Source: CNN Freedom Project

As we leave the month of February that honors African American history, we cannot help but be reminded of a shameful period in our country’s past. Slavery and lack of civil rights for all citizens took more than a century to eradicate; yet today, these same human rights violations have reared their ugly heads not just here, but around the world. Women and children are the primary victims of human trafficking. Some families sell their children, some are taken by force, and some just disappear, never to be seen again. Modern slavery has grown into a multi-billion-dollar business, and the perpetrators abound in the most civilized of societies, including the United States.

Source: CNN Freedom Project

The CNN Freedom Project to end modern slavery estimates that between 14,500 to 17,500 human beings are trafficked into the United States annually. The CNN infographics, illustrating the statistics on human trafficking based on 2005 reports from the U.S. State department, are eye-opening. Human trafficking since then has increased staggeringly, based on more recent government reports for 2011.

The infographic from We Are Chapter One also illustrates some startling statistics on human trafficking, including the percentage of suppliers from regions around the world. According to this visualization, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders, 1.2 million children are part of the slavery industry, and over 50% are under the age of sixteen.

Source: We Are Chapter One

This is not our first post on the issue of modern slavery. We also advocate for teaching our students about the topic across grade levels. Slavery occurs throughout history, beginning with the earliest of civilizations. Unfortunately, it continues today. Bringing the issue into the classroom can be done in an age-appropriate way. The topic is interdisciplinary, from language arts to economics, and many of our students are unaware of it as an industry. We cannot help but think that modern slavery has grown exponentially simply because of supply and demand, and some of the most affluent countries aid this expansion.

Source: Slavery Map

For example, the Slavery Map website seeks to record and display locations of human trafficking across the United States. It asks individuals to report incidents by calling the national trafficking hotline number, so that the proper law enforcement and service providers can be alerted. Incidents are mapped accordingly, and the findings in our country are not flattering.

While our efforts to teach children about a difficult topic seem daunting, the ideas of prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships are not. The website Not For Sale, like Anti-Slavery.org and the Products of Slavery, seeks to raise awareness about enslavement and vulnerable communities. In the age of technology, perhaps we could encourage our colleagues and students to use the Not For Sale app called Free to Work. This app allows individuals to scan product barcodes to find out the story behind how things are made and hopefully not buy these items if slavery was used to produce them.


Free2Work App from Free2Work on Vimeo.

It seems appropriate that this issue needs to be addressed with our students. As teachers, we can empower them to help, so that they can be the change needed to make a difference.

Source: Anti-Slavery

Many students in upper elementary and middle schools associate slavery with the nineteenth-century era of American history when African Americans were forced to work on southern plantation fields. Few know that modern slavery is on the rise at an alarming rate. When we tell them that it is a 32-billion-dollar-plus industry and the average price to purchase a human for slave labor is about $90, they are shocked. In their young minds, it is difficult to grasp the gravity of the situation. To help them visualize the enormity of the problem, we use the interactive Products of Slavery map from the Anti-Slavery organization. Its motto is “today’s fight for tomorrow’s freedom.”

Source: Products of Slavery

The Products of Slavery map shows where products are made by forced or child labor in the top 25 countries around the world. The statistics can be separated to see the distinction between which group provides the most slave labor by clicking the boxes at the top. The map adjusts to reflect the numbers, and the students quickly learn that children make up the majority of slave labor today.

Source: Products of Slavery

The clarity and ease of use make it ideal for working with younger students. With the focus, too, on products, it minimizes the topic to items that are age-appropriate, leaving out the harsher reality of sex trafficking of women and children. The countries and the number of products they produce through slave labor pop up by clicking on the yellow bubbles on the map. Students can then pick from this group to find more detailed information. A new screen opens with a map showing other places this product is produced through slave labor, as well as documented facts, quotes, and links to other resources. The students are touched by the words of so many young children who describe the hardships they face. It is a moving experience for them.

Source: Products of Slavery

Talking to students about modern slavery and helping them visualize the places in the world where it occurs should be part of curricular learning in our schools nationwide. While the United States does not have slave labor, that does not mean Americans do not use products that come from other places or criminally use enslaved help. Last December, the Huffington Post published an article on human slavery with a pointed reminder:

“It's uncomfortable to think of ourselves as employing slaves, but according to the Slavery Footprint, almost all of us do. As we start 2012, the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, it's a good way to educate ourselves and then take action to end slavery once and for all.”

While this seems trite in light of the subject matter, teachers can utilize the Products of Slavery website to integrate lessons on geography. The Anti-Slavery organization also has a poster that can be downloaded for classroom use. Additionally, math lessons could be developed for students with this information.

Please see our earlier post, Matchbox Kids, Not Toys - End Slavery, on this topic. For more information on prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnerships to monitor and combat the trafficking of human persons, visit the U.S. State Department’s website.

Source: Products of Slavery

Source: BBC

In response to reading a blog post from Cool Cat Teacher Blog to raise awareness about modern day slavery during this holiday season, one thing came to mind, candles. It is not just the significance of candles for the Christian holiday of Christmas, the Jewish holiday of Chanakah, or the African celebration of Kwanza, but also matches. Candles are lit for each of these festivals to mark a special occasion. When we light candles, we often use matches, but how often do we think about where matches come from other than the store? Do most people know that India is one of the largest producers of matches, or that a vast majority of its match making industry is supported by child labor? Well, it is.

Here are just a few simple facts from the website Products of Slavery:

• In one of India's matchbox factories, ten-year-old Kavitha was made to grind a highly combustible mixture, leaving her with permanently blackened hands. Source : UNICEF, 2005, "India: Project Helps Child
• A study carried out in India found that children working in matchbox factories earned the equivalent of just two euros a week for 12 straight hours of work. Source : International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, 2006, "India: Economic Boom Masks
• In 2002, as many as 66,000 children, aged between six and 14, were found working in matchbox factories in the Indian city of Silvasi alone. Source : International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, "India: Economic Boom Masks Widespread Child Labour," October 2006, Pg. 2

Source: Child Labor in India

India has a huge child labor problem, and many children as young as six years old work long hours each day for miniscule pay. Many are employed in match factories, as well as in the fireworks industry. Injuries abound, and they are too poor to get treatment for their ailments. Many, too, keep working because they are so poor. According to Legal India, of the 200,000 workers in the labor force in the matchbox industry, experts claim that 35% are children below the age of 14. They are made to work over twelve hours a day, beginning work at around 4:00 a.m., everyday. For an incredible documentary on the subject, watch the video Child Labor in India. It is not for the faint of heart.

So this holiday season as you light candles in celebration, perhaps think about ways to help educate our students to make the world a better place for exploited children and to put an end to slave labor.