Modern Slavery Awareness

Slavery is far from being dead in our world; it's a current worldwide problem that most people are not even aware of. It is estimated that 13 billion dollars are generated by slavery each year and that there are 27 million slaves worldwide. In the United States an estimated 10 to 15 thousand slaves are brought in to the country each year.
Most Americans would think that slavery ended in 1865 with the end of the American Civil War. However, when people think of slavery, it is often associated with "old slavery." Old slavery, before 1863, was an expensive system because of transportation costs and the relatively small number of people who were slaves. It is for those two reasons that slaves during this time were treated somewhat better than the slaves of today.
The slavery of today, modern slavery, is not at all like our image of old slavery. Modern slavery is a less expensive system; there are more people being brought into the system and transportation is cheaper-both of which makes modern slaves expendable.
The Racquette
SUNY Potsdam, Potsdam, NY