Human Trafficking
What is Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking, also known as modern day slavery, is any kind of forced labor. A victim of Human Trafficking is controlled by someone and exploited, or treated unfairly, for his or her work.
How many different kinds of Human Trafficking are there?
To our knowledge, there are more than 4 types of human trafficking, some of which include sex trafficking, child trafficking for sex or hard labor, domestic servitude, and debt bondage. Mostly women, but also some men, are tricked into bondage with seemingly harmless job offers or are kidnapped or sold. Children are kidnapped and/or sold easier than adults because they are usually more gullible and are somewhat easier targets. Victims, especially the younger ones are sometimes sold to Human Traffickers in order to pay off a debt. They try their best to work off that debt so they can be free, but usually have extreme difficulty doing so.
How long has Human Trafficking existed?
Human Trafficking has been around for thousands of years. It started when human civilization began. It became a large and profitable industry for the Ancient Greeks and Romans and continued to exist as one through the medieval times and up until this very day.
Where in the world has Human Trafficking existed?
Human Trafficking has existed and still currently exists in 6 of the 7 world continents. We may here stories of human trafficking in other countries and think that it will never happen anywhere near us. However, Human Trafficking is a problem in the United States as much as it is anywhere else. In fact, it is estimated that roughly 14,000 to 18,000 people are trafficked each year in the United States alone.
How many Human Trafficking victims are there in the world today?
There are roughly 27 million victims all over the world today. That is the largest number of victims of Human Trafficking ever recorded. Considering that there are a little over 7 billion people in the world, that means that almost 4% of the world is in bondage.
Other Facts:
Human Trafficking is actually illegal in the world today, but it still occurs all over the world.
The people most subject to Human Trafficking are those who live in poverty or are in debt. They get tricked into taking a loan from the Traffickers and are promised work that will help pay off their loan. They soon find out though that the job they get is not the one they were promised. Whatever work they are forced to do is a lot harder, more abusive and involves very poor conditions.
Still think it's funny or something to joke about? Think twice next time you want to joke about slavery or abuse or rape think about the millions of people right now being used and abused and reconsider what your about to say.
