THE DIABOLICAL MODERN SLAVE TRADE

The Diabolical Modern Slave Trade

July 31, 2013 • From theTrumpet.com

More people are in slavery today than there have been at any time in human history.

By Jeremiah Jacques

Over the weekend, law enforcement officials rescued 105 children and arrested 150 individuals involved in sex trafficking and exploitation in 76 cities across the United States. The fbi announced the news on Monday, saying it was the largest child sex-trafficking crackdown in U.S. history. The rescue was a victory for those children and for the officials involved, but it isn’t even a drop in the cesspool of the unconscionably evil modern sex-slave trade.

For most modern people, the word “slavery” conjures up images of some shameful, bygone era of human history—maybe of biblical Egypt, ancient Greece or the 18th-century American South. Most think that large-scale slavery ended with the U.S. Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. But the sickening truth is that more people are in slavery today than there have been at any time in human history.

“Approximately 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked annually across national borders, not including millions trafficked within their own countries,” the cia Factbook says. The international anti-slavery organization Free the Slaves totaled up all those thousands and millions worldwide: “[O]ur conservative estimate is that there are 27 million people in slavery today.”

That’s more than the population of Australia.

In 1850, the average slave in the U.S. cost the equivalent of $40,000 in today’s currency. A slave today costs an average of $90. Numerous historical accounts depict how savagely many of those slaves in early America were treated. How much worse must treatment be for these modern human beings who are bought at a fraction of a percent of the historic slaves’ price?

We don’t have to wonder. Detailed descriptions of their stories are out there. I considered telling one for the introduction to this article, but the reality of those stories is too unnerving and too heart-breaking to write.

Eighty percent of victims are female. Fifty percent are children. The average starting age of slave children is 12, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. But many are much, much younger. And while some are made to do hard labor in sweatshops or fields (like most all the slaves of past eras), staggering numbers of modern captives are sex workers. They are sexual objects that are purchased, sold, used and discarded—all for the traffickers’ profit.

Land of the Free?

As the nauseating news from this weekend reveals, the sex slave trade is not limited to Third World nations. The Department of Justice estimates that there are between 100,000 and 150,000 sex workers enslaved in the U.S.

As with most countries, U.S. slaves come from two categories: those brought in from other countries, and those who are citizens—trafficked and enslaved within their own borders.

The first category is sustained by 14,500 to 17,500 women and children who are trafficked into America every year. The most common ploy traffickers use in poorer countries is promising young women legitimate jobs in the U.S. as domestic workers or waitresses. Many are sold by poverty-stricken parents to men who promise a better life. Others are simply abducted.

Sex traffickers rejoice when Third Word nations are struck by natural disasters or ravaged by war. At those times, they can find families ripped apart. They can find women and children alone and trembling, separated from husbands and fathers. Amid the rubble, the traffickers can find people desperate enough to believe their venomous lies.

Then there are America’s homegrown slaves. Many in this category began as adult women fleeing abusive circumstances at home. There are also an estimated 2.8 million children who run away from home in the U.S. each year. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says within 48 hours of hitting the streets, a third of these are picked up by traffickers and pimps promising shelter, food and respect. Some recruiters are young men or women who seek out vulnerable-looking girls at theaters, parties, shelters or shopping centers. These recruiters win a girl’s trust by pretending to be her friend or boyfriend, and then turn them over to pimps or traffickers.

Both the American citizens and the overseas victims are targeted because of apparent vulnerability and weakness. They are often people in dire need of help. Instead of helping them, traffickers use their weakness and vulnerability against them. They turn their lives into misery.

To transform the captured victims into willing slaves, traffickers use a variety of methods. Sometimes the victims are kept full of narcotics or tranquilizers. In other cases, physical force alone—over a long enough time—destroys a victim’s will to resist. Most often with imported slaves, the traffickers use threats, telling them that if they attempt escape their families back home will be punished or killed.

The Cause of This Evil

How can millions worldwide be enslaved to this mind-boggling evil? Is it just because of the handful of demented traffickers, like the 150 individuals arrested in the U.S. this weekend? No. Traffickers and pimps wouldn’t have reason to enslave victims if there was no demand for them.

The root cause of sex trafficking is the unprecedented proliferation of pornography. The technology that connects people all around the globe allows perversion, exploitation and criminal activity to multiply at unprecedented speeds. A 2012 fbi report said that in one decade, the U.S. underwent a 2,500 percent increase in arrests for child pornography. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which works to identify and find children depicted in pornographic videos and photos, says its staff assessed over 10.5 million images in 2009 alone.

Many of the adults and almost all children depicted in amateur pornography are in some level of enslavement. Anyone using pornography could be contributing to the pandemic.

Data shows that sex trafficking flourishes in areas rife with commercial sex businesses. Areas rich in strip clubs, pornography stores and prostitution become meccas for sociopaths wanting to use children or other enslaved people for sex. It is impossible to bring an end to sex trafficking without also eliminating the pornography and sex-oriented businesses that are multiplying in the cities of the world. Yet, access to these businesses is championed in the West as a right that free people are entitled to. People should be free to live how they want, free to watch whatever movies they want, and free to buy whatever services they want. But this mentality creates only bondage.

The sobering truth is that there are far more slaves in the sex traffic industry than even the most concerned activists calculate. Besides the millions of literal enslaved victims, there are also the traffickers and pimps—slaves to crippling greed, and the untold numbers of users—both users of slaves and users of the pornography featuring them—who are slaves to lust.

What is the solution to this ineffable evil? On an individual level, we can and must avoid the industries that fuel the sex slave trade. On the national and international levels, this horrendous evil won’t be cured by anything short of a global revolution.

‘Break in Pieces the Oppressor’

During Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry, He witnessed some extremes of human suffering. He did much locally to relieve it, but made clear that He wasn’t on Earth at that time to use His power to overthrow the existing world order (Matthew 16:21; 26:52-54; Luke 17:25).

But He did bring news of a future time when He would return and obliterate the corrupt man-made systems of this world. He made it clear that He would replace the worldly kingdoms with the Kingdom of God that will bring peace, prosperity and freedom for all men (John 18:36; Revelation 11:15; Daniel 2:35-45).

This future overthrow will fulfill the prophecy saying that Christ would “save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor” (Psalm 72:4). How many children of the needy today need to be saved? How many oppressors need to be dealt with?

At that future time, Christ will return to this Earth in power and glory. He will spearhead a global revolution that will overthrow all of the world’s systems that cause such unconscionable suffering today. Educator Herbert W. Armstrong painted an inspiring picture of that godly Kingdom He will usher in: “All crime, and organized rebellion will be put down by force—divine supernatural force. … See, now, a glimpse into a world of no illiteracy, no poverty, no famine and starvation, into a world where crime decreases rapidly, people learn honesty, chastity, human kindness, and happiness—a world of peace, prosperity, abundant well-being” (The Wonderful World Tomorrow).

We need this new world as never before. Reports like the one from last weekend make that inescapably clear. The good news is that nothing can stop the global revolution that will “break in pieces the oppressor” and ” save the children of the needy.” To understand more about this rapidly approaching future, request a free copy of Mr. Armstrong’s booklet. In this world of increasing suffering, ugliness and evil, it offers a refreshing picture of hope—the only hope there is. ▪