150 Years later - slaves still need emancipation!

150 years ago, Abraham Lincoln announced the emancipation of slaves.

World-wide slavery still persists - in appalling numbers.

This link reviews some facts including:

The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million people who are victims of forced labor worldwide. That’s a figure larger than the entire population of Florida.

Today, human trafficking affects people of every nationality, gender, religion, age and socio-economic class. It can occur in almost any industry, from manufacturing to agriculture, from health care to transportation, construction to the commercial sex trade.

And though people aren’t often literally bought and sold, they do not have freedom. They aren’t paid wages, they work in deplorable conditions and they are kept from leaving through the use or threat of physical and sexual violence (against them or family members), not to mention emotional coercion.

Let's work for a better world than this into 2013 - and beyond!

Toward eupan ~

~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.