Abolishing Slavery in the 21st Century

As a college sophomore at Azusa Pacific University in Southern California, I was oblivious to the fact that slavery still exists in the 21st century. Growing up in the U.S. I had always thought of slavery as something of the past. It never occurred to me that it could possibly exist in today’s world. It was on a trip with my school that summer that my eyes were opened to a dark reality that is currently going on in the world. Today, there are 27 million people living as slaves.

Me and seven other classmates boarded a plane in the summer of 2004 and traveled to Greece. This was the farthest this Southern California native had ever traveled, and I had no idea what I was going to experience. While we were in Greece, we were introduced to one of the world’s largest smuggling businesses – human trafficking. We met girls who had been promised jobs in Greece, and when they arrived faced the harsh reality that the jobs waiting for them were nothing like what they expected. They were stripped of their legal documents, their rights, and their innocence and forced into the sex industry against their will. A lot of them were threatened that if they ever told the authorities or tried to escape, that their families would be killed.

Our team met a lot of these girls who were living in Greece at the time.

I was amazed because when talking to one of these girls, you would think we were talking to another college sophomore who was getting an education, chasing her dreams, and living the normal life of a 20 year old. But, the terrible reality was that her life was so much different than ours. She was living as a slave and had no other choice but to succumb to the threats of her trafficker and live as a prostitute. It was heart breaking, and I have never forgotten the experience or the lives that we met while we were in Greece.

This is why I have joined with Forgotten Stories through my latest project, Unbreakable, to contribute proceeds to the A21 Campaign.

This organization is currently in Greece and is actively rescuing women and children who have been trafficked into the sex industry. The A21 Campaign is bringing hope to these seemingly hopeless situations, and is remembering the 27 million forgotten women and children who are currently enslaved. I have seen the faces of those enslaved, and I will never forget them.

- Paul Stephens