Everyone learns about slavery in the Americas in school. After all, slavery in United States of America is an important, although painful part of our past. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most important factors in our country's history. The Civil War was fought at least in part over it, the current race problems we have in our country are largely a result of it, and our culture shows signs of it in our art, music, and literature up to this day.
Nonetheless, I had always believed at least you can take comfort in the fact that slavery in Americas was a thing of the past. I never realized that this wasn't the case. Although slavery in America and other places in the world is rarer nowadays than it used to be, human trafficking is still a reality for untold numbers of people. It is different nowadays than it was back then, of course. First of all, it is not out in the open as much. There are no big slave ships bringing boatloads of people in chains from one continent to another anymore. instead, slavery in the Americas takes place in back rooms and sweatshops. It is done through threats and intimidation as much as through chains and outright violence.
Because it is almost invisible, however, slavery in the Americas is much harder to talk about than it was before. No wars will be fought over it because people can always look the other way. Sometimes slaves in the Americas aren't even considered slaves. Many of them come over, lured by promises of a better future, only to find themselves in debt to traffickers who threaten to call the INS on them if they do not work in sweatshops for next to nothing for years at a time. Sometimes, these traffickers are busted and punished, but more often than not, they manage to carry on without any repercussions for years at a time.
Of course, slavery in the Americas is not isolated. As a matter of fact, there are many places where it is much worse. At least in this country, we have laws and a police force which tries to stem the slave trade. In some other parts of the world, it is ignored or even tolerated. Fortunately, more and more people are working to end slavery, both in their own countries and around the world.
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