Were Cinderella or Joseph Labor Trafficked?

A young person from a large family is sold to slave traders, who sell him to a rich man in a far-away country who never pays him for his labor and where he is sexually accosted by his employer’s partner. When he fights back, he is thrown in jail; the partner’s sexual attacks is treated as a joke. There is also victim-blame here as well, because his brothers decided to sell him into slavery as punishment for his lack of tact.

I am writing of course about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

The family’s role in human trafficking is disturbing. Whether it is sisters forced by their traffickers to recruit their cousins or younger sisters, or parents selling their children, it is upsetting to contemplate.

Another famous fictional family abused a younger sibling for free labor–Cinderella. Sticking strictly to the Disney version, the young woman does not appear to be labor trafficked, just exploited:

Her maltreatment as a minor and domestic servant stretched from emotional abuse to physical violence. The distinction between labortrafficking and labor exploitation is a subtle distinction and Disney’s candy-coating smears the story into pleasing lines, making itdifficult to see.

Both Cinderella and Joseph get help from a higher power to get out of their situations, both waiting patiently to be saved. In real life,they might get help from a nosy neighbor, a non-profit in their area, or law enforcement and had to tell their stories dozens of timesbefore finally being safe.

Next week we’ll cover economic push factors into commercial sex, using Fantine in Les Miserables.