Even though slavery is illegal in every country in the world, there are still 27 million people enslaved around the globe today. These people are held against their will and often threatened with violence. Many slaves don't have the resources or knowledge to escape their captors.
Slavery is everywhere. It can be found in action in restaurants, factories, hotels, agricultural fields, salons, construction work, and even at private residences. Traffickers lure their victims in through false promises of a better life, education, or jobs. They may even promise love. Once captured, those enslaved are ridden of personal identification, threatened and abused, and forced into labor or prostitution.
Evelyn Chumbow, 25, was one of the lucky ones who escaped. At age nine, she was brought to the U.S. with the promise of a better life and an education. Her captor abused her and forced her into servitude. Chumbow was able to escape at 17, but her life is forever changed. Chumbow's story helps us to realize that slavery can be taking place in our backyards. It is current and global issue that must be stopped.
Human trafficking is so prevalent because of a lack of anti-human trafficking laws and lack of enforcement for laws that do exist. Many oppose it, but are unable to do anything to stop the abomination. Others are not aware that slavery is still exists and is a huge problem that affects a large amount of people. Fortunately the U.S. government has begun to fight against modern day slavery. In 2011 three bills that could put human-traffickers in jail for life were signed. The UN has also set up a fund for human-trafficking victims in attempt to fight slavery. Despite these accomplishments, slavery is still thriving.
Slavery is a practice that most people would disagree with, yet it seems to have been put on the back-burner. More effort needs to be put in by governments all over the globe to stop slavery. People need to be educated on the subject. Freetheslaves.com has calculated that slavery would take 10.8 billion dollars to be completely stopped. This is the amount American’s spend on snack foods like potato chips and pretzels in one year. It would take about $400 dollars to free one slave! Eliminating slavery is a completely reachable goal. If the world comes together, we can relieve those whose lives have been unrightfully taken from them and punish the aggressors.
