As we celebrate the freedom and liberty that our country was founded upon, it would surprise most Americans to know that slavery still exists. It surprised me.
In fact, right now, more than 40 million people are someone else’s property — enslaved in factories, fishing boats, and brothels.
On June 28, 2018, the U.S. State Department released the 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report, which shines a spotlight on human trafficking, and ranks 188 countries on their efforts to bring an end this crime within their borders.
It is essential that this annual report tell the truth about slavery so we can effectively work towards a world where everyone is free. The full report can be accessed at www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2018/index.htm.
The Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is a bipartisan objective that seeks to tell the truth about slavery — where it is, how it’s evolving and the progress every country is making (or not) in combating it.
The Trump Administration and Congress should utilize U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid to combat slavery, specifically by protecting the integrity of the report, reauthorizing the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, appointing a new ambassador to head the Trafficking in Persons office, and fully funding U.S. efforts to bring an end to this stoppable crime.
More information about modern day slavery can be found at www.ijm.org. International Justice Mission urges us to “Make the truth of trafficking undeniable, because the problem is stoppable.”
Sally Raymond
Peachtree City, Ga.
