Maybe you've heard the phrase, or read a story in the news, or you saw the movie "Taken". But what is human trafficking? Is it happening in your town? Is it affecting your world? Here are a few things you probably didn't know about human trafficking...

1. Human trafficking is happening in every country. Human beings are being sold across international borders and domestically all around the world, and this is known as modern day slavery. Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry.

2. Human trafficking is more lucrative than drug trafficking. You can only sell drugs once, but you can sell a person over and over again.

3. Your lifestyle enables human trafficking. If you are a john that pays for sex with prostituted women, go to strip clubs, or watch pornography, you are part of the human trafficking chain. Many trafficked women are being used for these purposes. Think you are off the hook because you do not partake in these activities? You might be surprised to know that your consumer habits contribute to the problem. Whether you buy chocolate from companies like Hershey and Nestle (who use exploited and forced labour to harvest cocoa beans) or frequent the mall for new clothing (which is often made in factories with poor conditions and vast human rights violations), you are taking part in the human trafficking and exploitation of fellow human beings.

4. Legalization of prostitution creates more demand for paid sex, fostering a safe market for traffickers to fill the supply side. Victims of Human trafficking then end up with the most violent customers, because they are forced to do what the other sex workers refuse to do.

5. Human trafficking exists because of demand. Whether we demand sex for pay or cheap stuff to fill our homes, human trafficking is merely a matter of economics.

Continue reading 10 Things You Didn't Know About Human Trafficking".