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We are four highschool students in Australia wanting to raise awareness about modern day slavery. Over 45.8 million people in the world are trapped in some form of slavery; help end this.

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https://www.change.org/p/free-the-slaves-end-modern-day-slavery?recruiter=585439424&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink
Many people are unaware that currently there are over 45.8 million people in the world trapped in some form of slavery. By signing this petition you will help raise awareness about modern day slavery and encourage people to buy slave-free products: products that are not made using slave labour. In the following days we will upload a shopping guide that will have an overview on the shops and businesses that are slave-free, stay tuned.

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Visit our Social Media Pages and Help Spread the Word

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Visit our Social Media Pages and Help Spread the Word

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Visit our Facebook page : EndModern DaySlavery

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When I arrived in Los Angeles, I quickly realized it had all been a lie. My trafficker told me that now I owe her almost $3,000 for bringing me to the U.S. and that I had to work for her in order to pay her back.  I was forced to work 18 hours a day making dresses that were being sold for $200 department stores. When all the workers in the factory got to go home, I had to clean the factory. I was forced to sleep at the factory in a storage room, and I had to share a single mattress with another victim. The other workers in the factory were able to come and go at the end of their shift. I was forbidden to talk to anyone or from putting one step outside of the factory. I worked hard, and I was always hungry. I was given only one meal a day, and I had 10 minutes to eat. If I took longer, I was punished.

To read the rest of Flor's story visit http://www.endslaverynow.org/blog/articles/flor-molina

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Slavery began at the start of civilization. Prior to this there was no need for slaves, everyone lived for themselves and their family. A slave would just have been another mouth to feed. Although, as civilizations started forming, wars were started and people were captured to work for them. This happened in Mesopotamia at around 6800 BC. In 550 AD an estimated 30,000 people were used in silver mines in the ancient city of Athens and in 120 AD as many as 50% of the population in Rome were captured slaves. Slavery was normalized throughout these times and continued at a steady pace right up until the 1380’s when the black plague hit Europe. During this time labor was needed and because there was a shortage of people the amount of slavery increased. Most of these slaves came from the Middle East and North Africa. Then in 1444 Portuguese traders brought in the first ship of slaves, this was the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade. This type of slavery continued right up until 1803 when Denmark-Norway was the first country to ban the importation and exportation of slaves. Other countries soon followed on after. It was only at the beginning of the 20th century though that the majority of the world had made slavery illegal. Although Slavery was banned it still continued to be present in our society. For example, during World War II millions of people were captured and forced to work, then they would be taken to concentration camps to be gassed. To this day slavery still happens but is rarely talked about. Please help support us by getting the word out about this global issue.

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As the youngest child of an illiterate family, being enslaved was not uncommon in Ghana when James Kofi Annan was growing up. He had not begun primary school when he was sent away by his father to work in a fishing village nine hours away from his home in Winneba. He worked as a child fisherman in more than 20 villages between the ages of six and thirteen.

Read the Whole Story at http://www.endslaverynow.org/blog/articles/james-annan

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Eighteen families from Sakdouri were trapped in bonded labor slavery at a local brick kiln, forced to work in brutal
conditions, terrorised by violence.
“Someone promised us jobs at the brick kiln and said the owner was a good person,” says Durga, a Sakdouri slavery
survivor. “They said he would pay us well, but we didn’t even get water to drink. He didn’t pay us or even give us
fuel to cook our food. When we asked the owner, he threatened and beat us.”
For the full story feel free to visit:
http://www.freetheslaves.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Survivor-Stories-Sakdouri-Village-India.pdf

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Over 46 million people in the world work as slaves. There are many ways slavery could change in the next 50 years; it could get a lot better or take a turn for the worst. A lot of foundations are trying to put a stop to slavery. They are trying to educate people who are slaves about the laws and how dangerous it is and linking communities together to provide schools, jobs and health services. They are hoping this will give people a better idea of what is going on and that they shouldn’t be forced to be slaves. One thing that could happen is that all slavery is abolished, I personally think this would be the best outcome. I don’t want there to be a future of slavery, it is a thing of the past and should not be tolerated in this modern day society. The chance of this happening in the next 50 years is extremely unlikely as millions and millions of people are slaves and tracking everyone down who illegally uses slaves will take a very long time. Unfortunately, some people believe slavery in the United States will triple in the next 50 years as the need for workers is getting higher with the increase in customer demand and slaves are the cheapest option. This would be devastating, for this to happen would mean that more and more migrants are being tricked into slavery. Fortunately, the chance of this happening is quite low as the wide spread knowledge of slavery is getting higher and illegally using them is getting more and more risky and dangerous. Now people are more educated on the slavery issue they know not to get tricked into this business. In conclusion I think that in the next 50 years’ slavery won’t be completely gone, but hopefully will be decreasing a lot.

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The Differing Opinions on Modern Day Slavery

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The Differing Opinions on Modern Day Slavery

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Most people would agree that modern day slavery should not exist due to human rights issues whereas others believe it still exists and needs to continue to exist because of its economic and financial benefits. Slavery has been around since the beginning of civilisation, and has had a great influence on how we manufacture, buy, sell, and make profits. Unfortunately, slavery is a profitable trade, where owners put in little or no money and reap the benefits of their labourers. Studies have shown that the rate of returns on slaves can be as high as 13%. Every year, forced labour alone generates illegal profits of almost 150 billion US dollars. Many believe that if all modern day slavery was eradicated, the economy would suffer. On the other hand, at the end of the day slavery is illegal and has been made illegal for a number of reasons. Modern-day slaves are held against their will and are often enslaved because they are vulnerable. They live in unsafe and harsh environments, with very little control of their own lives; this can negatively affect them both mentally and physically.

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Beatrice Fernando's Story: Domestic Servitude

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Beatrice Fernando's Story: Domestic Servitude

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Recent divorcee, Beatrice Fernando left Sri Lanka to work as a maid in Lebanon to support her three year old son. Instead she was forced into domestic servitude and was abused.

"My chores seem unending. I wash the windows, walls and bathrooms. I shampoo carpets, polish floors and clean furniture. After 20 hours I am still not done. There’s no food on my plate for dinner, so I scavenge through the trash. I try to call the job agency, but the woman who now owns me has locked the telephone. I try to flee the apartment, but she has locked the door.

I can feel the burning on my cheeks as she slaps me. It is night and her kids have gone to sleep. Grasping me by the hair, she bangs my head into the wall and throws me to the floor. She kicks me and hits me with a broom. If I scream or fight back, she will kill me. So I bite my lips to bare the pain and then I pass out. This is my daily routine, the life of a slave."

View the whole story at http://www.endslaverynow.org/blog/articles/beatrice-fernando

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Boromo was 15 and was living with his family in a village, he was promised a good job in Côte d’Ivoire where he would get a lot of money for his family. When he got there he was worked very hard for years with no pay. He accidentally cut himself with a machete and didn't get help and could have died. Read the rest of Boromos Story at http://www.antislavery.org/english/slavery_today/child_slavery/stories_of_child_slavery.aspx

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Slavery has increased in the last decade due to developing countries population growing faster than the economy, leaving people vulnerable and eager to work. Migrants are also targeted because they have left a rural area to work in the city and are approached by people posing as legitimate labour employers, these people target migrants because they are far from home and may not speak or fully understand the language of the country they have come to. An additional reason why slavery exists is because some people are under the impression that because of their race, religion, gender, social status or beliefs that they are above others who may not share the same idealisms.

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On Lake Volta in Ghana, child slaves are forced to work day and night on dangerous and deadly fishing boats. Mabel was one of them, she was trafficked into slavery by her own impoverished family.

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Boats and boating--Equipment and supplies

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In rural India, children are taken or tricked into slavery; families are left frantic to help but powerless to act. The Cookie Raid boys were lured from their homes in rural India and trapped at a bakery in a faraway city. They were finally rescued thanks to the power of Free the Slaves community organising, but this is still happening all over the world. Help stop it by signing our petition at
https://www.change.org/p/free-the-slaves-end-modern-day-slavery?recruiter=585439424&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink

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Ning was trafficked to Australia from Thailand to work in a Sydney brothel at the age of 13.

She was forced to pay back a 'debt' owed to her traffickers by having sex with more than 100 men before she was discovered in a joint raid by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Immigration authorities.
For the full story please visit:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-25/anti-slavery-compensation-scheme-needed-for-australia/7960376?pfmredir=sm