Human trafficking is the world's fastest growing crime. I'm talking about hundreds of billions of dollars going into this trade, and more coming out. It's a reality and yet we live in this world where we don't necessarily know what's going on next door.
This issue is seen as a Taboo in Australia. The stereotype place for trafficking humans is in third world countries. But if we open our eyes, Human trafficking victims are on our soil today.
According to Humantrafficking.org, a small number of women and children are trafficked to Australia every year from regions in Southeast Asia, South Korea and China. Some women come voluntarily in order to work in both legal and illegal brothels, while others are forced or deceived into coming. Project Respect suggests that Australia is a trafficking destination , partly because of the lack of Australian women willing to go into prostitution.
Australia is not hit hard by this trade, overseas is where it flourishes.
Try and get your mind around this.
Over 2.2 million children are sold into the sex trade each year.
In India children cost less than cattle.
Last year the sex slave industry profited over 32 billion dollars!
That's more than Google..Google and Nike COMBINED!
In Thailand there are 1 500 "KNOWN" brothels.
In Uganda Africa, children between the ages of 5 and 12 are being kidnapped and forced to become child soldiers. They are forced to kill and torture others, slowly being brainwashed. If they refuse? Then they are are then tortured or killed.
Over 65 000 children have been abducted from schools or even their homes, this is in Uganda alone. Even if some are lucky enough to escape, they are forever scarred and traumatised by the horrific events they have witnessed.Over 17 500 men, women and children are trafficked INTO the US every year. Their virginity is being sold to the highest bidder.
During the transatlantic slave trade, which was primarily the trading of African people to the colonies of the new world that occurred in and around the Atlantic ocean, it lasted from the 16th century to the 19th century. The value of a young agricultural working male on US soil was an equivalent to 14 000 dollars today, you can buy that same young male today on US soil for about 300 dollars.
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The underground society have found a cheap way to make money, using and exploiting women. The Mafia is involved in everything from the drug trade and gambling to real estate and construction. Situated between impoverished Eastern Europe and the affluent West, Italy is an important transit and destination country, particularly for migrants from Albania. Italian gangs have reportedly cooperated with the Albanian gangs in trafficking women and girls. Hundreds of Italian gang members have been arrested for smuggling women from Nigeria to work as drug couriers and prostitutes. Thousands of women from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe are lured by the prospect of well- paid work in shops and factories. However their dreams of a better life often end in a brothel. Isoke Aikitanyi from Nigeria is one of those women.
Slavery isn't only about prostitution, appalling as that may be, using children as young as five, it could be the sweat shops that feed western world's insationable hunger for "things".It could be the fabulous buildings that we admire, for example in Dubai, built on the backs of Indian or Pakistani slaves, working in 50 degree heat for 12 hours for as little as two dollars fifty. It could be using children to fight wars, created and perpetuated by adults. Slavery is not a thing of the past, human trafficking is modern day slavery. Join the movement and get out of your bubble!
