The Covid19 pandemic is all anyone can talk about. It’s unavoidable. It’s portrayed in the media constantly, there are signs outside of every establishment warning patrons and advising how best to avoid it, it’s even become the newest fashion statement.
But who’s out there talking about human trafficking? What news stations are informing the public about modern day slavery? What establishments have signs outside advising the public on how to avoid becoming a victim?
The Facts
As I write this, there are 16.4 confirmed cases of Covid worldwide, with 650,000 deaths associated with the virus. Estimates suggest that, internationally, there are anywhere between 25-40 million people enslaved in sex and labor trafficking.
The disparity in these findings is what the United Nations refers to as the
“hidden figure of crime”
“The hidden figure of crime” estimates that only .04% survivors of human trafficking cases are identified, with that the vast majority of cases of human trafficking go undetected.
Within the United States there have been 288,287 total children who have tested positive for the Coronavirus. Children therefore represent 8.4% of all Covid19 cases.
Of those trafficked within the United States, trafficked children make up 51.6% of all persons trafficked explicitly for sexual exploitation. That number doesn’t even consider those trafficked explicitly for labor.
While the US economy is threatened during this pandemic, and while many lose their jobs and double down on their mortgages, traffickers are still seeing profits in the billions. Globally, human trafficking earns profits of roughly $150 billion a year, $99 billion of which comes from commercial sexual exploitation.
If only the public would treat human trafficking as serious as they do Covid19, then maybe little boys and girls would have autonomy over their bodies. Maybe if there was a government shut-down over the millions of lives stolen and enslaved every day then real change could be sought.
I will not be silent. I will continue to press this issue so that one day avoiding slavery is as simple as washing your hands and wearing a mask.
Don’t be silent,
The Abolitionist