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Human
Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery
Around the world,
millions of people are living in bondage. They labor in fields and
factories under brutal employers who threaten them with violence if they
try to escape. They work in homes for families that keep them virtually
imprisoned. They are forced to work as prostitutes or to beg in the
streets, fearful of the consequences if they fail to earn their daily
quota. They are women, men, and children of all ages, and they are often
held far from home with no money, no connections, and no way to ask for
help.
This is modern
slavery, a crime that spans the globe, providing ruthless employers with
an endless supply of people to abuse for financial gain. Human trafficking
is a crime with many victims: not only those who are
trafficked, but also the families they leave behind, some of whom never
see their loved ones again.
Trafficking has a
broad global impact as well. It weakens legitimate economies, fuels
violence, threatens public health and safety, shatters families, and
shreds the social fabric that is necessary for progress. And it is an
affront to our basic values and our fundamental belief that all people
everywhere deserve to live and work in safety and dignity.
[ Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton, U.S. State Department Trafficking in Persons
Report, 2009 ]
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