Top 10 Facts About Modern Day Slavery

modern slavery

For over 100 years slavery has been illegal. Many people thought that making slavery illegal would make it disappear. It didn’t. There are 27 million people in slavery today. The 27 million in slavery and the $32 billion they make in profits for criminals every year may seem too big to overcome.

But look at modern slavery from another direction – today’s 27 million slaves is the smallest proportion of the world population to ever be in slavery. The profits they make for slaveholders are a tiny drop in the global economic ocean. For comparison: $32 billion is what Americans spend every year on snack foods like potato chips and pretzels. Plus we don’t have to face the barriers of 150 years ago – no one is arguing that slavery is morally acceptable, there is a law against it in every country, and if all slavery ended tomorrow, no country or industry would collapse. So what is holding us back?

Money talks

The two main barriers to the global eradication of slavery are public awareness and resources. By just reading this, you are helping to raise awareness of modern slavery. If you share what you learn with others, read and share DVDs and books, you help everyone to know the truth about slavery and how they can help end it.

It costs money to get people out of slavery, and help them to build lives in freedom. What many people find surprising is how little it can cost. For that $32 billion that Americans spend on potato chips and pretzels most of the slaves in the world could be free.

As we raise awareness and gather the resources, we’ll need a plan to get people out of slavery. Not surprisingly, for a global problem, there is no “one size fits all” solution.

• Governments will need to take action.
• The UN and other international bodies have a job to do.
• Businesses have a special role to play in ending slavery.
• Our communities, and each one of us individually can also do a lot to bring slavery to an end.