“In 2016, at any given time, 40.3 million people were enslaved.”– International Labor Organization
Human trafficking—this term is a euphemism for the crime of modern day slavery.
The devastating truth is that slavery is more widespread than ever before. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), in 2016, at any given time, 40.3 million people were enslaved. As part of our Justice Initiative, Grace Farms has made it central to our mission to disrupt and eradicate human slavery. Since our opening two years ago, we have hosted several events in partnership with The United Nations University, bringing together global experts to help determine how the U.N. Security Council, law enforcement, and the financial sector can work together to combat human trafficking.
These efforts have culminated in Grace Farms’ upcoming second anniversary celebration, benefiting a first-of-its-kind global media campaign to help in the fight to eradicate modern day slavery. Entitled “Unchain” and created in partnership with WPP agencies Geometry Global, J. Walter Thompson, as well as Shazam and Thomson Reuters Foundation, the campaign is a collaboration among public, private and individual efforts to disrupt the many facets of modern day slavery by generating unprecedented public awareness and activism.
If this cause is something you are passionate about, please use your voice, your social media accounts, or any other means of communication you have to help us raise awareness of this cause by sharing the following staggering statistics:
- Between 2008 and December 2016, 634 children in the state of CT were identified as victims of child trafficking. (Source: CT Department of Children and Families, Human Anti-trafficking Response Team)
- 3 million people are trapped in a world of forced labor, sex trafficking, child marriage, and debt bondage that crosses international borders, cultures, and industries. (Source: ILO)
- Almost 19 million victims are exploited by private individuals or enterprises and over 2 million by the state or rebel groups. (Source: ILO)
- Forced labor in the private economy generates US $150 billion in illegal profits per year. (Source: ILO)
- According to the U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization, roughly one-third of the world’s fisheries are overfished. Seafarers are enslaved on long-haul fishing boats, and the catch is cleaned and packed by exploited men, women, and children. (Source: Center for American Progress)
- Precious metals represent ideal commodities for financing criminal activities given their easy transportability and high value. (Source: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute)
- As of 2013, Boko Haram has displaced over 2.3 million people resulting in one of the largest humanitarian crises in modern African History. (Source: World Policy Blog & Ohio State University- Global Human Trafficking)
- 4,000 laborers will have died in the service of FIFA and the World Cup—building hotels, stadiums, airports, and other necessary infrastructure—by 2022. (Source: International Human Trafficking Institute)
Modern slavery is the greatest humanitarian issue of our time, yet far too few people understand its magnitude. This crisis is underpinned by a massive $150 billion dollar criminal enterprise, at times unwittingly fueled by our own consumption and shopping habits—we can all take action today to change this. For more information about our progress toward this mission, please visit: https://www.designforfreedom.org
