photo courtesy of Kay Chernush for US State Department

We think of slavery as something that happened long ago. But it’s not the case. On June 16th, the State Department released its 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. Published along with the report was an online photo album displaying photos of individuals who have been victims of human trafficking.

Human trafficking is currently marring societies throughout the world; literally putting a monetary price (or labor value) upon people against their will. Victims of trafficking are often used for forced labor, which includes sex work for young girls. This problem is afflicting nations with unstable governments, yet reports have proved that thousands of women and children are brought to and taken from the United States for sexual exploitation.

The TIP report has ranked states into tiers according to their compliance with a stated set of standards for fighting trafficking. The idea behind this is to reward states that are moving in the right direction, and to put sanctions upon ones lacking rules and enforcements on trafficking.

Kay Chernush, a leading U.S. photographer, has released her photos along with the report. Photographs from across the globe showing sex trafficking and slave labor can be viewed on her website. Read more about the State Department’s report and human trafficking HERE.

June 24, 2009 by rachel
Tags: forced labor, human trafficking, Kay Chernush, photography, salvery, sex trafficking, State Department, trafficking in persons report