Washington, DC — The State Department's 2012 "Trafficking in Persons" report has been released, which estimates 21-27 million people are forced into servitude around the world.
"Victims of modern slavery are women and men, girls and boys, and their stories remind us of what kind of inhumane treatment we are still capable of as human beings," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Types of slavery include sex trafficking, forced labor, bonded labor, involuntary domestic servitude, forced child labor and the use of child soldiers. Child traffickers often gain poor families' trust through familial, ethnic or religious connections, and falsely offer to raise and educate children in other towns.
While Compassion is not a rescue or relief organization, Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program provides children with a solid line of defense against poverty and oppression. Sponsored children are known, loved and protected by staff members working at their local Compassion church project. Their ongoing support, counsel and prayer gives sponsored children a sense of stability and security in otherwise uncertain circumstances.