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Human Trafficking
  & Modern-Day Slavery

According to economist and sociologist Kevin Bales, more people are enslaved today than at any time in human history. Because the specific number is difficult to pin down, there are a range of estimates. Bales, whose research focuses on this problem, has concluded there are as many as 27 million in just about every country in the world. They are forced to work without pay, under threat of violence, and unable to walk away. They are forced to work in such areas as agriculture, fishing, gravel pits, mines, restaurants, domestic service, and brothels. Although slavery today is not as obvious as it once was, human beings are enslaved all over the world—including in the United States.

Unfortunately, journalists do not always report accurately or thoroughly on the contemporary realities, laws, practices, and perceptions of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. At a time when resources for journalism are dwindling, few reporters can afford to invest the time needed to cover human trafficking responsibly and thoroughly. That’s a problem—because reporters’ uninformed decisions about which stories to tackle and what language to use can influence public discussion and policy.

In response, the Schuster Institute is shining a spotlight on the subject of human trafficking and modern-day slavery. Senior Fellow E. Benjamin Skinner became thoroughly immersed in the details of the subject in researching his book, "A Crime So Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern-Day Slavery" (Free Press, 2008).  We believe he is the only experienced journalist currently dedicated full time to covering today’s trade in human beings.

Selected articles

	"The Fishing Industry's Cruelest Catch," February 20, 2012, Bloomberg BusinessWeek
	"How U.S. Budget Cuts Prolong Global Slavery," June 28, 2011, Time.com.
	"Britain's Long Fight Against Slavery," May 2, 2011, Huffington Post.
	"Sex (Trafficking) and the Super Bowl," February 8, 2011, Huffington Post.
	"Modern-Day Slavery: A 'Necessary' Beat with Different Challenges," Winter 2010, Nieman Reports.
	"Modern-Day Slavery on Washington's Embassy Row?" June 14, 2010, Time.
	"South Africa's New Slave Trade and the Campaign to Stop It," January 18, 2010, Time.
	"Pakistan's Forgotten Plight: Modern-Day Slavery," October 27, 2009, Time.

Broadcasts

Watch the full episode. See more Need To Know.

	"Human Trafficking in America," CNN's Larry King Live, October 18, 2010. Schuster Institute Senior Fellow E. Benjamin Skinner joined Julia Ormond, Mira Sorvino, and Dan Rather on Larry King Live to discuss the growing epidemic of modern-day slavery and human trafficking.
	"Concerns raised about illegal sex trade," ESPN, June 6, 2010. Examines allegations of a rise in human trafficking resulting from the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Events

	"When Hope Ends in Slavery: Human Trafficking in Israel," Rabbi Levy Lauer, AZTUM-Justice Works, September 13, 2011. Event photos / Audio
	"Hidden in Plain Sight: The news media's role in exposing human trafficking," June 16, 2010, a UN-Schuster Institute panel discussion about how the news media have helped expose and explain modern slavery—and how to do better. Video / transcript / media response>

© 2008-2011 Schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, 02454. All rights reserved.