There is a plague that is being fought by nurses, flight attendants, law enforcement, clergy, and journalists. This sickness affects all ethnic, religious, and geographic boundaries. It generates annually $150 billion dollars for those who spread the disease, it’s human trafficking and it is at an all-time high.
During his administration, President Obama had declared January as Human Trafficking Awareness Month, and that brought an age-old situation to the forefront and the thoughts of the American public.
However, as with other causes as soon as another “#hashtag” cause was trending, this was soon forgotten. And that is a shame because there are so many that are suffering.
There are too many women, children, and.men sold into slavery every day. From the underground sex industry to forced labor and domestic work, human beings are being treated as cattle or worse to fill the pockets of slavers, handlers, and government officials that help the criminals along.
During his administration, President Obama secured over two thousand convictions for traffickers and at the beginning of his administration, President Trump has secured another fifteen hundred convictions. This has become a bipartisan issue that has affected lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
We can’t let our Awareness Month mentality let us throw these modern-day slaves under the bus. An action is still needed and there is still a fight to be won. You can help in lots of different ways.
- Contribute or participate with organizations such as The Polaris Project.
- Intern or fellowship with a group that is combating trafficking
- Contact your elected officials and let your voice be heard
- With midterm primaries coming up in the US, vote for those candidates who have taken a strong stance on trafficking
You can empower the powerless and make a stand for those who can’t. Reach out to those across the aisle from you and realize that this is something it will take all of us to fight. There are more slaves today than in any other time in history, and that’s a fact that we can change.