Trafficking in Human Persons

It is estimated that there are currently 27 million victims of human trafficking.  Today, the State Department published its annual "Trafficking in Human Persons Report".  This report includes not just sex slavery but also other forms of labor trafficking (such as those who are forced to work in brick factories).  It is not just a compilation of facts and figures, but also a great resource to help understand what trafficking is and how it affects people.

Many people, when they think of trafficking, think of SE Asia in particular.  In that region of the world alone, it is estimated that there are over 11,700,000 people in slavery.  But, even in the United States, there are also still slaves.  It's easy to believe that when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, that we just don't have that kind of thing here anymore.  But, in reality, there are more slaves in the United States now than any other time in history.  The US is a Tier One country, which means it meets all of the minimum requirements put forth by the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).  (This is based on the governments efforts to prevent trafficking and not the size of the problem within the country.)

The United Nations has defined what trafficking is here.  Their theory is based on The Act (what is done), The Means (how it's done) and The Purpose (why it is done).  It is a broad definition that was done intentionally to allow for countries to adopt it and use it within their legislation.

There is so much that can be said about forced slavery and human trafficking.  It is not something that can be used as an everyday headline.  If we learned every day how many people had been sold or abused as a result, we would become immune to it and accept it as commonplace.  But, that doesn't mean we shouldn't be aware of it's existence.