HUMAN Trafficking- Not Just Yesterday's Problem
HowardUniversity Hilltop – WashingtonDC,USA
"Slavery no longer exists." For many people, this statement seems true. To some, slavery is far removed from our generation and the days of cotton-picking and being whipped are long gone. However, for some 27 million people around the world today, slavery, also known as human trafficking, is a horrible reality. In countries such as Sudan, India, Mexico, Japan, and even the United States, human trafficking is a booming industry.
Human Trafficking- Not Just Yesterday's Problem
By Takara C. Swoopes
Published: Saturday, May 8, 2004
"Slavery no longer exists." For many people, including some Howard students, this statement seems true. To some, slavery is far removed from our generation and the days of cotton-picking and being whipped are long gone. However, for some 27 million people around the world today, slavery, also known as human trafficking, is a horrible reality. In countries such as Sudan, India, Mexico, Japan, and even the United States, human trafficking is a booming industry.
Everyday, many of us unknowingly have encounters with slavery and often contribute to it. Chances are the chocolate candy you ate today, the diamonds you wear around your necks and on your fingers, and the very shirts on our backs contain the blood, sweat, tears of pain, and hunger of a human being, often between the ages seven to twenty-five, being held against their will and forced to labor.
While slavery is considered a violation of human rights and is universally recognized as illegal, the practice still prevails. In 1997, the CIA estimated that 50,000 people were trafficked to the United States annually. Further, many experts say that the United States has become a great attraction to human traffickers and their victims because of the promise of prosperity. The U.S. government suspects that there are between 10,000 and 20,000 victims of trafficking annually within the U.S. border alone. Some are even here in the nation's capital, being held against their will as domestic servants, sex slaves, and migrant workers.
The effects of human trafficking are devastating and in order for this practice to stop we must do our part and play a larger role. Here are a few things you can do to stop contributing to modern slavery:
1. Educate yourself and others about the products you buy, the food you eat and the clothes you wear.
2. Write to your state representative.
3. Volunteer for non- profit organizations like Free the Slaves, located in Washington.
4. Use your education to actually make a change in others lives, not only in yours.
5. Boycott manufacturers, clothing lines, and other products that use slave labor.