Slavery Beyond The Skeletons

An international crisis that needs your awareness.

Since the Emancipation Proclamation more than one century ago, many Americans believe slavery has stopped. Unfortunately, however, human beings are currently held captive in every country including the United Sates. While most Americans are unaware of local slavery, ironically, the land of opportunity truly lives up to its nickname...too much, allowing outsiders to take advantage; so slavery is contemporary only because we are not doing enough to abolish it.

The business begins when traffickers, or masters of modern slave trade, pose as genuine tourists from another country. As they are in a different country they will either kidnap or swindle random people- usually women and children- and bring them to the country where the business, which they will be working for, is located. Usually the slaves are forced to live in locked rooms, small shacks, and sometimes next to the machines they work with. They are threatened and tortured if they defy their masters rule. In many cases, the only way to get food is to work. Not only do slaves live an uncomfortable lifestyle, but they endure a very unsafe one too.

John R. Miller, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, separates contemporary slavery in four different categories: factory slavery, farm slavery, child soldier slavery, and- the largest category- sex slavery. Miller has researched current slavery and has met slaves. He explains the story of a slave named Katya, “She left a failed marriage and a 2-year old child in the Czech Republic when a so-called friend of the family introduced her to a Czech trafficker who promises a waitress job In the Netherlands. The Czech trafficker drove Katya and four other Czech girls to Amsterdam where he and another Czech trafficker took them to a brothel (a house of prostitution) in Amsterdam’s red light district.” Katya refused to work for them initially, but when the traffickers threatened to kill her 2-year old son, she surrendered.

It is stories like this one that emphasize how poignant this epidemic is. Even though major efforts have been done, slavery still flourishes, and everyday thousands more have similar horrifying stories to tell. While most slaves are first brought to generally poor areas, many slaves are later brought to the largest slave businesses. These major businesses, mainly run by prostitution, are found in major cities such as San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles, where 80 percent of California’s 57 forced-labor operations are situated- according to one study from the Human Rights Center at UC. This is only one study, so it is haunting to imagine how many people endure this worldwide; which is estimated to be approximately 12.5 million people.

With the issue growing so immensely, support to abolish slavery is needed desperately. Contributions to doing this include the California Trafficking Victims Protection Act and President Bush’s proposal of 50 million dollars to help arrest traffickers and shelter their victims. Famous people and programs, such as Oprah Winfrey, National Geographic, NBC Dateline, and CNN have reported of the trafficking controversy. This abysmal business will only continue to get worse, because not just the United States can be enforcing laws to stop these scoundrels and rescue their slaves. Our world has been plagued and the only cure is to raise awareness. The more people who are aware of this international crisis, the more support the slaves and abolitionists will get, and therefore, the more saved slaves and caught criminals there will be.

The goal can be achieved by following Miller’s suggestions, such as “We can focus on the supply of slaves. We can do this by starting education efforts that warn potential victims. We can support economic alternatives for victims. We can set up shelters to heal the afflicted.” Miller also suggests that we focus on the demand of slaves. “The slave victims may start out in poorer countries, but they often end up in wealthy destination countries in Europe, Asia, and North America. That’s where the market is. The slavery in earlier centuries existed because of the demand of sugar plantations in Brazil and the Caribbean, and the demand of tobacco and cotton farms in the American south. We cannot ignore demand today. That means tougher law enforcement in destination countries and it means education directed at those who create the market. And when we talk about demand, we must also talk about child sex tourism, a major force behind child sex slavery. Yes, the child sex tourism goes on in Thailand, Cambodia and Gambia; but where do the child sex slaves come from? They come from wealthier countries like the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, the US and Japan. More countries need to pass laws, such as the one that congress passed on a bi-partisan basis, and president Bush signed last April (of 2004) providing for prosecution and severe punishment of such tourists.”

The controversy is beyond the graveyards and skeletons, because it is happening right now. The Emancipation Proclamation did not destroy slavery’s existence, but it certainly did discourage it; however, that wasn’t enough…and never will be. Raise awareness of modern day slavery and pass on the message. It’s about time that we decimate slavery for eternity and throw those traffickers behind bars where they belong.