21st Century Slavery :
What Can We Do About It ?
By David Livermore & Julie Slagter nonfiction
We learned about slavery as kids in school – southern plantation owners abusing , buying , and selling people to turn a profit . Thank God we ’ ve moved beyond that barbaric era … right ?
Not so fast . Meet Elira , an Albanian woman , who was manipulated by her new boyfriend into moving to Greece for a better life . When they arrived , he forced her into prostitution and kept all the money she earned for himself . She is a 21st-century slave . She didn ’ t come from Africa to pick cotton , but what she thought was a budding romance turned into an abusive master-slave relationship . For Elira , slavery means being molested weekly by hundreds of strangers and enduring violent rape , sometimes multiple times a day .
Or meet James , a nine-year-old boy from the Democratic Republic of Congo who was forced to be a soldier . Slavery for him means sleeping with a gun under his head , being forced to kill people , performing sex acts with other soldiers , and knowing he may die of starvation .
Slavery didn ’ t end in the Civil War era . In fact , there are more people enslaved today than during four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade . 1 There are more slaves today than ever before .
A Snapshot of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is an international crisis that includes people like Elira who are forced into prostitution , and people like James who are forced to kill . People are trafficked for a variety of other jobs , including domestic help , construction , and farming . Elira and James are among millions of people trafficked annually . 2 And not just in faraway places such as Greece and the Congo , either ; it also happens in North American cities such as Albuquerque and Toronto and on farms in Alabama and Michigan .
Women and children are the largest group of victims , most of whom are caught in an endless cycle of indebtedness that ’ s nearly impossible to pay off . For example , women such as Elira are told they owe a $ 75,000 debt , usually due to an exorbitant price put on their lodging , food , clothes , etc . And no matter how many times a day they sell their bodies , trick after trick , they can never make enough money to pay off the debt . In fact , their debt grows faster than their earnings .
The sale of people is a lucrative business – and the traffickers aren ’ t the only beneficiaries . Others who profit from this barbaric business include weapons manufacturers , condom manufacturers , the person selling chocolate that came from slave labor , the taxi drivers who drive customers to brothels , and the fast-food restaurants supplying food to traffickers waiting for their “ product ” to be sold on a cold , dark street corner .
We noted earlier that this crime is as close as our own backyards . Trafficked people can be found all throughout the developed world in urban , rural , and even suburban settings . Similar to the international crisis , sex trafficking is the largest U . S . form of slavery . Women and children are often unknowingly recruited into strip clubs , street-based prostitution , escort services , and massage parlors . Pimps target runaway youth or homeless kids , offering them a place to live , food to eat , “ freedom ” from their parents , and some income . The average age of entry into U . S . prostitution is 12 to 13 years old . The typical victims aren ’ t just homeless youth in Miami or L . A .; they ’ re kids from Indianapolis , eastern Colorado , Saskatchewan , and Grand Rapids . Growing numbers of U . S . traffickers are scouting for recruits at restaurants , bus terminals , traveling carnivals , peddling / begging rings , and in traveling sales crews . 3
This isn ’ t a faraway issue . This is an industry targeting youth everywhere .
Toledo , Ohio is the second largest area in the U . S . for human trafficking mainly because of its major highways running in all directions . Traffickers rotate teens among highway welcome centers , hotels , and truck stops . And because of Ohio ’ s proximity to Detroit and its large farming areas , trafficking women , children , and even men can be hidden and then used for slave labor or sex for profit . 4
Slavery takes huge emotional , spiritual , and physical tolls on its victims . The layers of mistrust , trauma , abuse , and spiritual doubt are far beyond what victims may even be aware of . Many victims believe all hope is lost . Women like Elira sometimes separate from their traffickers but continue working in prostitution because it becomes a habit or addiction . Or they may not know how to find employment elsewhere , so they keep selling their bodies in order to support themselves and their families . Trafficked children often miss out on learning how to read and write , and the only “ skill ” they ’ ve learned is having sex with men . Hope and change can feel out of reach . It ’ s not enough to simply free slaves – something more is needed .
Calling for Abolitionists !
Many of us are deeply concerned about this issue , so you probably won ’ t have to look far to find people willing to take up this cause . Here are few ways to get started . In addition , go to Michigan Abolitionist Project ’ s website ( www . MichiganAbolitionistProject . org ) for more ideas and information .
Education and Awareness
As with so many issues around the world , education and awareness are important parts of responding to this crisis . Michigan Abolitionist Project provides
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