Rabbis For Human Rights - North America

Slavery and Human Trafficking

“No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms” (Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 4)

 

Photo by the ACLU of Southern California via flickr.com. Creative Commons License.

Slavery & Human Trafficking

Background

Rabbis for Human Rights-North America’s work against slavery and human trafficking is grounded in the idea that every human being is created b’tzelem elohim, in the image of God. Slavery and human trafficking flourishes because of the dehumanization of the Other, because we have forgotten to recognize k’vod habriot, human dignity. When people are bought, sold, and abused as are modern slaves, their basic humanity has been forgotten. Moreover, slavery is not just an issue that happens somewhere else, to other people.  It can, and does, happen in our own backyards. This is why we have taken on the cause of ending slavery as our second North American human rights campaign.

In Genesis 21:19, God opens Hagar’s eyes and she sees a well in the desert. Our rabbis explain that the well, which saved her and Ishmael’s life, had always been there but she had been unable to see it. God opened her eyes to what was in front of her.

If we opened our eyes, what would we see? What we would see is slavery: forced labor, debt bondage, child labor, domestic slavery, and sex trafficking. It happens around the world and in our own communities. Right now, most of our eyes are shut and we do not know it is there. But once we agree to open them, we can see that it is everywhere.

 

Facts

There are more people living as slaves today than at any other point in human history, with estimates of 12–27 million men, women, and children who are enslaved. Modern slaves are engaged in forced sex work, forced labor, debt bondage and domestic service.

We are all directly implicated in modern slavery. Israel and the United States are both major destinations for human trafficking. The price of a slave, adjusted for inflation, has actually dropped compared to the period of the American Civil War. In our time, human life is cheap. It’s another commodity, to be bought and consumed.

Because slavery is so hidden, raising awareness about its ubiquity is an effective first step in our work. Please take the time to educate yourself and your community.

 

Learn more about RHR-NA support for the Coaliton of Immokalee Workers.