Slaves Today?

I was shocked to hear that more people are held in slavery today than during the entire African slave trade. These people are living in our cities and are taken from our towns. They are forced to work as sex workers, sweatshop workers and as manual labor.

This isn't just a problem for coastal cities either. A local 4-star hotel here in Kentucky was busted a couple of years ago for forcing immigrants to work at illegal wages. Linda Smith with Shared Hope International estimates that there are no less than 500 girls enslaved in the sex trade in every city in the U.S.. World Magazine reported in their Feb 28, 2009 issue that it is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 U.S. children are enslaved in sex trafficking each year. World-wide 2,700 children are trafficked in to slavery every day. That's ridiculous.

I am just now learning about human trafficking and the modern-day slave trade. This will be topic that will come up again here at Our Old Shoes. In the mean-time here are some resources you can use to learn more about what's going on and how to help stop it:

Remember Nhu
A non-profit in Cambodia that "exists to eliminate children in the sex trade industry all over the world."

Human Trafficking.org
"A web resource for combating human trafficking"

International Justice Mission
"IJM seeks to make public justice systems work for victims of abuse and oppression who urgently need the protection of the law."

Shared Hope International
A non-profit based in Toledo, Ohio that is "leading a world-wide effort to eradicate sexual slavery one life at a time."

FBI Human Trafficking Division
This provides information on who to call if know of someone enslaved here in the U.S.