When most people think about slavery, they remember reading about it in history books. They remember the horror of the treatment of slaves and what the slaves were forced to do every single day. We can’t believe that an estimated 11 million people were slaves during the height of the African Slave Trade. Yet slavery has been abolished. It’s not an issue we need to worry about anymore, right?
Wrong. Are you aware that there are an estimated 27.9 million slaves in the world today? Did you know that total profits from the slavery trade are estimated to be $32 billion per year? Modern-day slavery is one of the largest businesses in the world today. It is not legal anywhere, but it is thriving everywhere. It is the second largest and fastest growing illegal industry in the world. The average cost for a slave today is $90, but in some countries, a child can be sold for as low as $1.30.
Modern-day slavery is called human trafficking, and is defined as “the recruitment and transportation of persons within or across boundaries by force, fraud, or deception for the purpose of exploiting them economically” (Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking, L.A.). It comes in many forms. The most common are debt bondage, sex slavery, child soldiers, sweatshop labor, agricultural labor, domestic labor, and organ harvesting.
Thank you for your interest in Project Abolition, a group based at Mercyhurst College dedicated to raising awareness of and funds to combat modern-day slavery. We work with The Home Foundation, which in turn supports the work of many other organizations dedicated to abolishing slavery. Because our group is new, we have yet to schedule many events, but there are a lot of ideas in the air. We hope you get as passionate about this issue as we are, and please send emails with questions, ideas, concerns, etc. to projectabolition@gmail.com.
In the meanwhile, please get involved. If you have one minute to spare, sign up for The Underground, a weekly e-newsletter published by the Not For Sale Campaign, that will give you ideas for further action and updates about abolitionists from around the world. Sign up here.
If you have three minutes, add The Home Foundation as a Facebook causes application and invite all of your friends. There is a huge lack of awareness of modern-day slavery, and you can really make a difference.
If you have five minutes, write to your congressional representatives to advocate for their support of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Learn more here.
If you have ten minutes, do some independent research on human trafficking. Use your favorite search engine, type in "modern-day slavery" or "human trafficking," and read about the issue. Some good websites to explore are the International Justice Mission, the Not For Sale Campaign, and Free the Slaves.
If you have forty minutes, watch a short documentary, "Dreams Die Hard," on the personal accounts of four former slaves in the United States. The documentary highlights these survivors' passion for freedom and justice for victims of slavery worldwide. It's available to watch for free here.
Be a voice. Join the fight. And make the change. Together, we can.
