Ian Sauter

Pd.3
Slavery and Human Trafficking Essay

In both the past and the present the exploitation of humans by those with power has been

a grave problem. The transatlantic slave trade and modern day human trafficking are both similar

and different on the grounds of their motive, but mostly different in terms of their global impact.

In the present there is the illegal industry of human trafficking, where those who are generally

impoverished are exploited sexually and for labor. In the past a similar system of exploitation

was seen in the Transatlantic slave trade and system, but it was more openly endorsed and

accepted by governments and citizens.

The main motive for both human trafficking and the transatlantic slave trade is monetary

gain. The International Labour Office estimates that around 150 billion dollars are made from

human trafficking each year, whether it’s labor or sexual exploitation. Even though human

trafficking is illegal in virtually every country around the world, it is still able to produce this

much profit annually. The transatlantic slave trade was also meant to produce massive profits,

but was slightly different because it was a crucial part of many major powers’ economies. While

both human trafficking and slavery had a similar main motive, they have different main

occupations for those being trafficked. Those being sexually exploited make up around 25% of

the victims of modern human trafficking, while forced labor accounts for around 67% of human

trafficking victims (What is Human Trafficking?). The transatlantic slave trade was also mainly

focused on forced labor, as it was used more to expedite the farming of crops like sugarcane and

cotton, through free labor. However, this is not to say that women slaves were not sexually

exploited by their masters, as many accounts report this. Even when the master was married and

had children, many slave accounts report masters commonly raping women slaves. A small sect
of human trafficking is the illegal organ harvesting and trafficking and trade. People from low

income countries in Asia and Oceania are commonly exploited for this, but it is not nearly as

common as forced labor or sexual exploitation. This was clearly not seen in the transatlantic

slave trade as medical technology was not nearly advanced enough for this to even be possible.

The transatlantic slave trade and modern day human trafficking have some similarities

between impact, but mostly differences. Modern day human trafficking is happening in a very

different world than it was 200 some years ago at the height of the slave trade. The slave trade

only really had an impact on African countries when it comes to those being forcibly taken,

especially West Africa. A map produced by traders at the time shows that the most activity took

place around central and western Africa, including the modern day countries of Liberia, Nigeria,

and Sudan (A map of the slave trade in Africa). The slave trade had a massive impact on these

countries, and the loss of a large portion of the African population in tandem with invading

colonists created a devastating combination. This left many African countries poor and lacking

real economic resources, especially once they gained their independence from European powers.

The modern day country of Liberia was in fact colonized and created by freed Caribbean slaves,

with its capital being named after American president James Monroe who greatly supported

sending many slaves back to Africa (Founding of Liberia, 1847). The slave trade had a massive

impact on many of the countries in the new world where slaves were commonly used for labor.

Many modern day blacks in Brazil, the Caribbean, and the United States are descendants of

African slaves. Slavery was the main cause of the American civil war, it resulted in rebellion in

Haiti, and it created the poor economic situation that many African Americans are still in today.

Slavery was such an important part of the world during the much of the last 500 years that it was

bound to have a long lasting impact that is still seen today. When it comes to the impact of
human trafficking, things are much different as it is still ongoing today, so it is difficult to see the

long term impact. Human trafficking impacts communities across the world, especially those

where people are commonly taken to be trafficked. In low income countries in Central America

and Asia, victims are commonly taken at young ages, especially those who are orphans or have

few connections. This allows there to be underground brothels and sweatshops, usually in these

same countries where people are commonly exploited. Victims suffer terrible consequences from

human trafficking that can include exposure to STDs, bodily injury, and permanent mental

consequences like PTSD (Impact). Both slavery and human trafficking had and have negative

consequences on individuals and communities, but the long term impacts of human trafficking

are still hard to tell.

The transatlantic slave trade in the past and human trafficking in the present have both

similarities and differences when it comes to motives and impact. Most of the main motives are

similar for both of the heinous practices, but the impacts are generally different. As Slavery

occured before human trafficking in a very different time, it is difficult to draw clear

comparisons between the two. However, while both practices occurred in different times, they

have many similarities in their terrible practices and motives.

Works Cited

“About the Problem Home • About the Problem.” Human Trafficking Center,

humantraffickingcenter.org/problem/.
“Founding of Liberia, 1847.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State,

history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/liberia.

“Impact • Human Trafficking Search.” Human Trafficking Search, Human Trafficking

Search, humantraffickingsearch.org/impact/.

“A Map of the Slave Trade in Africa That Shows the Regions of Most Intense Activity.”

A Map of the Slave Trade in Africa That Shows the Regions of Most Intense Activity. |

DPLA, dp.la/primary-source-sets/the-transatlantic-slave-trade/sources/315.

“Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour.” ILO, ILO,

www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---

declaration/documents/publication/wcms_243391.pdf+.