Modern enslavement

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New York City -- Tomorrow, Oprah Winfrey, Glenn Close, and others will gather in New Orleans for the 10th anniversary of V-Day, a global movement to end violence against women and girls. Some attendees may be surprised at the mention of one well-known "source and destination country for thousands of men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual and labor exploitation."

The language here is taken from the U.S. State Department's most recent "Trafficking in Persons" report. The country in question could be the United Kingdom, France, or Italy or any number of industrialized countries whose governments officially banned human slavery a long time ago. But the country referenced above happens to be the United States.

As "Trafficking in Persons" puts it: "[W]omen and girls, largely from East Asia, Eastern Europe, Mexico and Central America are trafficked to the United States into prostitution." The State Department is mandated by Congress to report annually on the state of human trafficking across the world. The problem is just as bad, if not worse, in many other industrialized countries.

But it will shock most Americans to learn that the land of the free is for some people really the home of the enslaved. Just as it will shock most British people to learn that, more than two centuries after William Wilberforce led Parliament to abolish the slave trade, some people are still enslaved in Britannia.

Not all trafficking is for sexual exploitation. But when people are trafficked for other ends such as forced labor, it leaves them highly vulnerable to sexual abuse as well. As the victims of trafficking are usually society's most vulnerable, children are often victims. Children, today are trafficked for many purposes: as domestic helpers, agricultural laborers, for sports, for war and for sex.

It is hard to estimate the number of people trafficked worldwide. According to State's underlying research, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across borders. (This excludes the millions of people trafficked within countries.) Of those, approximately 80 percent are female. Up to 50 percent are children.

The International Labor Organization estimates that there are at least 12.3 million people in forced labor today. The majority are in Africa, Asia and Latin America. But, the ILO notes, over 350,000 women and men are also in forced labor in industrialized countries, trafficked for either labor or sexual exploitation.

Those trafficked are often lured under false pretences, with promises of great opportunities and a better future. Only at their destination do they discover they are to become human slaves and exploited. At that point it is too late. They are trapped and are warned they and their families will be harmed if they try to escape. Unfortunately, today's world in many ways makes it easier to exploit children.

While the term "human trafficking" is used to describe the problem, it really does not do justice to what the victims face. "Modern-day slavery" is a more accurate description.

Officially ending slavery 200 years ago took hard work. Governments had to put natural rights ahead of commercial gain. Populations had to understand that freedom was not a special gift preserved for some, but an inalienable right of all men, women, and children. Communities had to change customs.

Parents had to educate children. And victims had to be taught their rights.

The same type of resolve from governments, communities and families, is needed today to end modern-day slavery. Governments must crack down on trafficking within and across their borders. Even more importantly, we need a renewed focus on prevention.

A protective environment for children is the best prevention. Laws and practices must be designed to punish perpetrators and protect victims.

Harmful practices such as sexual abuse and gender discrimination must end.

In schools, children must be taught their rights and given the self-confidence to stand up for themselves.

In Serbia, for example, UNICEF supports training for social workers, judges, police and other officials, on child rights and protection, measures for child victims of trafficking. In Nepal, UNICEF helped communities set up surveillance systems.

Finally, governments must harmonize legislation and strengthen prevention capabilities. They must facilitate greater cross-border cooperation. It's an embarrassment to us all that still today people are enslaved.

Ann M. Veneman is executive director of UNICEF.