Today, there are more slaves than at any other time in history. For perspective, during the 350 years of the African Slave trade, there were estimated to be about 13 million slaves. Today there are estimated to be about 27 million people enslaved globally. Many people still believe that slavery ended in the nineteenth century, but the truth is that human bondage is not a thing of the past. Modern slavery is a hidden phenomenon, but the people who are suffering under bondage need their cries to be heard. They need us to feel the breaking of their hearts and the burning of their souls. We cannot tolerate this gross violation of human rights that is happening all over the world.
No country is safe from human trafficking. It is a terror that reaches the soil of every country in the world, even "the land of the free". It is estimated that over 50,000 women are trafficked into the U.S. every year. Even though slavery is illegal in every country in the world, some cultures condone or normalize it. In many countries the government actually supports slavery because it profits from the trafficking of humans. The profits made from human trafficking are eventually estimated to outstrip those from the trafficking of illegal weapons. Human trafficking will then become the most profitable crime in the world. We have to stop this acceleration of slavery, we cannot let humans be traded and sold as commodities against their will.
Victims of trafficking usually come from vulnerable populations, including undocumented migrants, oppressed or marginalized groups, runaways and at-risk youth, and the poor. Traffickers target individuals in these populations because they are often the easiest to minipulate and control and are least likely to be protected by law enforcement.
Women and children are targeted the most by traffickers. 80% of individuals currently in captivity are women, and 30% of them are children.
Sexual slavery is just one form of human bondage. It ensnares millions of women and girls, some as young as four. Young men and boys are also victims. “Of all forms of slavery, sex slavery is one of the most exploitative and lucrative with some 200,000 slaves worldwide bringing their slaveholders an annual profit of $10.5 billion.” (Leuchtag) Poverty and unemployment make individuals in developing countries the most vulnerable. Yet, women all over the world are in danger of becoming trafficked due to a lack of job oppertunities, gender inequalities, and society's tolerance of violence against women.
While some women and children are violently abducted by their perpertrators, others are sold into service by their own relatives, acquaintances, or family friends. Other women meet men who make false marriage proposals to them with the intent of selling them into bondage. Women all over the world are lured into sexual slavery when they are promised legitimate jobs such as nannies, waitresses, cleaners, or models and then are later forced into prostitution. Having no better options in their country of orgin, many women decide to move away, not aware of the torture that lies ahead. Some women are also enticed to work as prostitutes, but they are not aware of the horrorific conditions that they will face.
Victims are frequently illegally moved across borders. The UN estimates that 800,000-900,000 are trafficked across international borders. Yet, some women and children actually become trapped in their own countries. The majority of sexual slaves end up in strange lands and unfamiliar situations. Usually, their passports are stolen and they cannot communicate because they do not speak the language of the country that they are transported to. They have no money, no housing, no food and no way to survive alone. To them, escape seems impossible.
Once they are in a foreign place, they live in fear of the police and authorities. They are often told by their perpertrators that if they are caught by the police, they will be put in jail. Many authorities are corrupt and will actually bring victims back to their traffickers. In some places, victims are treated as criminals and face prosecution or deportation, only to be revictimized.
Sexual slaves face extreme physical, verbal, and physiological abuse. They work for little or no profits and they are denied the right to leave or chose their clients. They are forced to engage in sexual acts without protection, often working long hours, under severe exhaustion. "Some slaves in Thailand, home to a booming sex tourism industry, report being forced to service as many as 40 men a day." (Leuchtag) One woman described how she was forced to work 24 hours a day, servicing 40-60 men on average in one day. On one particular day she serviced 88 men. In Cambodia, where the AIDs disease is rampant, virginity is prized and men who sleep with virgins are believed to have good luck. The virginities of young girls are sold and some have their hymens restitched so that they can be repeatedly sold as virgins.
Most slaves are repeatedly beaten, raped, and starved. Their lives and the lives of their family members are constantly threatened by their abusers. Eventually, they are dehumanized by their pimps. Most victims end up believing that they deserve to be abused.
Most sex slaves become very ill, often as a result of forced abortion or the contraction of STDs and HIV. Then their pimps throw them out into the streets, with no means to survive. Most women do not live for more than 4 years in captivity, and children only live an average of 2 years as sexual slaves. They are beaten to death by their pimps from trying to escape, they contract STDs or other serious illnesses, they commit suicide, or they overdose on drugs.
Women who do escape are often left with no hope, no life, and no dignity. Due to the sigma attached to rape, many women won't report the incident. The majority of victims are deeply traumatized and phycologically disturbed.
According to the United States Bureau of Public Affairs, "Human trafficking is a multi-dimensional threat: it deprives people of their human rights and freedoms, it is a global health risk, and it fuels the growth of organized crime." (Bureau of Public Affairs) Slaves are not the only individuals suffering from human bondage, everyone in the world is. Human trafficking is a danger to the safety and security of all nations it touches.
!!!WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING CONTENT!!!
Trafficking is Torture was created in 2008 by the United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking.
YOU CAN HELP. Please explore my web site for valuable information, as well as other sites that are dedicated to abolishing slavery. Educate others on the devestating realities of modern day slavery. Awareness is the number one key to eradicating human trafficking. These women and children need you. Your eyes have been opened, so please do not close them now. Join the Anti-Slavery Movement.
