Modern Day Slavery

I had never heard of "human trafficking" until we were required to do training about it for the military. And after that, I wished that I was still ignorant. Most people have no idea that slavery still exists in the world today, and even right here in the United States. Hopefully this post will change that.

So what is human trafficking?
The official definition in U.S. law says that "human trafficking has occurred if a person was induced to perform labor or a commercial sex act through force, fraud or coercion. Any person under 18 who performs a commercial sex act is considered a victim  of human trafficking."
And Stop Child Trafficking Now says that "child trafficking is the recruitment, smuggling, transporting, harboring, buying or selling of a child through force, threats, fraud, deception or coercion for the purposes of exploitation, prostitution, pornography, migrant work, sweat shops, domestic servitude, forced labor, bondage, peonage, or involuntary servitude."

Does this REALLY happen??
Yes!!
It is estimated that:
2.5 million people are in forced labor as a result of trafficking (most of them in Asia and the Pacific)
161 countries are affected by human trafficking as a source, transit or destination country (this includes the U.S.)
1.2 million children are trafficked every year (or to put it more plainly - 1.2 million children are sold into slavery every year)
95% of victims experience physical or sexual violence
43% of victims are forced into the commercial sex trade (the average age of victims entering the sex trade is 12 years)
Human trafficking results in over $31.6 billion in profits for the perpetrators every year
For every 800 people trafficked, only one person is convicted
Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world (and is the world's second largest criminal enterprise after illegal drugs)

It may be easy to think that this does not happen in our own back yard, but that is just not true. About 2 1/2 million U.S. children run away from home every year. Within 48 hours of arriving on the streets 1/3 of these children are lured or forced into prostitution or pornography. Right in our own backyard. An estimated 17,000 foreign nationals are trafficked into the U.S. each year. Right in our own backyard. Child pornography is one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S., with a 2,500% increase over the last 10 years. Right in our own backyard. The National Center of Missing and Exploited Children received more than 160,000 reports on its tip line in 2010. Right in our own backyard.

Orphans are at very high risk of being trafficked. Many orphans live on the streets and can easily be forced or coerced into slavery. Even the children who are fortunate enough to live in the orphanages are not safe. After they "age out" of the orphanage they are sent out onto the streets to fend for themselves, often without any job skills, money, or resources. Run aways and kids who age out of the foster system in the U.S. are at great risk as well.

So what can we do?
Pray
Join the SCTNow run/walk campaign
Volunteer for an organization dedicated to stopping human trafficking
Advocate for orphans and support adoptive families
Shop in the Nomi Store
Share this information and make more people aware of the problem

Where can I learn more or find ways to help?
Stop Child Trafficking Now!
United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking 
Polaris Project
Nomi Network