Slavery and Supply Chains

I initially engaged around the issue of trafficking and slavery when I was shocked and spurred into action by reports of sex trafficking. Nothing seemed to me more heinous than the repeated rape and violence its victims endured. Although the first victims that I met were California-based, other travels around the world, to Russia, Ghana, Thailand, Cambodia, India and Europe, painted a wider perspective of how slavery pervades my own life. People often ask me, "Where is it worst?" My answer is, "in my home." In other words, products tainted by slave labor are present in the supply chains of the goods that we purchase, consume, and rely on every day.

The United States Office on Trafficking in Persons most recent report states that the majority of slaves in the world today are engaged in agriculture and mining. The International Labor Organization has recently stated that for every one person around the world forced into the sex trade, nine people are forced to work. Although it is a tip of the iceberg figure, the TIP office recognizes 12.3 million people enslaved globally; more than ever before in history. You can purchase an agricultural worker on American soil today for around $300.

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