Slavery. What do you think of when you see that word? Do you think of history—of civil wars, and discrimination? Do you give a sigh of relief, as you realize that you’re safe from all that?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news... But you aren’t. Not really. Despite being illegal all over the world, slavery and human trafficking are far from things of the past. Every year, slaves produce $150 billion for traffickers. They are put to work in factories, as prostitutes, given no pay, no compensation, no voice.
The worst part? As if the very existence of slavery was not enough, these slaves are being treated even worse than those of the 19th century. Why? Because nowadays, with the population swelling almost faster than any of the world’s economies can grow, there’s no shortage. There’s no difficulty catching them, as there were back then. Transport is easier, cheaper, and keeps on improving. People are getting poorer and poorer in developing countries, and many fall victim to scammers, who promise them work abroad, a chance to feed their families—and then when they get there, they are stripped of their belongings, forced to work off the debt they owe for the travel fare. They are disposable. They are fed just enough, given just enough to survive. If they get sick, too old to work, injured? Who cares? It’s easy enough to find replacements.
No one deserves to live that way. No one. No one, no matter their race, their age, their gender, their sexuality—absolutely nobody deserves to be treated as inferior. We don’t deserve to work and work and work and not even get paid. We don’t deserve to be robbed of our future, of a chance to live and not merely survive.
And you know what? Neither do they. We are not slaves. But all over the globe, nearly 21 million people are. We are all human beings. Why should they deserve any less than we do? Why should we deserve any more than they do?
While you and I complain about our slow internet connection, they can’t complain about their being violated. Maybe you can’t go on some rescue mission. Maybe you can’t afford to spare much cash to support the efforts of those who can. Maybe you can’t change legislation, or the minds of those who propagate slavery.
But you can spread the word. You can help people realize this is an issue. I can do it too. And who knows? It might not affect anything. It could also possibly change everything. So why not do it? The worst that could happen is nothing at all.