A speaker at an event in Olds says slavery - including sexual slavery - has hit "unprecedented levels."
"(There are) more slaves than ever before in history. In fact, this is three times more than the number of people extracted from Africa in 400 years of the trans-Atlantic slave trade," said Naomi H., an Alberta ambassador for the Servants Anonymous (SA) Foundation, which helps people leave sexual slavery and exploitation.
Naomi made that statement during A Night Out With a Purpose, a concert and talk to raise awareness of and funds for the SA Foundation, held March 4 at the TransCanada Theatre.
It was the first time the event had been held in Olds. Organizers raised $17,000, which included a $3,000 matching grant from the McIver Family Foundation. The family lives in Olds.
"This is quite spectacular," Naomi said.
Last year, the event raised $13K in Sundre.
A report from the International Labor Organization (ILO) issued in May 2014, indicates that about 21 million people are modern-day slaves.
The ILO report says slavery in its current form provides its instigators with about $150 billion a year in profits -- more than the GDP (gross domestic product) of many countries or territories around the world.
More than 50 per cent of human trafficking victims are children, according to factretriever.com, which attributes that figure to Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery, a book by Benjamin Skinner.
"If you take one thing away from tonight let it be this: no one - no one - living as a sex slave is there by free choice," Naomi said.
She said in Alberta and across the world, the average age of entry into the sex trade is 12 to 13 years old.
Naomi gave some suggestions on what people attending the event could do to help end human trafficking and sex slavery. They included:
Talking to your children about respecting and protecting their bodies and privacy, and that of their friends. This teaching can start as early as two years old and even younger.
Buying Internet filter software like Net Nanny.
Establishing age-appropriate boundaries in your house for Internet use and screen time. This applies to parents/partners as well.
