The last ship to bring slaves to the United States was found buried in mud in the Mobile River in 2018. The business of importing slaves was outlawed in 1808, but the Clotilda’s owner made a bet that he could still do it in 1860. He won. To hide his crime–after selling of the 110 […]
human slavery
20 stunning facts about human trafficking in U.S.
The United States, Mexico and the Philippines were ranked among the worst places for human trafficking in 2018. Human trafficking wasn’t illegal in the U.S. until 2000. The United States, Mexico and the Philippines were ranked among the worst places for human trafficking in 2018. More than 49,000 cases of human trafficking have been reported […]
Women: just pawns in the game
Mobster and human smuggler Bill Bedini was back in Albania after jumping bail in Texas. “This [is] payback to your Uncle Edmond for when I was in the United States,” he said as he beat two young women, nieces of the Albanian man who testified against him in the U.S. A human weed, Bedini kidnapped […]
Tampa Bay hub for human trafficking
Many people know the phrase “modern day slavery” but don’t realize it’s happening in their hometowns. Florida state representative Rachel Burgin admits she was unaware of the problem’s severity until she attended a national conference in Washington, D.C. and sat next to a woman who started an international organization to stop human trafficking. “She told […]
Make slavery a household word
I was nearly speechless last week when a friend asked, “What is modern day slavery?” “Women forced into prostitution,” I blurted. “Forced farm labor!” Is what I see and read about every day invisible to the average American? Twenty-seven million people–the population of Saudi Arabia–are enslaved today. Human trafficking is so lucrative drug dealers are […]
Time to stop cannibalizing our children
The director of “Not My Life,” a documentary that takes an unflinching look at global human trafficking as a children’s issue, has an innovative plan for getting his message out. It’s not enough to show the film in theaters and on TV and maybe win a few festival awards, says Oscar-nominated filmmaker Robert Bilheimer. The […]