If you ask anyone in 21st century America about whether they think slavery is “right” or “wrong,” you will probably get a very obvious answer. “Of course it’s wrong!” they quickly reply, probably confused as to why you asked such a rhetorical question in the first place.  But if you informed the same people that slavery is still an enormous issue, something that is systematically prevalent on almost every continent and in over 170 countries in the world, would they still give you the same “what a stupid question” look? And if you suggested that it was actually within their power to help prevent people— real people, not just faces on the news channel— from being sold into slavery, wouldn’t they probably want to know what they can do to prevent it?
 

        Unfortunately, the response of the western public towards modern-day slavery has not been strong enough to keep this barbaric practice at bay. Slavery is still indeed a real practice being forced upon people around the world, but today it goes by a new name: “human trafficking.” Same meaning, different words. However, the media’s use of the term “human trafficking” has likely softened what should be a hard response to such an evil act; for the remainder of this paper, I’ll therefore be calling slavery for what it is. I’ll also be focusing on the slave trade currently existing in regions of violent conflict— specifically North Africa and the Middle East— where there is virtually no central authority either capable or willing to challenge slave-owners from forcing human beings into captivity.

          In both Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State is drawing serious money from the lucrative slave-trade. Now that the Iraqi military and Kurdish coalition forces are pushing back ISIS ground troops from particular oil-heavy regions, ISIS has put a larger focus into the slavery business (more-so than oil trade) as a means of profit. This means that women and even children are being systematically taken from their homes and forced to work in brothels run by ISIS militants. In an effort to save themselves, some Iraqi citizens are even selling their own families out in order to win favor with their ISIS scumbag-overlords. So how does the Islamic State, which prides itself on taking the teachings of Islam literally, justify the fact that they are breaking Islamic law by keeping sex slaves? Well, instead of practicing what they preach, these cowards instead choose to just change elements of the Qur’an to fit their own perverted sense of morality. The conflict in the Middle East right now is not a war fought between soldiers— it’s a war in which civilians are being directly targeted and sold into slavery. This is something that the international community must seriously consider while deciding whether or not to respond to ISIS with military force.
 

            The Middle East isn’t the only hotspot where slavery is being forced upon civilians. In North Africa, the terrorist organization Boko Haram is launching a brutal guerilla war against the Nigerian government and enslaving women and children in the process. Many of these victims are then being carted off to European night clubs— particularly in Spain and the United Kingdom— to draw profit through forced prostitution and slave labor Do you remember the slacktivist “#BringBackOurGirls” campaign from 2014? The international community of western states has shown repeatedly that stupid Internet campaigns are the extent to which we are willing to fight human trafficking and human rights offenses. Although Nigeria’s new president, Muhammadu Buhari, has proven his tough resolve towards eliminating slavery and pushing Boko Haram out of Nigeria, the Boko militants are now spilling over into the neighboring countries of Chad and Camaroon— dragging their slaves with them as a means of profit. If Boko Haram’s slave trade is to be crushed, it’s going to take more than a military response by the Nigerian government; the international community must also launch a tougher and better-coordinated “war on slavery” to take out Boko Haram’s source of income—the slave networks existing inside western nations.
 

            International terrorists aren’t the only perpetrators of the modern slavery. It might make your stomach churn to find out that even 150 years after the Civil War ended, the United States government has been using your tax dollars to indirectly support the slave trade! During the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US Department of Defense employed private contractors to assist the American military with several defensive operations (such as holding territory). However, many of these contracting companies lacked proper supervision from the Department of Defense and engaged in “shady” practices, like using local kids as laborers and holding Iraqi prostitutes on base. The local people “bought” by contractors were technically referred to as TIP’s, or “trafficking in-persons.” According to Nick Schwellenbach, an investigator from the Project on Government Oversight, “there have been systemic obstacles which have hindered successful TIP criminal investigations”— this sleazy use of terminology also made it easier for defense contractors to perpetuate acts of slavery.[8]   Although the United States has cut down on the use of private contractors (especially after Blackwater mercenaries committed the infamous Nisour Square Massacre), it is a disgusting reality that the US responsible for indirectly perpetuating the slave trade in Iraq.
 

            So what can we do about modern slavery? As American citizens, it is our responsibility to educate ourselves and speak out against the human rights abuses committed by our own government in war zones. As members of the international community, we also must encourage our allies to hold their own nations accountable as well. Modern slavery is shockingly prevalent in the war zones of the Middle East and North Africa, but an important first step in mitigating the issue is to prosecute the slave-trading syndicates that exist in our own countries. The United States took a strong stand against slavery in the years following the Civil War— now it’s our turn to keep fighting.