Modern Slavery; U.S. Must Battle Countries Participating in Human trafficking.(OPED)

Byline: Christopher H. Smith, SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The United States abolished legalized slavery nearly 140 years ago, but today a new scourge of human slavery remains and thrives throughout the world. Americans need to know the reality of human trafficking and our government needs to exert its fullest strength to end this appalling human rights abuse.

An estimated 700,000 to 4 million victims of human trafficking are bought, sold, transported and held against their will in slave-like conditions each year. Most victims are women and children.

Many are lured from their homes with promises of a better life by cunning traffickers who force them to work in brothels as sex slaves or as forced laborers in sweatshops, as domestic servants, or beggars, to name just a few scenarios. Violence is …

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Publication information: Article title: Modern Slavery; U.S. Must Battle Countries Participating in Human trafficking.(OPED). Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Washington Times (Washington, DC). Publication date: June 18, 2002. Page number: A19. © 2009 The Washington Times LLC. COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group.

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