Slavery in the World Today Information taken from :CNN Freedom Project April, 2012

CNN Freedom Project's Definition of Slavery “Slavery occurs when one person completely controls another person, using violence or the threat of violence to maintain that control, exploits them economically, pays them nothing and they cannot walk away.”

Human Trafficking Industry According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the trafficking of humans is the third largest criminal industry in the world ranking behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking. The profits from human trafficking are estimated to be $32 billion. Of that amount, $15.5 is made in industrialized countries.

How many are there? The estimates vary but there are at least 10 million slaves in the world today. Ten million is the number given by the International Labor Organization but Harvard researchers put the estimate at 30 million.

Where do you find it? According to the United Nations, 161 of the 195 countries in the world are involved, in some way, in human trafficking. Some countries are a source, some a point of transit, and others a destination.

Who are they? According to the United Nations, 54% of the slaves were taken by someone they didn't know and 46% were taken or sold by someone they know.

Who are they? According to the US Department of State Report on Human Trafficking (2007), approximately 70% are female and 50 are children. A United Nations report in 2009 puts the amount of children at 20%. Between 600,00 and 800,000 people are trafficked internationally every year.

The Cost of a Human Life The average cost of a slave has decreased over the last 200 years. If you adjust the amount to today, the cost of a slave 200 years ago was about $40,ooo. Today it is about $90.

Trafficking in the United States

Trafficking in Costa Rica  "Costa Rica is a source, transit, and destination country formen, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking andforced labor. Costa Rican women and children are subjectedto sex trafficking within the country, and residents of thenorth and central Pacific coast zones are particularlyvulnerable to internal trafficking. Women and girls fromNicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and other LatinAmerican countries have been identified in Costa Rica asvictims of sex trafficking and forced domestic service."  Costa Rica Trafficking in Persons Report 2011

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