Human Trafficking – little more than a modern word for slavery

Non profits provide such a wonderful and diverse range of benefits. From volunteerism to fund-raising drives, donor support to lotteries, the beneficiaries reside in almost every facet of society. Charities often seem to get their hands dirty where perhaps others might walk around a situation and yet funds raised for projects ranging from boy scout outings to medical research or new hospital wings place growing reliance on funding from the non-profit sector. No cause should outshine any other as the deeper message is the goodness done via giving. From time to time I am amazed at what societal matters actually require the intervention of a non profit, it makes one’s heart sink.

In school when we learned of human slavery we’d associate it with ancient empires of Rome or Greece, part of the human condition that was eroded over the centuries and concluded in the eyes of the West with the US Civil War and the abolition of slavery in a seemingly modern republic. If slavery deserves anything it would be a place in those history books to ensure it never returns, however recent statistics show something altogether the opposite is happening. According to UN reports global human trafficking and slavery retitled as ‘work for residency programs’ mean the disease is more than cured. In fact the estimates suggest that more humans than at any time in history are technically slaves. From international cities to suburbs, human trafficking has become the fastest growing underworld industry on the planet.

The reasons for this epidemic are as broad as the nations that it impacts. Economics, war and refugees situations are often at the heart of these actions as children are sold or migrants exploited for labour. The global estimate is that currently some 30 million people are technically slaves which exceeds even the height of the transatlantic slave trade from Africa to America. I perceive that the biggest initial step to cease human trafficking is to raise awareness as rapidly as possible which in turn places pressure on governments. I think there is a general perception that it ‘happens’ but perhaps in far fewer numbers than an individual may realise. If the knowledge of the crime is more widespread than surely the methods and capability to defeat it will increase in kind.

There are a number of wonderful non-profits that spotlight the issue and raise funds for education and safeguards against it continuing. Projects are typically focused in the country of source, providing educational and housing benefits and economic improvements that will curtail the steady flow of young people into slavery. There is so much to read and not all of it pleasant about the situation and I would recommend ‘The Not For Sale Campaign’ to further your reading if you wish.  The site is especially good at linking to other similar campaigns which share the same goal.

Another important event is the ‘Global Forum on Human Trafficking’ that takes place in Yorba Linda, CA this October. The event features over 40 organizations committed to eroding the problem and over 30 presenters over a 2 day seminar.