Global Slavery at a High, but Reasons for Hope

Some 27 million people labor as slaves – more than ever before – but those on the front lines of the antislavery movement see signs that human bondage is becoming increasingly unacceptable to the public and to a growing number of governments and businesses.

Often, the fight against slavery begins quietly and unheralded, in countries where people risk their lives to free other human beings. On Monday night, several of these modern-day abolitionists will be honored in Los Angeles as recipients of the inaugural Freedom Awards, presented by Free the Slaves, based in Washington, and the Templeton Foundation. Among them: a man from Ghana, a former child slave who now tries to prevent children from being sold by their parents; and two Brazilian groups that are harnessing market forces to take the profit out of slavery.

The awards come at a time of resurgence in human trafficking, even though slavery is illegal everywhere. Still, antislavery activists are encouraged that public awareness of the problem has spread in the past decade and that much is now known about how to eradicate slavery and what it will cost.

Moreover, the grass-roots, shoestring organizations that take the lead are beginning to win allies in government and industry. Brazil, for example, has a national plan that could be a model for other nations. The chocolate industry, for another, has become the first industry in history to invest resources to eliminate child and forced labor throughout its supply chain.

"It's a huge problem and we have a long way to go, but we're ahead of where I thought we would be," says Kevin Bales, cofounder of Free the Slaves and author of major studies and books on the issue.

In "Ending Slavery," a book that lays out his plan for achieving that goal, Dr. Bales presents research that indicates slavery could be eliminated over the next 25 years at a cost of only $11 billion.

"The cost of rescuing and rehabilitating [an individual] on average around the world only comes to about $500," he says in a phone interview. "While in rich countries it costs between $30,000 and $40,000, in rural India the cost can be just over $100."

The greatest challenge, many involved say, is not just freeing and restoring slaves to normal life, but rather deconstructing the systems that promote slavery and continually seek new victims.