END IT

"When most Americans hear the term ‘slavery,' they think of a practice that ended with the Civil War," said coalition partner Gary Haugen, president and CEO of human rights agency International Justice Mission (IJM). "Sadly, that is not the case. The END IT Movement is shining light on the darkness of human trafficking and awakening our nation and the world to the reality that slavery lives on today."

END IT, a coalition of seven non-profit organizations aiming to shine a light on modern-day slavery, launched its national awareness campaign on February 1. Fittingly taking place on National Freedom Day, 148 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery in the United States, the launch of the END IT Movement plans to expose the fact that there are more people enslaved around the world today than at any other time in history. Designed to awaken Americans to slavery's prevalence, END IT aims to generate mass awareness for the organizations currently doing the work to rescue, restore and prevent modern-day slavery in America and around the world. Once awakened to the issue, the hope is for these individuals to move from awareness to action by taking the pledge to END IT on www.enditmovement.com.

It is estimated that between 20 million and 30 million slaves exist throughout the world today. END IT recognizes slavery as one person completely controlling another person, using violence or the threat of violence to maintain that control. Human trafficking, the modern-day slave trade, refers to the illegal trade of human beings through abduction, the use of threat or force, deception, fraud, or ‘sale' for the purposes of sexual exploitation or forced labor.  The U.S. Government estimates that between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States annually and there are currently 200,000 people in America who have been trafficked.

"We are looking to raise awareness among the current generation and are asking for their commitment to carry the issue of slavery through the balance of their lives," said coalition partner Justin Dillon, CEO & founder of Made In A Free World, which launched an app that lets users enter their purchases and behaviors to learn how many slaves they ‘own.' "We can't allow the traffickers to wait us out."