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Slavery in the 21st Century Print E-mail
“There are more slaves today than were seized from Africa
in four centuries of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
The modern commerce in humans rivals illegal drug
Trafficking in its global reach—and in the destruction of lives”
-Andrew Cockburn
September 2003 National Geographic.com
                                                                                  
Human Trafficking is modern-day slavery and it is happening right here in Los Angeles. It takes many forms; the most common scenarios being victims entrapped in commercial sex exploitation or forced labor situations. Traffickers use methods of force, fraud, and coercion to make victims engage in prostitution, domestic servitude, or other forms of labor exploitation typically in construction or agriculture. 
 
The US State Department estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 victims are trafficked across international borders and a minimum of 14,500 and 17,500 of those victims are trafficked into the United States each year. Many of these victims are children.
 

In a tradition that dates back to the 19th Century, The Salvation Army seeks out those in need, those trapped in the web of human trafficking, and is making a difference in their lives.  Operated out of The Salvation Army’s Glendale Corps and Community Center, the Safe Refuge Project is part of the Los Angeles branch of the Rescue & Restore Unity Coalition. The purpose of this project is to rescue trafficking victims by educating and engaging the faith community in outreach to victims of human trafficking in the Los Angeles area. Volunteers are trained in ways that help them identify potential victims of human trafficking and given the necessary support to even effect rescues.

Safe Refuge trains teams of volunteers to not only help rescue people trapped in Human Trafficking, but to raise public awareness of the problem as well. By such direct action, The Salvation Army is “putting boots on the ground” and confronting a very old problem in a very modern setting. As awareness grows, more projects are sure to develop and hope will be restored to the scores of men, women, and children who are victims of human trafficking.  If you would like more information about the Safe Refuge Project, contact Bekah Cooke at (626) 660 – 4479 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .
 
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