Modern-Day Slavery

       I thought it was interesting that right before we started reading Frederick Douglass, I became aware of modern-day slavery. The majority of people, especially in the United States, believe that slavery no longer exists. They may also believe that slavery exists, but just not in America. This is far from the truth. Between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders annually. According to a 2005 report from the U.S. State Department, between 14,500 and 17,500 of these are in the United States. (http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/category/the-facts/) Through research, I found that there are a number of key similarities and differences in the type of historical slavery we are familiar with and slavery that occurs today.                                                 Slave locations in the United States today
       Slavery today is more commonly known as "trafficking". It involves capturing another individual by force or violence, and exploiting them for sex, labor, or servitude. It can often involve selling them to another person for these same reasons. Historical slavery began in a similar way. Europeans came to Africa and forced the people there into labor and servitude. Another means of getting an individual to be trafficked is by deceiving them instead of forcing them. Similar things happened in history. Many men agreed to work as slaves in exchange for the opportunity to come to America, but then worked so hard that they often died before they earned their freedom or found that they could not support themselves after earning it.
       Something that I found totally heartbreaking was that in other countries today, many parents will willingly sell their children because their poverty is so extreme. Oftentimes, they trust that the person they are selling them to will be good to them, but many times this is how children ended up being enslaved and exploited. (http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/) One of the fastest-growing areas in trafficking is prostitution. Many girls are kidnapped and forced into prostitution, but there are also some that choose this lifestyle for themselves. With no education and no money, they feel that this is their only choice.

       One difference between the two is the money that goes into it. In 1809, slaves would sell for about $40,000 by today's standards. In 2009, a slave could be purchased for $90. Historically, slaves were sometimes seen as a status symbol and a way to show that one had wealth. Slaves were not treated well, but generally masters wanted to make sure their slaves were healthy because they were expensive to replace. Today, this is not a concern because of their low cost. It is obvious that one takes better care of something they spend a lot of money on.
       There are about 27 million slaves in the world today. That is more than there have ever been, including the African slave trade. (http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature1/) It is ranked third in profit generation by a criminal industry, behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking. It generates $32 billion annually.
       The previous solution to the problem of slavery was legal action. With the passage of the 14th Amendment and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, slaves were freed from their owners. In the U.S. and other countries with similar laws, now the issue becomes awareness and enforcement of the law.

Sources:
Picture 1: http://joeyannasjourney.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/not-for-sale-2.jpg
Picture 2: http://www.slaverymap.org/
Video: http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/category/life-in-slavery/