Modern Day Slavery and Basic Human Rights (Bloggers Unite)

Human trafficking is a vile form of modern day slavery in which people, mostly women and girls, are abducted, deceived and/or coerced into situations of forced labor, and it constitutes a grave violation of human rights.

Human trafficking is an international problem involving almost every country in the world as a source, transit or destination country. In addition, many people are trafficked within their own country.

• The U.N. estimates that one to four million people are trafficked worldwide each year.
• Human trafficking is the third most lucrative criminal activity in the world after illegal drugs and black-market guns, generating $9.5 billion in annual revenue.
• In 2005, the International Labor Organization estimated that there were 9.5 million victims of forced labor in Asia alone.
• Women constitute 70 percent of the world's 1.3 billion absolute poor, those living on less than $1/day.

The root causes of trafficking include poverty, violence and political conflict.

Poverty and rising unemployment and the decline of government-sponsored social services, have contributed to severe poverty in the developing world and an increase in labor exploitation.

Women bear the brunt of this economic instability. Desperate living conditions and the devaluation of women and girls, make them particularly vulnerable to trafficking. Families living in absolute poverty often lack the means to feed all of their children. Parents may decide to sell one child because they cannot afford to raise that child without risking the survival of every member of the family. In many places, girls are considered less valuable than boys, and are more likely to be sold.

Violence- Violence in the home, often linked to economic instability, can also make women and children more vulnerable to trafficking. Fearing for their safety, women and children often run away from situations of domestic violence. In search of shelter and food, they may become targets of trafficking agents who deceptively offer them security.

Conflict- Conflict and increasing militarization worldwide play a significant role in human trafficking. Traffickers often take advantage of the desperate conditions created by conflict, preying upon those living in refugee camps. The arrival of soldiers is often associated with a sudden rise in child prostitution and sex tourism, and an expansion of sex trafficking in the region.

How You Can Help

Please visit Amnesty International to find out more about these current issues...

Stop Human Trafficking in Montenegro
Montenegro is a source, transit, and destination country for women and girls trafficked internally and internationally for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Urge Montenegro to oppose human trafficking by supporting shelters for women and girls, providing financial resources for non-governmental organizations, and prohibiting the forcible return and detention of trafficked persons.

Protect the Rights of Trafficked Women in Greece
Greece has been a transit and destination country for trafficked persons since the early 1990s and has seen a continuous increase in the number of women and girls trafficked and forced into prostitution.

I urge my fellow Health Professionals: To Take Action!
In Greece, women who are recognised as 'victims of trafficking' are offered a period of only one month to decide whether to testify against suspected traffickers. An extension of the time for reflection would allow trafficked women a more adequate period of time receive assistance and recover from their ordeal, as well as make an informed decision as to whether to cooperate with the authorities in criminal proceedings.


"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
~ Edmund Burke

In Health and Gratitude,

Michelle L. Taylor
"Your Virtual Sister, Mother, Friend, Neighbor and Fellow Human Being in this United World"

Monarch Health Promotions
(520)404-4558
monarchhp.com