HUMAN TRAFFICKING
(Slavery in the 21st Century)
(FORUM FRONT COVER August 26, 2012)
It is estimated that 27 million people are in bondage in the world today (double the number of persons that were taken in the 350 years of the African Slave Trade). Today's slavery (called human trafficking) exists worldwide and targets the most vulnerable in our society. The Church condemns human trafficking as "a grave violation of fundamental human rights."
Labor trafficking includes people forced to work in factories or on farms, as domestic servants, or in such industries as landscaping, elder care facilities, or nail salons under exploitative conditions with little or no pay. Sex trafficking involves those who are coerced or forced into the commercial sex trade against their will.
Trafficking occurs when a trafficker uses force, fraud, and/or coercion to maintain control over a person for labor or services. (It always is considered trafficking when the individual providing commercial sex is under 18 years old.)
Trafficking victims include adults and children, U.S. citizens and foreign nationals; the well educated and those with little formal education; those who may be living or working nearby.
Examples of signs of human trafficking include:
· Is not free to leave or come or go as he/she wishes.
· Is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips.
· Works excessively long and/or unusual hours. Is not allowed breaks or suffers unusual restrictions at work; lives and works in the same location.
· Is not in control of his/her own identification documents (ID or passport).
· Shows signs of physical and/or sexual abuse, physical restraint, or confinement.
To learn more about human trafficking and the Church's response, visit: www.usccb.org/about/human-trafficking/ and www.stopenslavement.org .
If you believe you have information about a potential trafficking situation, contact the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (1-888-3737-888). If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Dick Brown, Peace and Justice Committee - Mon, Aug 6, 2012.
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