What Is Modern Day Slavery?

What if I told you every 30 seconds someone becomes a victim of human trafficking? Would you be shocked? Would you want to join a new breed of abolitionists dedicating themselves to fighting for the freedom of over 27 million men, women, and children? Or would you recoil in disbelief asserting that you just can't hear of such atrocities?

So what is modern day slavery? The following definition comes from The Polaris Project website: Under U.S. federal law, “severe forms of trafficking in persons” includes both sex trafficking and labor trafficking:

• Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purposes 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 an act has not attained 18 years of age, (22 USC § 7102; 8 CFR § 214.11(a)).  
• 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 purposes of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery, (22 USC § 7102).  

Organizations like The Polaris Project, Shared Hope International, and International Justice Mission are only a few of the many organizations working to educate the public about modern day slavery while taking active steps to bring an end to this savagery. Still others are diligently getting the word out that there is something anyone can do right now to help. Donations?! Of course, but, anyone can begin to change there buying habits. If companies find out you won't buy their product because it is harvested or made by slaves they will change the way they do business. One fair-trade company Better Way Imports partners with 13 different companies marketing their beautiful handmade bags, jewelry, paper crafts, and clothing. Because it is fair-trade every person involved receives a fair wage. From the woman brought out of sex-trafficking who crafts it, to the Freedom Fighter who sells here in America. More on this, so stayed tuned.

UNTIL EVERYONE IS FREE

This is a difficult subject. It is easy to feel overwhelmed even paralyzed. Yet, there are very real ways to take action and make a difference. One small action at a time. Please share this with others and check out the organizations above. 
Learn more then...Activate! 

If you have any questions please leave a comment and I will get back to you.