the Marxist Tom Brass.
Awards and recognitions
In 2000 Bales was awarded the Premio Viareggio prize for his services to humanity. In 2003 he received the Human Rights Award from the University of AlbertaUniversity of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
; in 2004, the Judith Sargeant Murray Award for Human Rights; and in 2005 the Laura Smith Davenport Human Rights Award. In 2006 the association of British Universities named Bales' work as one of the top "100 world-changing discoveries of the last fifty years". Two years later in 2008, Utne Reader named him one of "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World." In 2008 he was also invited to address the Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Paris, and to join in the planning of the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative. The following year he was awarded a Prime Mover fellowship, and in 2010 awarded an honorary doctorate by Loyola University of Chicago for "outstanding service on behalf of human rights and social justice."
Most recently, Bales received the 2011 Grawemeyer Award
Grawemeyer Award
The Grawemeyer Awards are five awards given annually by the University of Louisville in the state of Kentucky, United States. The prizes are presented to individuals in the fields of education, ideas improving world order, music composition, religion, and psychology...
for Improving World Order.
Selected bibliography
- Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy, by Kevin Bales (1999; 2004)
- Understanding Global Slavery: A Reader, by Kevin Bales (2005)
- New Slavery: A Reference Handbook, by Kevin Bales (2005)
- Ending Slavery: How We Free Today's Slaves, by Kevin Bales (2007)
- To Plead Our Own Cause: Personal Stories by Today's Slaves, by Kevin Bales, Zoe Trodd (2008)
- Documenting Disposable People: Contemporary Global Slavery, by Kevin Bales, Roger Malbert, Mark Sealy (2008)
- The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today, by Kevin Bales, Ron Soodalter (2009)
- Modern Slavery: The Secret World of 27 Million People, by Kevin Bales, Zoe Trodd, Alex Kent Williamson (2009)