Human trafficking is the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labour, or a modern-day form of slavery.
There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today. More than at any time in human history. An estimated 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year. Approximately 50% of all victims are children. 126 million children work in the worst forms of child labor – one in every 12 of the world’s 5-17 year-olds. An estimated 300,000 child soldiers are involved in over 30 areas of conflict worldwide, some younger than 10 years old.
In the words of William Wilberforce who gave his life to the British abolition of the slave trade in 1807,
“You may choose to look the other way but you
can never again say you did not know.”
Choose To Know
The first step to getting involved in this issue is knowledge; knowing that it exists and choosing not to live in ignorance. So congratulations. You have taken that first step. Human trafficking, modern day slavery, and sexual exploitation happen in every single country and take on many different shapes and forms. It is important understand the reality of the depth of this issue. And it is a hard reality to swallow.
This is a problem that is happening in our own backyard. It is hidden in plain sight and up to us whether or not we want to see it.
This is not something that was an issue in the past and is slowly starting to fade. On the contrary, it is growing and spreading and affecting more people than we could ever comprehend.
