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Kinsey Hansen
Professor Lisa Packer
18 February 2015
What is a Human Life Worth?
It is estimated that 21-30 million people (Slavery) globally have had their humanity
and freedoms taken from them in an industry that profits an approximated $150 billion per year
worldwide(New).This industry is human trafficking, or modern slavery. It is an issue all over
the world, and has many different faces; forced labor, sex slavery, bonded labor, involuntary
servitude, and the list goes on. Many of the people involved come from poor countries, with very
few options for putting food on their table, or a roof over their head. They are often tricked, lied
to, abused and separated from their families and taken to other countries illegally to be bought
and sold. Our President Barack Obama addresses this growing issue in his statement in 2012 in
regards to the Clinton Initiative:
It ought to concern every person, because it is a debasement of our common humanity. It
ought to concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric. It ought to
concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation,
because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. Im talking
about the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking, which must be called by its true
namemodern slavery. (Slavery)
President Obama makes it abundantly clear just how important this issue is to not only
businesses and communities, but to every single person. In this report, I intend to address the
various kinds of modern slavery in order to hopefully raise awareness and concern for this topic.

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A general definition of human trafficking is The recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harboring or receipt of person, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of
abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the
giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control
over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.(Vjer) Basically, it is forcing someone to
work for them for their own gain. The next paragraphs will explain the different types of
trafficking: sex slavery/child sex slavery, forced labor/forced child labor, debt bondage,
involuntary domestic servitude, and child soldiers.
Sex Slavery/Child sex slavery
Sex slavery is a large part of modern slavery. It includes prostitution, pornography,
strippers, and fake massage parlor workers. Within this topic also includes child sex slavery,
which expands it with the use of child sex tourism (when people travel outside of their own
country for the purpose of sexually abusing children in another country). These people are
extremely high risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases, having severe psychological
and physical abuse, and potential death. Many times, the victims are threatened with the lives of
their loved ones, or their own personal documentation so that they wont try to leave (What).
Forced Labor/Child forced labor
Forced labor can be imposed on any person, it has no biases. It affects men, women, and
children of all ages. It accounts for the largest portion of human trafficking. The labor can range
from agricultural work, domestic, manufacturing or construction. An estimated 14.2 million are
forced into labor. Forced child labor can be any of the mentioned industries, as well as sweat-

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shops (New). To see a list of items that use forced labor for products like coffee, cotton, bricks,
cattle, corn and more, visit http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/ .
Debt Bondage
Traffickers may use a debt to impose labor upon victims. This can be from immigrants
trying to get into another country using illegal routes, or an inherited debt. An inherited debt is
old family debt, passed on from previous generations. This means a slave owner could use
different members of the same family for the same, old debt (What).
Involuntary Domestic Servitude
Workers may be sent to private residences for work. They are often isolated, not allowed
to leave, abused, not compensated, and overworked. They come to homes out of their country
with promises of a better life with better pay. Sadly, none of their expectations become realities
(What).
Child Soldiers
Children are forced into being child soldiers in
unstable countries with a lot of conflict. They are kidnapped
by force and may be illegally used as spies, guards, cooks,

Child Soldier

servants, or porters. Both boys and girls are commonly

sexually abused, or forced to marry or have sex with the male combatants (What).

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These forms of human violation is a force that isnt going away anytime soon. It is far
larger than the transatlantic slave trade 200 years ago, there are more slaves now than there ever
has been. It is definitely a force to be reckoned with as anything on this large of a scale, and that
has many powerful, money driven people involved. Desmond Tutu is a Nobel Peace Prize winner
that suggested long term goals of increased female leadership, and decimation of worldwide
poverty (Vjer). He stirs powerful thoughts and emotions when he suggests that None of us is
truly free while others remain enslaved(Nobel).Tutu implores his fellow people to get
involved and help eradicate this crime against humanity.

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Works Cited
Child Soldier
www.childsoldiersoftheworld.wordpress.com.
New ILO Global Estimate of Forced Labour: 20.9 Million Victims.
www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labor/lang--en/index.htm. International Labour
Organization. 01 June 2012. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Nobel Peace Prize Winner to Give a Special Presentation at Global Forum.
http://notforsalecampaign.org/stories/2011/10/12/nobel-peace-prize-winner-to-give-aspecial-presentation-at-global-forum/. Not For Sale. 12 Oct. 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2015
Slavery Still Exists. www.alliesagainstslavery.org/slavery/ . Allies Against Slavery.
2014-2015. Web. 16.2015.
Vjer,Cynthia. Human Trafficking Research Starters Sociology (Online Edition) (2009)
Research Starters. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
What is Trafficking in Persons? http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/fs/2014/233732.htm. US
Department of State. 20 June 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.