Human trafficking, also called modern-day slavery, is the illegal trade in human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, human trafficking is considered to be one of the fastest growing criminal acrivities and is now the second largest criminal industry in the world. Hundreds of thousands of people are trafficked internationally every year, with tens of thousands trafficked annually in the United States.

TYPES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Bonded labor, or debt bondage, is probably the least known form of labor trafficking today, and yet it is the most widely used method of enslaving people. Victims become bonded laborers when their labor is demanded as a means of repayment for a loan or service in which its terms and conditions have not been defined or in which the value of the victims’ services as reasonably assessed is not applied toward the liquidation of the debt. The value of their work is greater than the original sum of money "borrowed."

Forced labor is a situation in which victims are forced to work against their own will, under the threat of violence or some other form of punishment, their freedom is restricted and a degree of ownership is exerted. Men are at risk of being trafficked for unskilled work, which globally generates $31bn according to the International Labor Organization.[13] Forms of forced labor can include domestic servitude; agricultural labor; sweatshop factory labor; janitorial, food service and other service industry labor; and begging.

Sex trafficking victims are generally found in dire circumstances and easily targeted by traffickers. Individuals, circumstances, and situations vulnerable to traffickers include homeless individuals, runaway teens, displaced homemakers, refugees, and drug addicts. While it may seem like trafficked people are the most vulnerable and powerless minorities in a region, victims are consistently exploited from any ethnic and social background.

Child labor is a form of work that is likely to be hazardous to the physical, mental, spiritual, moral, or social development of children and can interfere with their education. The International Labor Organization estimates worldwide that there are 246 million exploited children aged between 5 and 17 involved in debt bondage, forced recruitment for armed conflict, prostitution, pornography, the illegal drug trade, the illegal arms trade, and other illicit activities around the world.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

First watch this two-minute video by superstar digital storyteller Jon Collins from Epipheo Studios

Now do some research on your own. Did you know that the chocolate that you enjoy most likely has been tainted by child labor? Do a quick search for chocolate and slavery. Go ahead. I'll wait here....

Now check out all the amazing organizations that are bringing a voice to the millions who are currently enslaved. Find an organization in your area, through your church or synagogoue, police department, school or university. They're out there. Here are some that I am fond of:

International Justice Mission, Love 146. The Polaris Project, End Slavery Now, and the Not For Sale Campaign. You can also go here and find NGOs in your area of the US that are doing great things in combating human trafficking.

And just remember.... what you do WILL make a difference. Start today. Become an advocate. And together we can end slavery in our lifetime.