A Little History and Background

Almost 150 years ago Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Today most Americans believe that slavery in the US ended then. Sadly, slavery was not eradicated then in the US or the rest of the world, but instead has grown to the point where there are more people enslaved today, at this moment in time, than were enslaved in the entire 300 years of the historical slave trade between Europe, Africa and the Americas. 

Slavery today is rarely racial in nature except for a system of generational slavery practiced in Mauritania, Africa . Between 40 to 50%of the population of Mauritania are enslaved even though slavery was legally abolished in the 1980s. According to Romana Cacchioli, Africa program officer at Anti-Slavery International, "Slavery is deeply embedded in Mauritanian society and exists across the country, both in rural and urban areas. Slaves are told that under Islam, their paradise is bound to their master, so if they do what the master tells them, they will go to heaven. If, however, they disobey or run away, slaves are told they will be forsaken by God and live outside of Islam. In an Islamic country, this is a powerful means of control. The slaves are victims of obscurantism, and their outlook is fatalistic, with many living in the belief that it is Allah's wish for them to be slaves." 

http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/racism/010828.mauritania.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4091579.stm

 Most slavery is perpetrated on children and women, although in some countries whole villages are caught in the net of forced labor and slavery. Slavery almost always has economic components and usually involves those who are very poor and have few economic options.   Forced labor is virtually the same as slavery although there may be more control over life outside of work in forced labor and many involved in forced labor believe they are paying off a debit. Whether caught up in slavery or forced labor the people involved believe themselves to be powerless to walk away or work towards something better and generally are barely subsisting at a survival level.

Slavery is a worldwide problem and the faces of slavery come from many different nations. The countries with the largest slave trade are those that have the bleakest poverty. China, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Africa, Eastern Europe and Russia top the list. Slavery and forced labor are common in the carpet and rug making industry (Pakistan and India), the production of cocoa (Africa), sugar (Dominican Republic, Haiti), tea (Pakistan, India, China), mineral, gold and gem mining (Africa), agriculture (South America, America, Caribbean, India, China and just about every other country in the world that produces agricultural products)and sex trade and domestic service (All over the world).