Modern Slavery

There are 27 million slaves alive today - more than at any point in history. This number is also greater than the total population stolen from Africa during four centuries of the transatlantic slave trade. Written by the world's leading experts and campaigners, this book blends original research with shocking first-hand accounts from the slaves themselves to reveal the truth behind one of the worst humanitarian crises facing us today. Almost 15,000 women and children have been trafficked into the UK since 1996, usually to work as sex slaves. Worldwide, slaves are also weaving carpets, cleaning houses, and picking cotton - all to keep prices for you the consumer, at a bargain. Only a handful of slaves are reached and freed each year, but the authors offer hope for the future with a global blueprint that proposes to end slavery in our lifetime and shut down a market that has transformed human beings into something cheap and disposable.