Research & Organization Management

The Persistence of Human Bondage
ROM's vision is a world where people and organizations are free to make choices that control their destiny. The persistence of slavery, where individuals have lost their freedom at the hands of others who exploit their weakness, reduces the freedom of all of us. ROM donates 10% of its net profits to organizations committed to reducing the tragedy of human trafficking and bondage.

By conservative estimates there are 27 million men, women, and children living in slavery or in forced working conditions around the world today - more than at any other time in history. They are forced to work for no pay under the threat of violence. Slavery in the 21st century takes many forms, the most common being debt bondage, sexual servitude, chattel slavery, and the severest forms of forced labor.

If you think slavery in the US ended in 1865, think again. According to a groundbreaking CIA Intelligence report, 100,000 slaves currently live in the "land of the free." But don't expect to see slave auctions or wanted posters for runaway slaves. Contemporary slavery in America is hidden away from the public eye, relying on deception and threats. But it is every bit as brutal and unforgiving as that 'peculiar institution' of centuries past.

Slaves are often lured to US shores with the promise of a good-paying job. Smuggled across the border or even walked through customs with a legal visa, victims are then forced to pay off exorbitant 'travel expenses.' Some are forced into prostitution, others domestic work or garment sewing. Others still are lured into agricultural work, like peach picking.

In it's Second Annual Trafficking in Persons Report, the Department of State finds that modern slave traders, or "person-traffickers" use threats, intimidation and violence to force victims to engage in sex acts or to work under conditions comparable to slavery for the traffickers’ financial gain. 

According to the report, women and children make up the overwhelming majority of victims, typically being sold into the international sex trade for prostitution, sex tourism and other commercial sexual services, and into forced labor situations in sweatshops, construction sites and agricultural settings. In other forms of servitude, children are abducted and forced to fight for government military forces or rebel armies, and to act as domestic servants and street beggars.

"Traffickers prey on the most vulnerable members of our human family, violating their most basic rights, subjecting them to degradation and misery," stated then-Secretary of State Colin Powell in presenting the report he said displayed "the resolve of the entire US Government to stop this appalling assault on the dignity of men, women and children."

While the report focuses on person-trafficking in eighty-nine other countries, Secretary Powell reported that some 50,000 women and children are trafficked annually for sexual exploitation into the United States. "Here and abroad," said Powell, "the victims of trafficking toil under inhuman conditions -- in brothels, sweatshops, fields and even in private homes."

Once traffickers move them from their homes to other locations – within their country or to foreign countries – victims typically find themselves isolated and unable to speak the language or understand the culture. The victims rarely have immigration papers or have been given fraudulent identification documents by the traffickers. Victims also may be exposed to a range of health concerns, including domestic violence, alcoholism, psychological problems, HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. 

Causes of person-trafficking
Countries suffering from depressed economies and instable governments are more likely to become havens for person-traffickers. Promises of better pay and working conditions in foreign countries are powerful lures. In some countries, civil wars and natural disasters tend to disorient and displace people, increasing their vulnerability. Certain cultural or social practices also contribute to trafficking.

How traffickers operate 
Traffickers tempt their victims by advertising good jobs for high pay in exciting cities or by setting up bogus employment, travel, modeling and matchmaking agencies to lure unsuspecting young men and women into the trafficking networks. In many cases, traffickers trick parents into believing their children will be taught a useful skill or trade once removed from the home. The children, of course, end up enslaved. In the most violent cases, victims are forcefully kidnapped or abducted.

Source: American Anti-Slavery Group