Contemporary Slavery

There is a common perception that slavery is a thing of the past. The word conjures images of the antebellum American South - a stain on the American conscience, and its "original sin." But this is what the American Civil War was fought to end. And numerous international treaties have banned the practice in very clear terms. Thus, it is something to study as a historical phenomenon.

Most students and others with whom I speak find it exceedingly surprising then, that there are an estimated 27 million people living in bondage around the world today. Between 700,000 and 2 million people are trafficked each year and slavery is the third largest illicit market in the world, bringing in an an annual $8-10 billion. This means that the slave market is larger, and there are more slaves in the world today than ever before. This is partly because of how inexpensive slaves are. While the average slave in the American South in 1850 cost around $40,000 (in today's terms), today a slave can be purchased for an average of $90.

These data and much more information come from the organization Free the Slaves! It seeks to raise awareness of and put an end to the practice of slavery. You can find out more information on their website:

http://www.freetheslaves.net/

I have also posted a series of videos (some also from Free the Slaves) on modern slavery on my MySpace page. You can view them through the following link:

http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=57920981&blogId=306126010

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