“Human traffickers profit by turning dreams into nightmares,” said Michael Garcia, U.S. attorney in Manhattan, where the majority of the traffickers face prosecution. “These women sought a better life in America and found instead forced prostitution and misery.”
-- The Associated Press
It's hard to imagine that in the "land of the free and home of the brave" there still exists slavery. It's hard to estimate the number -- somewhere between 10,000 and tens of thousands -- but to think that even one person is living in slavery is unacceptable.
Not all are prostitutes
According to the Associated Press: ". . . prostitution and sex services accounted for 46 percent of the documented forced labor. Domestic service made up 27 percent, agriculture 10 percent, sweatshop-factory 5 percent and restaurant and hotel work 4 percent."
For more information read:
Experts: Sex slaves are often the girls next door
‘There are so many faces on this,’ says women’s rights advocate
Associated Press
Aug 20, 2006
NEW YORK - Raids conducted last week on 20 Northeast brothels uncovered more than 70 suspected sex slaves, exposing a long-ignored national problem found in towns large and small, with immigrants and U.S. citizens alike as victims, experts say.
“It’s a very overwhelming subject for a lot of people to recognize that there is slavery at this time in our country,” said Carole Angel, staff attorney with the Immigrant Women Program of the women’s rights advocacy group Legal Momentum in Washington. “It’s hard for us as humans to contemplate what this means.” (full story)
Don't agonize, organize ... that's my mantra. Change won't happen unless you work to make it happen! But sometimes even your best efforts don't provide the results you were looking for. Or sometimes a situation is just so completely outrageous that all you can do is say ... YIKES!
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