{"id":6795,"date":"2006-11-15T22:50:31","date_gmt":"2006-11-16T03:50:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=6795"},"modified":"2011-07-06T08:36:06","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T13:36:06","slug":"5267","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2006\/11\/15\/5267\/","title":{"rendered":"Think Slavery Is Extinct in U.S.? Think Again"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (November 15, 2006) \u2013 Think slavery hasn\u2019t existed in the United States since the Civil War? Think again.
\n
\nMost Americans would be shocked to learn that, according to goverment statistics, an estimated 17,500 slaves enter their country each year. Author David Batstone says he is one such person.<\/p>\n

\u201cFourteen months ago, I had no idea this was happening in the United States,\u201d he told students recently at North Park Theological Seminary. Just two days prior to his talk, however, Batstone had submitted his manuscript Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade – and How We Can Fight It<\/em> to Harper Publishing. His book is the product of traveling around the world, learning more about the multi-billion-dollar industry that flourishes in the shadows.<\/p>\n

Not for Sale<\/em> will be released in February as the companion book to Walden Media\u2019s Amazing Grace<\/em>, the story of William Wilberforce, who led the fight to ban slavery in England. Walden also produced the movie, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Batstone became aware of the problem when he read that one of his favorite Indian restaurants in San Francisco had slaves washing dishes and doing other tasks. News accounts of a young girl who died from a gas leak in an apartment with no ventilation identified the restaurant as one of the establishments that used the girl and many others like her, who were forced to live together in secrecy.<\/p>\n

He recalled that a minister from Worcester, Massachusetts, kidnapped a 16-year-old girl from India in 1985 and held her against her will for five years. A great many of the slaves are sexually and physically abused, often forced into the sex trade. Others work as domestic help or in agriculture.<\/p>\n

Batstone defined slavery as a \u201cperson taking control of another person\u2019s life, and under the threat of violence, forcing that person to do work with no pay.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. State Department estimates 17,500 new slaves are brought into the country each year, many of them as domestic help. Estimates of slavery around the world vary, but reach at least several million. The United Nations estimates that as much as $10 billion exchanges hands in the slave trade each year.<\/p>\n

Many find themselves trapped after answering ads to work in jobs overseas, according to government reports. Manpower, Inc., was the first company to sign the Athens Ethical Principles<\/a>, a policy that declares \u201czero tolerance\u201d for working with any entity that benefits in any way from human trafficking. David Arkless, senior vice president for corporate affairs at Manpower, became involved after learning that one of its offices in Italy had participated in placing slaves, Batsone said.<\/p>\n

Ruth Hill, executive minister of Women Ministries for the Evangelical Covenant Church, says she first learned about the problem in this country during a meeting two weeks ago. \u201cI always thought of it as being in Asia,\u201d she says. Instead, the slave trade is profitable in cities like Atlanta, Chicago and New York.<\/p>\n

Hill was meeting with the leaders of Women Ministries from nine other denominations of varying sizes when she heard a presentation by a representative from Christian Women United. \u201cThe women committed themselves to work together to be advocates to address this issue,\u201d Hills says.<\/p>\n

Batstone said he hopes the book and movie will inspire people to work alongside modern-day abolitionists to stop the slavery, to be modern-day Wilberforces and Frederick Douglases.<\/p>\n

Churches, he said, could be comforters for people like those mentioned in Ecclesiastes 4:1: Again I looked and saw all the oppression under the sun: I saw the tears of the oppressed \u2013 and they have no comforter; power was on the side of their oppressors \u2013 and they have no comforter. <\/em>(TNIV)<\/p>\n

Churches can become comforters by providing safe houses and identifying mental, legal and health resources, Batstone suggests. Congregations also can become more informed on the issue and form partnerships with abolitionists overseas.<\/p>\n

\n
Copyright \u00a9 2011 The Evangelical Covenant Church.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (November 15, 2006) \u2013 Think slavery hasn\u2019t existed in the United States since the Civil War? Think again. Report This Post<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThink Slavery Is Extinct in U.S.? Think Again - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2006\/11\/15\/5267\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Think Slavery Is Extinct in U.S.? 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