The Sojourners Among Us

Poverty: A fuel to slavery

According to the World Bank, almost 3 billion people, nearly half the population, live on less than $2.50 a day. This poverty drives people to do things that would otherwise have been unthinkable. A horrendous, yet common practice among impoverished families today is for parents to literally sell their children into the sex slave trade or into forced labor. The highest buyer receives “ownership” of children like the young girl pictured below. The absolute desperation these parents must feel is beyond me. Unfortunately, this is but one way that poverty leads to and fuels the slavery that we now see on the rise. To learn more about poverty and goals to overcome it, click here.