This activity builds on the Applying Concepts activity in this chapter. It will provide you with an opportunity to take what you’ve learned so far and apply it to modern slavery in a more sophisticated way. You will explore the volume and scope of modern slavery, collect case studies or personal examples, compare modern slavery to American slavery of the past, and learn what people are doing to combat it. Because the Internet is notorious for spreading incomplete, biased, or false information, you should possess healthy skepticism about the information that you find. Also, recognize that the facts you gather (e.g., the number of people currently enslaved) will be approximations.

Websites for This Project

1. Free the Slaves--This website explains the state of modern slavery around the world, the organization’s efforts to combat it, and offers ideas about how you can become involved in the fight against modern slavery. You may find the Community Based Model and research reports useful. See http://www.freetheslaves.net.
2. The U.S. Department of State’s most recent (2018) Trafficking in Persons Report includes victims’ stories, global law enforcement data, helpful Fact Sheets, and more. https://www.state.gov/trafficking-in-persons-report/
3. The International Labour Organization’s page on modern slavery and human trafficking. Look for the 2017 report and other resources. http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/books/WCMS_575479/lang--en/index.htm.
4. Alex Tizon’s June 2017 article for The Atlantic called “My Family’s Slave” at https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/06/lolas-story/524490/. This piece generated a lot of controversy and, as a result, added articles, reader discussions, personal stories, and more. Find them all at https://www.theatlantic.com/business/category/contemporary-slavery/ such as:
   
   1. The Social Conditions That Shaped Lola’s Story by Anakbayan USA.
   2. The Enslaved Woman They Called Lola: Enslavement is a process, not an identity by Vann R. Newkirk.
   3. Mother, Wife, Slave: Lola and the universality of women’s exploitation by Sarah Jeong.
   4. What Does It Feel Like to Have a Slave? Once, for five days, I found out by Graeme Wood.
   5. Survivors Respond to ‘My Family’s Slave’.
   6. How U.S. Immigration Law Enables Modern Slavery by Christopher Lapinig.
   7. Reading “My Family’s Slave” in the context of Philippine history by Vicente Rafael.
   8. The Faithful Slave: How Alex Tizon’s essay echoes a trope with deep roots in American history by Micki McElya.

Questions to Explore

Use the first three websites to explore the following questions about modern slavery. Attempt to develop a complete “picture” of its basic forms and the social forces that allow it to continue. Then, read some of the materials at The Atlantic to add depth and detail.

1. Scope and Volume
   
   1. Approximately how many people are currently enslaved or in a condition of involuntary servitude? (Note: You might want to cite both high and low estimates.)
   2. Describe this population in terms of gender, age, race, and nationality in terms of their numbers or percentages.
   3. Where are modern slaves most numerous in the world?
   4. What are the major sending areas or nations? What are the most important destination areas and nations?
2. Experiences
   
   1. Describe the mechanisms and practices by which slave status is enforced. What is the role of debt bondage in modern slavery or involuntary servitude? How often are coercion and violence used? How do these practices vary across different types of slavery (e.g., sex trafficking vs. involuntary labor)?
   2. Find at least three to five case studies of people who have been victimized by modern slavery. Briefly summarize each case in a sentence or two and include the links you found.
   3. What important social characteristics do they share (e.g., age, gender, social class, race, and ethnicity)?
3. Dynamics and Causes
   
   1. American slavery was shaped by the level of development and labor-intensive subsistence technology of the colonial era. Do similar factors shape modern slavery? Explain. What other factors are relevant?
   2. What elements of the Noel hypothesis apply to modern slavery? How does ethnocentrism, prejudice, or sexism play a role? What resources and abilities do modern slaves have that make them the objects of competition? What role does power play in shaping and maintaining modern slavery?
4. Markets: Supply and Demand
   
   1. What jobs do modern slaves hold? What economic niches are being filled by slaves? Identify two to three types of people or groups that profits. Describe the minority–dominant group situations you found.
5. Enforcement Efforts, Legal Considerations, Human Rights
   
   1. Where is slavery illegal? By what authority? Outside of legality, identify three to five specific human rights or ethical issues related to modern slavery.
   2. Find at least three national and international programs aimed at stopping modern slavery and describe what they are doing. Which seems most effective to you and why?
6. How do the readings at The Atlantic contribute to your understanding of modern slavery? For example, how does Lola’s experience compare and contrast with the information found on the first three websites? What surprises you most about the reader responses? What’s useful here that you didn’t know before--and why? In what ways does knowing this information affect you as a student-citizen?