THE CAUSE
Millions (27 million) of men, women and children around the world are forced to lead lives as slaves. Although this exploitation is often not called slavery, the conditions are the same. People are sold like objects, forced to work for little or no pay and are at the mercy of their 'employers'.
Slavery exists today despite the fact that it is banned in most of the countries where it is practised. It is also prohibited by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1956 UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery. Women from eastern Europe are bonded into prostitution, children are trafficked between West African countries and men are forced to work as slaves on Brazilian agricultural estates. Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, sex and race.
Common characteristics distinguish slavery from other human rights violations. A slave is:
• forced to work -- through mental or physical threat;
• owned or controlled by an 'employer', usually through mental or physical abuse or threatened abuse;
• dehumanised, treated as a commodity or bought and sold as 'property';
• physically constrained or has restrictions placed on his/her freedom of movement.
Slavery exists today despite the fact that it is banned in most of the countries where it is practised. It is also prohibited by the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1956 UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery. Women from eastern Europe are bonded into prostitution, children are trafficked between West African countries and men are forced to work as slaves on Brazilian agricultural estates. Contemporary slavery takes various forms and affects people of all ages, sex and race.
Common characteristics distinguish slavery from other human rights violations. A slave is:
• forced to work -- through mental or physical threat;
• owned or controlled by an 'employer', usually through mental or physical abuse or threatened abuse;
• dehumanised, treated as a commodity or bought and sold as 'property';
• physically constrained or has restrictions placed on his/her freedom of movement.
Read more stories collected by The Polaris Project.
Bonded labour affects millions of people around the world. People become bonded labourers by taking or being tricked into taking a loan for as little as the cost of medicine for a sick child. To repay the debt, many are forced to work long hours, seven days a week, up to 365 days a year. They receive basic food and shelter as 'payment' for their work, but may never pay off the loan, which can be passed down for generations.
Forced labour affects people who are illegally recruited by individuals, governments or political parties and forced to work -- usually under threat of violence or other penalties.
Slavery by descent is where people are either born into a slave class or are from a 'group' that society views as suited to being used as slave labour.
Trafficking involves the transport and/or trade of people -- women, children and men -- from one area to another for the purpose of forcing them into slavery conditions.
Worst forms of child labour affects an estimated 126 million** children around the world in work that is harmful to their health and welfare.
"Knowing the facts and crisis of human trafficking and slavery will lead one to compassion, cry for justice, and action as a modern day abolitionist." ~ Anonymous
International
- An estimated 27 million people are enslaved around the world today – that’s more than the population of 18 States – or more than the population of New York and Virginia combined.
- There are anywhere between 600,000 and 800,000 victims trafficked through international borders every year, which does not include the millions trafficked domestically within their own countries.
- It is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the 21st century – a 9 billion dollar industry.
- Trafficking ranks second, after drug smuggling and tying with arms dealing, in organized crime activities.
- According to the 2008 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, human trafficking is a multi-dimensional threat; it deprives people of their human rights and freedoms, it increases global health risks, and it fuels the growth of organized crime.
- The majority of victims of slavery are women and children – traffickers prey on those who suffer most from macro factors like gender discrimination, family violence, and a lack of access to education and economic opportunity.
- Although women and children make up a majority of trafficking victims, there has been an increase in the victimization of men as well.
National
- According to CIA estimates, as many as 50,000 men, women and children are trafficked into The United States every year.
- The United States is one of the top three destination points for trafficked victims, along with Japan and Australia. California, New York, Texas and Nevada are the top destination states in the country.
- States such as California, Florida, New York, Nevada and Ohio are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking because of factors such as: proximity to international borders, number of ports and airports, significant immigrant population, and large economy that includes industries that attract forced labor.
- Slavery and trafficking are not only limited to these states and can be found everywhere. At the beginning of 2009, incidences of potential human trafficking were identified all over the country, including Ohio, Iowa, Washington, Florida, New York, Texas and Hawaii.
- Los Angeles is one of the top three points of entry into this country for victims of slavery and trafficking. The diverse communities of this sprawling city make it easier to hide and move victims from place to place, making it very difficult for law enforcement to locate potential survivors.
- Immigration agents estimate that 10,000 women are being held in Los Angeles' underground brothels; this does not include the thousands of victims in domestic work, sweatshops or other informal industries.
- Law enforcement in Las Vegas believes that trafficking and slavery in the “Sin City” has increased because of advertisements that encourage people to “sin all they can” while in Vegas – without anyone needing to find out.
MYTH #1: Human trafficking is the forced transportation of people across borders.
Reality: Forced transportation in the absence of slavery-like labor or commercial sexual exploitation is usually considered the crime of kidnapping. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery through labor or commercial sexual exploitation, and does not require transportation to occur, though transportation may be involved.
MYTH #2: Trafficking victims are only foreign nationals.
Reality: Both the U.N. Protocol and U.S. federal law use definitions of trafficking in persons that do not require crossing of international or state borders. Many trafficked persons are victims of internal or domestic trafficking - trafficking within the borders of a single country, and are themselves nationals of that country.
MYTH #3: Poverty and inequality are the causes of human trafficking.
Reality: While poverty and inequality are important factors in making certain populations more vulnerable to being trafficked, they are not the primary cause of trafficking. Trafficking is a criminal industry driven by 1) the ability to make large profits due to high demand, and 2) negligible-to-low risk of prosecution. As long as demand is unchecked and the risks for traffickers are low, trafficking will exist regardless of other contributing factors.
Blaming poverty and inequality alone is not only inaccurate and disheartening, it tends to deflect blame from the key actors that perpetuate trafficking - the traffickers themselves and their customers.
MYTH #4: There's not much I can do about such a huge issue.
Reality: Together - we can make a huge difference! We were founded by regular community members like yourself, as were historic organizations like the Underground Railroad. Organizations like Polaris Project live and breathe based on the contributions and dedication of community members. Making a financial donation, a gift of time, goods, or services, or helping to raise awareness are some of the things collectively that help victims everyday. Please join us and be welcomed into the growing movement to combat slavery today!
Seattle Against Slavery (SAS) is a grassroots coalition working to make a slave-free world, one city at a time. Uniting community-based abolition activists, local and national non-government organizations, government agencies, and other coalitions, SAS seeks to raise human trafficking awareness and mobilize the public to better advocate for victims, enhance survivor care, promote legislation to combat human trafficking, and help service providers build capacity. JUBILEE is SAS Coalition Partner.
International Justice Mission is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems. They have a 4-fold purpose: Victim Relief, Perpetrator Accountability, Victim Aftercare, & Structural Transformation
SlaveryMap exists to record and display instances of human trafficking across the globe. Whether you find them hidden in your hometown or covered in The New York Times, report the incidents onto this map for people everywhere to see. If you encounter a current situation of bondage, do not enter the information here. Please immediately call the US national trafficking hotline number so that the proper law enforcement and service providers can be alerted: 1-888-3737-888.
Not For Sale Campaign equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe.
Polaris Project is one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations in the United States and Japan, with programs operating at international, national and local levels through our offices in Washington, DC; Newark, NJ; and Tokyo, Japan. Polaris Project is one of the few organizations working on all forms of trafficking and serving both citizen and foreign national victims of human trafficking. Their blog is called The North Star.
StopX is a place for young people who want to contribute to the fight against the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents. StopX offers information, resources, and media about sexual exploitation, as well as the opportunity to join a community of like-minded youth activists.
Coalition Against Slavery and Trafficking is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual human rights organization located in Los Angeles that has been nationally and internationally recognized for its dedication to the identification of trafficking survivors, the mobilization of all sectors of the community to identify and advocate against trafficking, and the provision of direct services for victims.
MTV EXIT is a campaign to raise awareness and increase prevention of human trafficking in Europe and Asia. Since the campaign launched in 2004, MTV EXIT has created various programs and activities that informed and empowered millions of young people both from source and destination countries about the issue and take actions within their communities.
Love146 works toward the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation through prevention and aftercare solutions, and contributing to a growing abolition movement.
Free the Slaves is a not for profit organization made up of people who don't want to live in a world with slavery. And they're willing to do something about it.
1st - Become a member of TEAM JUBILATION
- Join our email list to get updates on concerts and other big news
- Buy a JUBILEE album - 50% goes directly to fighting slavery!
- Book us to play at your event
- Sponsor a Jubilee band member! Contact us to find out more info
- Be our friend on facebook, myspace
- Subscribe to the Jubilog with your blog reader
2nd - Learn the facts
- Read our the Jubilee facts page
- Visit our suggested links of partners and comrades
- Read about the slavery in your city.
- Become a smart consumer. - learn which companies are committed to freedom
3rd - Print out flyers & post in public places
(like bathrooms, workspaces, community bulletin boards, etc.)- Nation Human Trafficking Hotline Flyer
- Bonded Slavery Fact Sheet
- Sex Trafficking Fact Sheet
- JUBILEE’s 5 Favorite Ways Flyer
4th - Write a quick note
- Urge President Obama to Fight Slavery
- Senators & Congress Members need to hear what how you’d wish they vote on the topic of human trafficking
5th - Use your talents and strengths
Well, we started a band - but that’s just ‘cause we like music. What are your talents? How do you have a voice in the world? How can you give the voiceless a voice?
Here’s a good example...
If you had one minute, what would you say about the sexual exploitation of children? theoneminutesJr., is a UNICEF project designed to give young people the opportunity to make a one minute video statement about the issues that matter most in their lives. To learn more about theoneminutesJr., click here.