During the Transatlantic Slave Trade (1619-1808) an estimated 10-12 Mio Africans were sold as property and shipped abroad to the New World. As horrifying and unjust as this was, many of us think of slavery as a relic of the past. Yet shockingly, this could not be further from the truth. According to the Global Slavery Index, over 40 Mio People are living in slavery today. In other words, nearly four times as many live in modern-day slavery today than there were during the period of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. 

What is Modern-Day Slavery?

Modern-day slavery is an umbrella term that refers to situations of exploitations that a person cannot refuse or leave because of threats, violence, coercion, deception, and/or abuse of power.

Types of Modern-Day Slavery

Forced Labor: Any work or services which people are forced to do against their will under the threat of some form of punishment. Includes sex trafficking, child soldiers, domestic servitude, debt bondage, etc.

Forced Marriage: When someone is married against their will and cannot leave the marriage. Most child marriages are considered slavery.

Human Trafficking: Recruiting, harboring, and/or transporting people for the purpose of exploitation, using violence, threats or coercion.  People do not have to be transported for trafficking to take place. Sometimes the term is used interchangeably with modern-day slavery although the recruitment, harboring, and transportation of people are prerequisites for slavery.

Modern-Day Slavery in Numbers

According to the Global Slavery Index, 24.9 Million people are enslaved through forced marriage and 15.4 Million people through forced labor. Consequently, women are disproportionately affected by slavery than men accounting for over 70% of the victims.

Countries affected by Modern-Day Slavery

Modern-day slavery is a hidden, yet global issue. While there are about 9.2 Mio slaves in Africa, every single country in the world harbors slaves. As for the United States of America, the estimated number of slavery victims is 403,000.

Project Status

We are currently in the process of screening local grassroots organizations that fight modern-day slavery in West Africa with the goal to provide financial support and expertise to selected projects.