Human trafficking and the new slave trade

Everyone knows that slavery ended in 1865 with the Emancipation Proclamation, right?

Well not quite. The proclamation did end visible slavery in the United States, but according to the American Anti-Slavery Group, there are presently more people enslaved worldwide than at any other point in history. The world’s leading expert on contemporary slavery, Dr. Kevin Bales, conservatively estimates that in 2000 there was a total of 27 million people still held in bondage.

Modern Slavery has developed many new forms and ways to entrap the lowest people of our global society into the slave market. People, especially third-world women and children, are often trafficked either by force or by false promises of well-paying jobs and education.

The United Nations estimates that annually two million people worldwide are become enslaved through being illegally trafficked across borders.

Human trafficking and modern slavery affect every continent in the world, except Antarctica. Even in our own nation, “The Home of the Free”, the US government estimates that between 18,000 and 20,000 people are trafficked into America each year.

Today, slavery is the world’s third largest crime and by 2010, it will supposedly become number one, according to the American Anti-Slavery Group. It is currently surpassed only by the illegal selling of drugs and firearms.

So why is this occurring? How can slavery and human trafficking be on the rise in the modern world of 2006?
Well, the enormous increase of world population post-WWII has been one leading factor of the new slave trade, said Dr. Bales. The present rapid social and economic changes and globalization have created circumstances allowing new slavery to exist.

Almost all of the people currently trafficked and enslaved are victims of third world poverty, such as the child carpet slaves of India, the young female sexual brothel slaves of Thailand, the West African diamond mine slaves, the African children abducted into slavery in war-torn areas such as Sudan, the Brazilians living in slums who are trafficked into slavery with promises of good wages and conditions, and the West African and Caribbean children trafficked into Europe and the United States to work as domestic slaves, just to name a few.

If this is such a significant problem stretching across each continent and almost every nation, then why is more not being done to end it?

Well, there are actually many Non-Profit Organizations working to help research, educate and eradicate the modern slave trade and the trafficking of people. However, they are not going to be able to impact the world alone.

That is where we, as citizens of the richest, most capable, most powerful nation in the world can make a difference. The first step to ending these modern atrocities is to simply get informed, get educated, and begin talking about it.

A good place to start would be with Dr. Bales’ book, “Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy,” which discusses the issues surrounding the problem.

“Politicians and leaders of corporations need to take an interest because they have a lot of influence on the subject,” said Merv Schaffeder, co-director of the Canadian anti-slavery group Freedom Quest International.

The American Anti-Slavery Group’s website, www.iabolish.com, and Dr. Bales’ organization, “Free the Slaves” website, www.freetheslaves.org, both provide petitions and letters that can be electronically sent to US government officials to encourage action against trafficking and slavery.

“Right now there is no political action demanded,” said Tommy Calvert of the American Anti-Slavery Group. “Modern slavery needs to become a national presidency concern. If we concentrate on the problem, it can be defeated within our lifetime.”

As free Americans we need to use our position not to continue ignoring the problem, but to help start fighting against it. Get informed and help make other people aware of the problem, so we can come together to make a difference.

The famous abolitionist Frederick Douglas once said, “Man’s greatness consists in his ability to do and the proper application of his powers to things needed to be done.” And according to the 27 million people who are being affected by the present slave trade, things are needed to be done. •

Tracy Fehr is a columnist for the InterActivist.