Slavery: The state of being under control of another person.

Slavery today is used for a variety of reasons including intense labour, debt bondage and, sex slavery.
sex slavery is the largest contributor to Human Trafficking, set to be one of the largest smuggling businesses of 2010.

You may be thinking from your history lessons that slavery has officially been abolished and is now outlawed in all countries and by the United Nations, but the fact is that SLAVERY still EXISTS in 2010.
Human Trafficking is one of the leading contributors to modern day slavery offering false hope and the promise of a better life.
Human Trafficking is being deceived or taken against your will, bought, sold and transported into slavery, for a variety of ‘jobs’ that people are forced into.
The largest use of Human Trafficking is, to force women (many, who are still only very young teenagers AS YOUNG AS 14) into sexual slavery. These women and young girls are forcibly addicted to drugs which makes them easier to control; they are gradually made dependent on their captors and, then forced to a world of torture and servicing men daily.
Charities such as the A21 Campaign strive to abolish injustice in the 21st century; this charity takes on the highly dangerous task of setting out to rescue the victims from sexual slavery. 99% of these victims are not rescued... yet. The A21 campaign rescues the women and children from this horrible life and offers them a life of hope and self worth.
When a girl is rescued they are rehabilitated, from mental scars and drug addiction.
Recently in film and media, films such as “Taken” have portrayed the extents of what these victims of slavery have endured and the complete lack of the value placed on human life by their captors. The film follows two foreign travellers who are deceived by a stranger at the airport, and then forced into the vicious world of slavery. The film ends when an ex government agent who coincidently is one of the girl’s father, rescues her from the leader of an organized crime gang.

Unfortunately this is not the reality for 99% of all victims of Slavery; however, organizations such as Stop UK and the CATW (Coalition against trafficking women) are all working to make slavery history in the 21st century. They are able to make a difference because of the support they are given, and eventually rescue the other 99% who are not yet rescued.

"The greatest and most shameful regrets of history is always about the truth we failed to tell." Haugen 2005

Are we going to be a generation of young people that will choose to stand up for injustice . . . or are we going to turn a blind eye and pretend it is not happening?

What are we going to be?

Rikki McAdam