Be aware, take action
When people learn about human trafficking and modern day slavery, often their first response is that I thought slavery was abolished at the end of the transatlantic slave trade. What they don’t realize is that while slavery is not legal on any continent, it is prevalent on every continent. There are an estimated 27 million modern slaves forced into sexual slavery, labor or debt bondage, and domestic servitude around the world today.
The next question people ask is ‘what can I do?’, ‘how can I make a difference in the fight against slavery’? The first step is to raise awareness about the crime of human trafficking and modern day slavery, then once you’ve gained awareness, take action.
According to Farlex’s The Free Dictionary, consciousness is knowledge acquired through one’s own perceptions or through information. And the action is defined as the state or process of acting or doing; a writing; organized activity to achieve a goal.
Awareness is the first step and a powerful tool in the fight against human trafficking. Educate yourself on the subject, read books on the subject, attend conferences, learn about the many great organizations working to help end human trafficking and modern day slavery.
Once you learn and become familiar with the issue, take action and educate your family, friends, neighbors, church leaders, and co-workers. Work with local agencies to organize community events to address the issue, volunteer your time to help abolitionist organizations, and become a socially conscious shopper, buying fair trade and slave labor free products from socially responsible businesses like Free To Shop.
Are you ready to start learning? These are just some of the books written on the subject that will increase your knowledge.
* A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern day Skinner by E. Benjamin Skinner, 2008
* Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy by Kevin Bales, 1999
*End Slavery: How We Free Today’s Slaves by Kevin Bales, 2007
* Good News About Injustice: A Witness to Courage in a Wounded World by Gary Haugen, 1999
*Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight It by David Batstone, 2007
Now that you know the subject, are you ready to become an abolitionist? Join the fight by volunteering with one of the many great organizations working to end human trafficking and modern slavery, here are just a few.
* Free the slaves
*International Agar
* International Justice Mission
* Love 146
* Not for sale
* Global transitions
So what are you waiting for? Start a conversation, shop for a cause, join a walk. Now is the time to take action to raise awareness about this horrible crime against innocent people.