As you read, somewhere in the world—as close as downtown San Diego or as far as Bangkok, Thailand—a twelve-year-old girl is losing her virginity to a sex-hungry man who decided to pay the extra ten dollars on top of the original twenty in order to have intercourse without a condom. The girl is forced to "service" about twenty more men throughout the day before she is taken to her empty room where her guard decides that he, too, wants to sexually abuse her before he beats her and puts her away. She goes through this cycle for weeks before she realizes that she is pregnant. After her abortion, she is put right back to work in the dark bedroom where men ravage her. At some point, her owner discovers that she is too tattered and used up to attract any more customers and throws her out onto the streets where she lives as a druggie, her addiction stemming back to her first days in the brothel because drugs were the only way for her to numb the pain and filth she felt.

Human trafficking is the slave trade of the modern era. No age is too young and no border is off-limits for the traffickers who force and trick their victims into becoming objects of exploitation. While many may believe that slavery remains bound to history books, it has not in fact gone away but gone underground. It is present reality for the man working 18 hour days in a brick kiln, for the woman crying in the dark corners of a brothel, and for the child strapped with a gun and hand grenades. But it is also present reality for you, whether you are aware or not. The chocolate you just ate may have come from the malnourished hands of an exploited field laborer. The shirt on your back may be the product of an illegal child sweatshop. The business traveler you work with may have had sex with a young boy on his way back from Europe.

No convincing is required to believe that such atrocities are evil and wrong. It is easy to sit back and curse the darkness. But will you also light a candle? As quickly as this modern-day slave trade is infesting our world, a modern-day abolitionist movement is also arising. Governments, law enforcement, non-profit agencies, churches, temples, mosques, teachers, students, families, individuals like you, are joining the fight to see slavery end once and for all. Will you become a part of the movement?

Be part of the solution and learn more in how you can take a stand here.

You can learn more about human trafficking and other organizations involved in fighting it below:

This movement is a collection of individuals, all with varying stories, backgrounds and talents, gathered as one body to fight the injustice that is human trafficking. Our strategy in this fight begins with increasing awareness of the problem and encouraging people to live as awareness in all their areas of influence. As people become more aware, we hope to see them join in efforts with the many abolitionists who are already throughout the world and dedicated to the fight against modern-day slavery. And as more join in this larger, global movement, we believe that we will attract the political will and resources necessary to see that the global slave trade exists no more.

Starting at 3:00 PM on April 27th, 2008, abolitionists will gather in Balboa Park, San Diego to declare that slavery exists today and that it will not be tolerated. At 6th Ave and Laurel St, we will participate in an all-day rally highlighted by a 3K walk (1.8 miles) symbolizing a movement of change. The day will also include guest speakers and performances by various artists. Action booths will be available for people to learn more and become involved with different organizations participating in the fight against trafficking.

You can begin the movement right now by spreading the word.