In fact, it has been reported that there are now more slaves than there have ever been before in history.

Modern slavery is largely known as human trafficking, and involves the trade of people for labor, sex, and even their organs.

So, just how bad is human trafficking?

Most cases are broken down into two main categories: sex trafficking and labor trafficking.

Victims of labor trafficking around the world are often forced to work in sweatshops and mines.

Younger victims are exploited and forced to beg on the street, and may even be enlisted as child soldiers.

Meanwhile, victims of sex trafficking are forced into prostitution and pornography.

These victims don't tend to stay in one place for long, and are often moved from city to city.

In Bulgaria, a hotbed of human trafficking, the average annual salary is $2,600.

However, a forced prostitute can earn more than ten times that amount.

Traffickers generally use force, fraud and coercion to keep people enslaved.

Many victims are kidnapped from their homes.

Once captured, tactics such as rape, physical abuse and food and sleep deprivation are used to control victims.

Fraud refers to the trafficker's tactic of luring a victim with promises of legitimate work or a better life.

However, once the victim arrives, there is no work to be found.

Instead, they are forced into a sweatshop or a brothel.

Finally, traffickers threaten violence against captives ' families to keep them in check.

It is estimated that approximately 21–36 million people are enslaved around the world.

Worse yet, more than a quarter of victims are under 18.

And while many believe that human trafficking only occurs in third-world countries, slaves have been found all over the United States.

Some are migrant workers, others as domestic employees, and a number are prostitutes.

So what is being done to put a stop to human trafficking?

In the US, The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) was the first federal law to address trafficking in the United States.

It is intended to both prevent and protect survivors of human trafficking, and prosecute traffickers.

While many suggest that slavery has been abolished in the modern world, a look at trafficking statistics shows that it's a much more severe problem than you’d think.

Much like the US, Russia has a huge problem with modern day slavery.

To learn more about the situation there, watch this video.

There’s a link in the description if you want to see the full video.

Yes, that means 48 other countries have more slaves per capita than Russia. But it doesn't take away from Russia's enormous problem with forced labor.

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