When the word slavery comes to mind in the present day most people think of it as something that has passed, a long and tragic historical event that involved the capture and exportation and exploitation of human beings as forced labor with no freedom of movement or choice. Slavery brings to mind the forcible deportation of Africans into the new world, associated with colonization and empirical money making ventures, like sugar, coffee and cotton. Yet, the reality of the situation is that slavery exists today, and on an even greater scale than it did during the empirical era.

Human trafficking is one of today's most egregious human rights violations. Traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of society: people burdened with poverty, disabilities and discrimination. Trafficking in persons refers to the illegal trade or "sale" of human beings for sexual exploitation or forced labor through abduction, the use or threat of force, deception and fraud. It knows no gender, race, age, or even boundaries (due to globalization). (Perkins)

Slavery today is often called by other names, like human trafficking and undocumented immigration as well as many other less savory

Although many people are unfamiliar with this issue, the anti-trafficking movement is growing, thanks to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that conduct local, national and international lobbying and advocacy. From grass-roots organizations which identify victims and provide direct services to advocacy organizations that lobby for anti-trafficking laws and build civil society capacity through networking, training, information-sharing and public awareness campaigns, NGOs are driving the global anti-trafficking movement. (Perkins)

At least 700,000 persons annually, primarily women and children, are trafficked within or across international borders.... Many of these persons are trafficked into the international sex trade, often by force, fraud, or coercion.... Traffickers primarily target women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by poverty, the lack of access to education, chronic unemployment, discrimination, and the lack of economic opportunities in countries of origin. (1) (Nelson 551)

Through deception and empty promises people and even children are shuttled in secret, often in the dark illegal, sometimes in frightening conditions to do work that no one else will do in places where they often cannot communicate and sometimes with real or threats of violence to control their actions and keep them working.

monikers but it is still slavery and people are still stripped of human dignity, choice and human rights on a grand scale, be they women and children smuggled across national or international borders to forcibly participate in the shady sex trade or men, women and children smuggled across borders to work in unsanitary and even dangerous conditions in sweat shops, creating cheaply made garments or goods for export for little if any compensation, in a state of perpetual indentured servitude. There are even many known cases where women and children have been taken to other countries as forced domestic servants or nannies, with coercion and fraud as a tactic for the voluntary immigration of unknowing victims and their families, who often believe they have done their child a favor sending them somewhere to get an education and live in a nice house. Families often do not find out until it is to late, if they ever do, that they have put their child or their sister or wife in harms way by allowing them to leave the home to help someone cook, clean or care for their children. (Bales, 1-3)

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Approximate Word count = 4275
Approximate Pages = 17 (250 words per page double spaced)