Sexual Trafficking: The 21st Century Slavery Helping the Least of These
Slavery is still with us even in the 21st century. Although we tend to think of slavery as occurring in distant places, such as the Sudan, trafficking in human beings exists today right here in America, perhaps in your town or city. Each year, between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked worldwide in the global slave trade. Here at home, 14,500-17,500 men, wo men and children are trafficking into the United States each year and made, through force, fraud or coercion, to engage in prostitution, pornography, domestic servitude, sex entertainment, sweatshops or migrant farm labor. Victims of human trafficking are typically unfamiliar with American culture and often do not speak English. Frequently they are deprived of passports, money and identification that might permit them to escape their captors.
