War on Slavery There are an estimated 21 to 36 million enslaved people worldwide today, not only in areas foreign to you but likely areas close to your own backyard. Free the Slaves is an organization devoted to ending worldwide slavery in our lifetime, forever. Their approach includes freeing slaves all over the globe by working with social and political organizations where slavery thrives and conducting research so that resources can be used productively. Free the Slaves accomplishes admirable work by participating in movements such as the End It movement to shine a light on slavery. Before you can take steps to do your part and help this organization accomplish their goals, you must have knowledge about the issue at hand. Free the Slaves is a part of a coalition of organizations involved with spreading awareness, prevention, rescue and restoration through a movement called End It: Shine a Light on Slavery. You should first know that slavery blooms when people are unable to meet their basic needs and when there is a shortcoming of economic opportunities, education, healthcare, and an honorable government. Slavery exists in 167 countries, or 85 percent of the nations around the world. The problem is, as of the year 2015, slavery is illegal in every country in the world but it still prevails. Forced labor, bonded labor, and human trafficking are the three prominent forms of slavery worldwide. Forced labor includes any work or service that a person is forced to complete against their will. There is a constant threat of brutal punishment and violence and people are expected to work for little to no pay. Forced labor is most common in labor demanding, under regulated industries. The most common form of slavery to present day is bonded labor. Victims of this type of slavery are normally born into it, being forced to repay debts that could quite possibly be from generations ago. There is a very miniscule chance that victims of bonded slavery ever escape their tragic fate. While all forms of slavery are horrifying, the type that frightens me the most is human trafficking. Victims of human trafficking have their identities taken from them and are forced to work against their will with absolutely no faith of going home. Nearly 20 percent of victims of slavery are children; the average age of a person entering the sex trade in the United States is 12-14 years old. They are ripped from their home, family, and life and moved to a different town or even country with false promises of employment and better lives. In addition, today there are tens of millions of vulnerable people who are enslaved, living every day in terror and scared for their lives and well-being. There are more than 5 million slaves used both internally and exported in Asia and the Pacific regions, as the biggest number of slaves on the globe live in India, Pakistan and Nepal. Although the numbers of individual slaves in the United States and Europe are under 500,000, the countries are not immune to slavery. The global economy thrives directly from acts of slavery; it comes into our homes through the products we choose to buy and the investments we choose to make. As inhabitants of a supposedly free world, we should all be concerned with the detrimental effects slavery has on our society and our economy and we should be trying to make a change. Making a difference to this cause can start as easily as spreading awareness. Many people fail to realize that slavery even exists in our modern world. The two main things creating a barrier to the global elimination of slavery are awareness of the public and resources. It takes money to free slaves; surprisingly though, the billions of dollars being spent frivolously on materialistic things equals the cost of freeing almost every slave. As more people become aware of the severity of the issue of slavery and funds and resources are gathered, there has to be some sort of plan to move forward with. This is where governments