Be a Modern Day Abolitionist

The slave trade in the Civil War Era was considered booming. It was a big industry then, with slave traders sailing to Africa and other such countries to steal unsuspecting people from their villages. It is estimated that there were 4,000,000 slaves during this time.

The slave trade in Our Era is considered exponential compared to pre-Civil War times. It's a massive industry now, with international sex slave traders swooping into villages and making false promises to children who want to monetarily support their families. It is estimated that now, in 2010, there are 27,000,000 slaves.

There is some sort of disconnect here. When people of 2010 are reminded of the black slave trade, they're filled with outrage (and rightly so). Now, picture this. Skin color no longer matters. There is no one group of people who need protection. Every child is in danger. It could be your daughter or son, nephew or niece, brother or sister. They could be Cambodian, Asian, Russian, Thai, or from the Bronx.

These children are stripped of their names and given a number. They're put on a menu for men to choose from. They are raped an average of 5 times per night. There is no limit to how young they are.

When we see our little ones, the children we know and love, picturing them in that kind of situation is painful enough. Now imagine it's happened, and you're helpless. They're forced to take hard drugs to keep them from complaining or fighting back. They are horribly abused. If this were the case, if it were more obvious, everyone would be outraged NOW. Last year, I, Kate Thompson, at the age of 19, should not have been hearing about the modern day slave trade for the first time.

If you're interested in doing something big or small (everything helps!), here are a few organizations you can look up:

1. Love146
2. Not For Sale
3. Invisible Children (focus on child soldiers)

Look them up, read the stats, and see how you can help.

Be a modern day abolitionist.