Did you know that slavery still exists today? Millions of people -men and women, even children- are taken in as slaves. Can you imagine being forced to work without pay, unable to walk away and subject to violence or the threat of violence? This is the reality for those trapped in slavery today, in the year 2016. There are three different forms of slavery: bonded labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. The most common of these is bonded slavery.
Bonded labor victims are often born into slavery, forced to repay a loan, sometimes from generations before. Forced labor is any work or service someone is forced to do, against their will, under the threat of punishment, with little to no pay. Human trafficking is when someone is taken away from their home, family, or community and transported to another city or country, many times under false promise of a better laugh.
Let's check out some statistics. Slavery exists in 167 countries around the world- that's 85% of the nations across the globe. Slavery is the second largest organized global organized crime, generating approximately $150 billion dollars annually. About one in five of slave victims are children. The average age a teen enters the sex trade is from twelve to fourteen years old. 55% of forced slave victims are women and girls. There is an estimated 60,100 people trapped in slavery right now in the United States alone.
The END It movement is an organization dedicated to raise awareness, and to inform the nation that slavery is still a thing, and it needs to END. You've probably seen multiple celebrities from Carrie Underwood to Sadie Robertson representing a big red X on their hands in the effort to raise awareness. In order to END it, we have to acknowledge it. Slavery exists today, and if we stand united, we can END it.
What do you say? Are you in it to END it?
SHINE a LIGHT on SLAVERY.
