According to “SlaveVoyages” extensive research, The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade had a total number of 10,005,395 victims of slavery from1501 to 1875, the slaves were taken from Europe, Africa, the Caribbeans, Mainland North America, Spanish Mainland Americans, and Brazil, while the Intra-American Slave Trade data, presents a total number of 631,133 persons as victims of the slave trade between the period of 1526 t0 1875 after slavery was abolished.
Juxtapose these figures with the data from the 2021 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery presented by The International Labor Organization which currently states that Fifty Million (50) people are caught up in the web of modern-day slavery. The report states that 22 million of the victims are trapped in forced marriages while 28 million are involved in forced labor, with vulnerable women and children mostly affected. Unfortunately, the numbers keep rising exponentially, as the report states that 10 million more persons fell into the web of human trafficking in 2021 than the statistics of 2016. And we are the AI generation? Our modernity clearly hasn’t impacted our base proclivities.
These numbers are startling and given the narratives by most National Governments and the funding allocated to curb modern-day slavery, one would expect a decline rather than an upsurge. This brings me to wonder if we are only paying lip service to this pervading evil or actually in the fight but losing the battle. The latest media blackout and unwarranted criticism meted out on“Sound of Freedom”, the latest and most impactful movie yet, on child trafficking and exploitation has led me to ponder further on the true intent to stamp out this hydra-headed monster.
Permit my conservative vitriol, but we simply cannot wait for people who conveniently support abortion to somehow develop the passion and compassion to set captives free; they will speak eloquently, convincingly at best and go as far as throwing some meager resources toward its direction but will not lift a heavy hand to crush its operations, it’s all motion without action! I believe we can start by becoming vigilant, “Individualism” in the West may be a major contributing factor to why it’s rife in developed nations, it’s time to be our brother’s keeper indeed beyond “in-speech”! Getting our children aware of the antics of human traffickers is a priceless tool that will save lives, remember, “never talk to strangers”; that was an effective campaign. How about pressing the schools who for lack of viable activities have embraced woke activism, to incorporate HT into their curriculums or at least allow Anti HT Clubs and occasional sensitization? Prevention they say is better than cure, the purpose of the “Sound of Freedom” movie, for me, is the general awakening of sleeping giants to the terror occurring in their backyards. Its success at the box office is a testament to the fact that awareness will promote preventive measures which will in turn tip the scales.
As we celebrated World Anti-Human Trafficking Day on the 30th of July 2023, it’s a call to all to be watchful! Better to err on the side of caution than to allow the evil of human and especially child trafficking to reign unabated in our communities.
“It Takes a Village”
Emmanuella Ndukwe
Legal Practitioner
