Slavery Still Exists. It's Called Human Trafficking.

Many Americans believe that slavery ended in 1863 when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Although it was abolished on a federal level, slavery still exists; it just is hidden. It is also known as human trafficking, which includes sex trafficking and labor trafficking. According to Trafficking Victims in Persons Act (TVPA) of 2000, labor trafficking is “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery”. TVPA also defines sex trafficking as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age”.               

Not only modern slavery still exists, it is also a large problem in the United States as well as other countries. About 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States from overseas and enslaved each year. That does not even include those who were enslaved within the U.S. or sent out to a different country. There are also approximately 100,000-300,000 children sexually exploited in the United States. However, this is just an estimated number because we don’t know for sure how many people are enslaved. Like other crimes, slavery may be underreported. Nationwide, it is a $9.5 billion industry annually; on a global scale, it is a $150 billion industry. Modern slavery is the third largest criminal enterprise after drugs and guns!      

There are organizations and groups that try to combat human trafficking. For example, the Blue Campaign is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to combat human trafficking as well as raise public awareness about the issue. It offers training to law enforcement and others to increase detection and investigation of human trafficking, and to protect victims and bring suspected traffickers to justice. There is plenty room for improvements in the government when it comes to combating human trafficking. The law enforcement has little training or knowledge about this subject, and it’s important to increase awareness and funding in these agencies so they have the tools to tackle the trafficking problem.                                                   

The risk factors and red flags for immigrant workers include being contacted by a stranger from a different country with promises of a great opportunity to make money so the immigrant can support their family, then having passports and identifications taken away, not being able to go around freely, having mistrust in the law enforcement and government, or unable to share freely about their personal lives. As for prostitutes, the risk factors and red flags include interacting with strange older men, having large amounts of cash, wearing clothes and jewelry that make them appear older, frequently disappear for periods of time, and addicted to drugs that came from the pimp used to control the victim.                                                                                    

Many human trafficking cases are initiated by good Samaritans who reported suspicious activities, which is why it is important to educate oneself on the risk factors and red flags of human trafficking. As common as it is, chances are very good that you may come across a trafficked person in your daily life, like at a grocery store or a local hair salon. The Polaris Project is a great resource that serve victims and survivors of trafficking as well as educate the public and law enforcement on how to combat the issue. If you are a victim or know a victim of trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888.

The Polaris Project website

Human Trafficking in Oregon 2018 Report