Modern Slavery

   There are 27 million slaves in modern day, forced to work long hours, in bad conditions, receiving little food, and for no pay. Many are threatened and beaten. Most of them are found in India and Africa, but slaves exist all over the world, even though it is not legal anywhere. There are more slaves in the world now than there have been in any other time in human history. This is due to a few things: first of all, population has exploded recently, with most growth in developing countries. Second, due to rapid social and economic change, people have been displaced to urban areas, where they have no job security. Also, many corrupt governments allow illegal slavery to continue. Slaves today are cheap and available, costing about $90. On average, a slave in the American South in 1850 cost the equivalent of $40,000 in today’s money. Since they are so cheap, a slave who is sick, injured, or causes problems for the slave owner, they might be dumped or killed.
    Slavery is closer to home than you think. Cases of slavery and human trafficking have been found in more than 90 cities across the United States. Roseline Odine, who grew up in Cameroon, was 14 years old when she was offered to chance to go to school in the U.S. As you might guess, she didn't go to school at all, but was tricked into slavery. For 2 1/2 years she worked for 15 hours a day, in a suburban Washington DC home, for no pay. She was beaten and finally ran away. Rose is now free and has a family, but slavery is still a huge problem. It goes unnoticed or ignored too often, and nobody deserves to belong to someone else.