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Abstract
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Most Americans do not know that victims of trafficking are right here, suffering in the dark. Trafficking is practiced in many forms and in places you'd least expect. The simple truth is, humans keep slaves; we always have.
This is capitalism at its worst. Before the Civil War, slaves cost a lot. In the 1850s, a slave sold for around $1,200. In today's currency, that comes to somewhere between $40,000 and $50,000. This level of investment predisposed the owners to take care of their human property, at least to the extent that their longevity and their productivity were ensured.
Today's slave can be bought for as little as $100. This price tag makes the modern slave not only affordable, but also disposable. Further, trafficking comes with a "bundle" of other crimes, including kidnapping, document fraud, assault, torture, rape and sometimes homicide.
According to a U.S. State Department study, some 17,000 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States from at least 35 countries and enslaved each year. Some victims are smuggled into the U. S. across the Mexican or Canadian borders; others arrive at our major airports daily, carrying either real or forged papers. Victims from Africa, Asia, India, Latin America and the former Soviet Union come on the promise of a better life, with an opportunity to work and prosper in America. Many arrive in the hope of earning enough money to support or send for their families. In order to pay for the journey, they use their life savings, or go into massive debt to people who will take advantage of them. Instead of opportunity, they find bondage. They can be found — or more accurately, not found — in all 50 states, working as farmhands, domestics, sweatshop and factory laborers, gardeners, workers in the restaurant, construction and sex industries. These people are not poorly paid employees, working at jobs they might not like. They are workers who are unable to leave and forced to live under the constant threat of violence.
Although today's term may be human trafficking, by both historical and legal definition, these people are slaves. What is particularly infuriating is the fact that the crime of trafficking almost always goes unpunished. When the U.S. government and the media address the subject of human trafficking, they tend to focus on sexual exploitation, whose victims are subjected to serial rape, physical injury, psychological damage, and constant exposure to sexually transmitted diseases.
Most of the less sensational forms of slave labor are right under our noses. Domestics and nannies account for a significant number of America's slaves. Agriculture is another major area of human trafficking. There are unknown numbers of victims of forced labor growing and picking our fruit and vegetables. They come here looking for steady work and a decent wage. Instead, they are enslaved by crime syndicates, families or individuals in such states as Colorado, New York, North and South Carolina, Georgia, California and Florida....
Keywords: Human trafficking
Language: en |