End it.

Slavery, or human trafficking, is the main theme of this blog. 

Slavery was 'abolished' in the US a long time ago, and now the African American people are no longer slaves. However, America, and every other western country, still has slaves. They just can't see them. 

A slave is a person who is perceived as being owned by another person, forced to do work or carry out orders, and who is not sufficiently paid. The truth is, many of the goods western society consumes are made by workers in such conditions. 

My blog focuses on food. Did you know that it is estimated more than 70% of  the coco the in the world is produced in west Africa? Did you know that children are commonly sold or bonded to coco farms in throughout West Africa? Although the general public in these countries often think this is a myth, the evidence, in my point of view, that these children are trafficked in the chocolate industry is overwhelming.

In many places factories where people work long hours for less than legal wages. These people may not be 'owned' (although in some countries they are trafficked into the industry) Workers in China often come from far areas of their country to work in factories and have to live in factory dorm housing, rarely leaving the factory. They are paid very low wages per hours and often work overtime just to make money. Being tired and not having proper safety equipment means there will be accidents in the workplace. 

Also there is a kind of slavery we don't all contribute to. Many young girls, younger than myself, are sold to brothels. 

It is estimated there are 27 million victims of human trafficking in the world. Today, on the 27th of February, there was an awareness movement where people around the world who drew red Xs on their hands and told their friends about slavery. The X shows that they won't stand for slavery and want it to end. I joined them. And that's why I am putting up this blog post today. To shine a light on the invisible slaves of the world. The world has forgotten them, their pain, and their lives, but we know they are there. I won't allow them to be ignored any longer. I just told you.