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Modern Day Slavery Essay

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Mason Moran Mrs. Davis Government Period 9 February 14, 2013 Research Project: Human Trafficking “Modern Day Slavery” “SLAVERY was abolished 150 years ago, right? While it is true that slavery is illegal almost everywhere on earth, the fact is there are more slaves today than there ever were…” Despite the grim reality described in this quote, I believe Robert Alan successfully undermines a common misconception held by Americans, both young and old. Although we are brought up thinking that Abraham Lincoln with his Emancipation Proclamation along with the Civil War Amendments brought an end to the enemy known as slavery, in today’s society, however, that is sadly not the case. The harsh reality is that this problem never truly …show more content…

Consequently, it is difficult to say where trafficking first originated. There are several arguments in circulation which speculate as to when and where trafficking first began. Some say that the slave trade, in which Africans were captured by slave traders and shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas, was the first instance of human trafficking. Others argue that the forced labor of children during the 1700’s was the real beginning of what is now known as human trafficking. As early as 1807, a law was passed by Britain which outlawed the Transatlantic Slave Trade making it the first piece of legislation against slavery. In 1820, the United States followed Great Britain's example by making the slave trade a crime that was punishable by death. In June of 1921, the League of Nations held an international conference in Geneva, in which the term “white slavery” was changed to “traffic of women and children”. This was done to make sure that: the trafficking in all countries was dealt with, the victims of races other than those termed 'white' were recognized, and that male children were also recognized as victims. During this conference, 33 countries signed the International Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children. In 1949, the United Nations Convention of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others was passed. This was the first convention about human

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