Human trafficking: the tragedy of the 21st century

On Friday, March 20, I attended a talk by David Batstone, the founder of the Not For Sale Campaign to end the global slave trade. The talk was held at the Bronson Centre in Ottawa and was sponsored by Persons Against the Crime of Trafficking (PACT-Ottawa) and the Canadian Religious Conference (CRC).

Not For Sale is a U.S.-based campaign that has been building an international movement to end the human slave trade. It works to uncover trafficking rings within the United States, assist victims, and partner with organizations working internationally on the issue.

In his talk, Batstone called human trafficking “the tragedy of the 21st century.” He presented some troubling statistics: it is estimated that there are 27 million people enslaved around the globe today. 80 percent of trafficked people are women, and 50 percent are children.

And one that I found particularly disturbing: the number of people being trafficked today exceeds the entire number of people who were trafficked throughout the four centuries of the European slave trade.

Today, people are trafficked and exploited for many purposes, including agricultural or sweatshop labour, domestic servitude and sex work. And many are here in North America.

A professor of ethics at the University of San Francisco, Batstone knew little about the issue of human trafficking until he discovered it in his own backyard. A few years ago, he found out that his favourite Indian restaurant was trafficking hundreds of children for the purposes of slave labour. He began to learn more and soon started building a movement to end trafficking.

An estimated 200,000 people are currently enslaved in the U.S. alone. Despite this incredibly high number, human trafficking remains largely invisible.

The Not For Sale Campaign aims to change this. Batstone outlined how the problem can be combated through awareness-building, political advocacy and making ethical purchases such as slavery-free chocolate.

Batstone’s visit to Canada coincided with the recent release of www.slaverymap.ca, an online tool that maps human trafficking cases in Canada. While the number of trafficked persons in Canada remains unknown, the map highlights discovered cases – including one in the Ottawa/Gatineau region – to dispel the myth that trafficking does not occur in our own country. While many people are trafficked from abroad, domestic trafficking is also a serious problem, and aboriginal women are particularly vulnerable to being victims.

I found Batstone to be a very inspiring speaker. Despite the magnitude of the problem, his message focused on the many things that can be done. He emphasized that each one of us can help abolish the modern-day slave trade by engaging in advocacy in our own backyards. In doing so, we can work towards the day when all human dignity is respected and no one is for sale.