Salt of the Earth: statistics of interest

Stat house
May 2000

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Modern slavery
There are an estimated 27 million slaves worldwide. They can be found in virtually any nation. In Paris, France, for example, an estimated 3,000 households keep slaves.

The problem of involuntary servitude is not only widespread, it is likely to continue to grow, given weak economies and few job opportunities in some countries, low risk of prosecution, and enormous profit. The Internet has become the latest way of luring victims to foreign cities with false promises

According to the United Nations, 4 million people a year are traded against their will to work in a form of servitude. The majority of them come from Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America.

An estimated 45,000 to 50,000 women and children are trafficked annually to the United States, according the to the CIA. Although men and boys also can be victims, the problem is more prevalent among women.

Christian agencies and other humanitarian organisations have started the process of redeeming the 20,000 estimated slaves held in war-torn Sudan. But this "slave redemption" program in turn has fueled the trade in slaves, at one time pushing the price of slaves from around $15 apiece to $50 and $100.

The State Department is focusing its efforts against trafficking on the following countries: Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines, Ukraine, Russia, the Czech Republic, Albania, Bosnia, and Nepal.

A survey of sex workers, cited by the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, found that the majority of Asian women involved in the sex industry initially entered the trade unwillingly. The largest number, 32 percent, were tricked and sold by non-family; 8 percent were sold by parents to pay debts; 5 percent were raped by a stepfather and sold; 4 percent were raped and sold; 4 percent went to the city to find a job and were then sold; and 3 percent were sold by a boyfriend.
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