Does Slavery Still Exist Today

Slavery. A grim word forever remembered in history. A word with a cruel and violent history that dates back all the way to Mesopotamia, 3500 BC., only to be abolished in America on the 18th of December in 1865. Not that long ago right? However, the brutal truth is, slavery still exists today, and it has a new name: human trafficking. It is everywhere. From small countries like Bosnia, all the way to prominent nations like the United States to even more subtle locations like a neighbor’s own home. Human trafficking is a global issue, running rampant in today’s society that affects every kind of person. Every single aspect, of any given person’s life, reaps some product of modern slavery. Human trafficking is a prominent, often violent, and oppressive

Human trafficking or, ‘slavery’, is defined by Robert Kiener in his CQ article, ‘Human Trafficking and Slavery’ as, “one person completely controlling another person through violence or intimidation, and exploiting them without payment” (Kiener). Trafficking most definitely is an abusive crime, one that ruins a person’s life for the selfish benefit and gain of another. Victims of trafficking are most often those who are in their youth, living in poverty and those who are weak and/or abused. Those living in poverty need money to live, survive, and support their family making them easy victims of trafficking. This makes poverty a major cause of slavery (Clifford 28). The poor are living in unbearable conditions and selling themselves or others off to slavery to be provided with quick, dirty money to better their living conditions which only helps strengthen the terrible cycle that is human trafficking. Similar to olden times, victims of modern slavery are sold off for prices lower than the cost of slaves in previous time periods. While a slave in the 1850’s could easily cost $40,000 in today’s money, the average price of a slave today is only a mere horrendous price of $90 (Nye 23). With these prices, it is no wonder that the poor are often victims of human trafficking. Along with the poor, helpless children are also common victims of trafficking. Children are exploited in various forms of slavery, including arranged marriages. Children as young as one year old can be sold off for marriage to spouses who are significantly older. Unfortunately, these young brides are forced to consummate their marriage with their husbands at ages as young as seven years old too, leading to the loss of their childhood innocence (Farrell 30). This practice of rape on an innocent and helpless child is immoral and cruel. With this grim reality, children along with many victims of human trafficking