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The money in Ghana has always been down on the coast. Poor religious and tribal minorities live in the North, where Ibrahim was born. Orphaned at the age of nine, [...]

Most historians of slavery do not know how lucky they are. The majority of scholars concerned with slavery focus on the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the legal slave trade of [...]

'Once officially abolished, slavery was transformed: adopted as an illicit enterprise, it has mirrored changes in the general economy. No longer viewed as property, people today are seen merely as [...]

The United Nations must take a leading role in tackling slavery throughout the world. It must actively enforce resolutions which are opposed to slavery. Human rights must be seen as more important than property rights. The World Bank should use its power to ensure countries abide by human rights legislation. Young girls are sold by their parents, to brothels in Thailand, for $2,000. Other young people are treated as slaves in households in several European cities. It is suggested slavery worldwide involves some 27 million people.

When Charles Booth first published his research on poverty in London in 1886 he became what might have been the first sociological 'household name'. His findings were widely reported around the world and across newspapers of very different political orientation. As social scientists continue to grapple with the difficulties and rewards of publicity it is worth looking back to this first instance of the political and media uses of social research. In particular, it is worth noting the triangular and reflexive relationship between the researcher, the media, and policy makers. Key Words: Charles Booth; history of research, media, social policy, social research.