The fundamental criteria that defines slavery is that a person is completely under the control of another person, violence is used to maintain that control, the slave is exploited, used for money and it’s impossible for them to walk away. Although this sounds more like the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, this Kevin Bales definition of slavery is even more applicable to the 21st century. According to Bales, a leading abolitionist who has written books on modern-day slavery, there are more slaves around the world today, than in human history. The estimated number of slaves is 27 million which more than doubles the Georgia population.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says modern day slavery is the third largest international crime industry, believed to generate profits of about $32 billion. Even if this kind of “business,” is lucrative, women, men and children are being held in generational debt bondage, forced to work long hours and trafficked for sex. This type of slavery is inescapable as the victims have nowhere to run and sometimes find themselves in foreign lands with no passports. According toa 2005 report from the U.S. State Department, between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year mostly due to poverty in countries of origin.
The lack of awareness regarding the urgency of this injustice is evidenced in student reactions when asked what they think or know of modern day slavery. “I know only what I see in movies,” said Maria Gomez, fourth-year sequential art student. “I’ve heard rumors that it’s in Atlanta but I suppose it could be anywhere.” Gomez is not the only one who was surprised at the alarming statistics. “I think that’s awful, I’m shocked, I didn’t even know that,” said LaTonya Lark, second-year sculpture major. First-year sequential art major Aaron Tucker agrees, “that’s pretty crazy happening in this generation,” he said. “You’d think after a couple 100 or so years it would be over.”
One of the driving forces for the end of slavery in the 18th century was the attention brought to the issue through the media and the campaigning of committed abolitionists. Justin Motta, a second-year animation major, highlights that because modern day slavery is not a public issue it is not a priority concern in people’s minds. “I don’t know if we can do anything about that [slavery],” said Motta. “How many people actually converse about this on a daily basis?”
Nevertheless, the voice against slavery is getting louder. President Barack Obama declared the month of January, “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month” to help bring public awareness. Google has donated $11.5 million to different coalitions that bring advocacy, intervention and rescue of people being held, forced to work or provide sex against their will. The CNN Freedom Project aims to shine a spotlight on the horrors of modern-day slavery and amplify the voices of the victims.
Even some college students won’t let their voices go unheard. From the 2nd to the 4th of January, 45, 000 college students from around the world came together at the Georgia Dome for the Passion 2012 Conference, a gathering that raised the banner of freedom and over $3 million that will fund programs that bring prevention and rescue.
The SCAD community is also bringing insight to the problem on campus grounds through an artistic form. “One of our biggest contributions as far as helping make students aware of the slave trade is the Vagina Monologues,” said Jessica Merriman, Assistant Director of Student Life. The V-day organization is a global movement of grassroots activists dedicated to generating broader attention and funds to stop violence against women and girls. All proceeds from the event go towards Innocence Atlanta, a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness in the Atlanta community about the realities of sex trafficking and the exploitation of underage children. To be a part of the fight for freedom, students can volunteer or donate to the mentioned programs by logging on to 268generation.com, vday.org and innocenceatlanta.org.