All of us were born with rights. These rights, known as human rights, apply to everybody, no matter what race, religion, gender or age we are. Human rights have been tested and have been written in documents. They apply to all of us, yet there is an issue still happening today with some people’s rights. Many people today may believe that slavery has been eliminated, but unfortunately, that is not the truth. Even after the United Nations ratified the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 64 years ago, which banned slavery and the slave trade worldwide, slavery still exists today. And it’s worse than it’s ever been in history. An estimated 12 to 27 million are enslaved today.
I believe slavery is wrong. We, as humans, should be free. “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.” That is a direct quote from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Many times, freedom for slaves has been fought for, and now it’s outlawed in all countries, so why do we still have slavery today?
Today's slavery focuses on using human lives as a way to earn money. It's not about owning them, but using them as disposable tools. People, just like you and me, are being used for money. Even children are enslaved, and that is a current growing issue. Slavery today has been divided into three categories, bonded laborer, forced labor, and trafficked slaves. Forced to work long days, with no pay, and few grains of rice to keep them alive. If they don’t work they are under the threat of violence. Some Governments are working to free slaves however, for example, in 2007, 570 people who were enslaved by brick manufactures in China were freed by the government. 69 of those slaves were children.
What if we could free more people than that? A slavery free world is one I would like to see, to see everyone living their lives as free. I know that to stop slavery is a large task, and it may take years to completely remove, but what if it could happen? The rights of every human shouldn’t be taken away, and slavery is doing just that. Just think, what is it like for a slave? We probably wouldn’t want that life, and no one deserves to live the way they do. Human Rights should be protected because they’ve been fought for and earned by every one of us. Everyone should be free and equal.