Why aren’t slaves able to escape?
S. There are several reasons why today’s slaves can’t escape. Many foreign nationals don’t speak English. They often suffer a deep sense of shame – and denial – regarding their situation. They fear for their lives, and those of their families in the home country. They often feel the obligation to pay off their “debt,” regardless how fraudulent or inflated. They are disoriented by their surroundings, and wouldn’t know where to go – or to whom – should they run away. Their traffickers program them to fear police and immigration officials. And sometimes, they actually come to identify with their keepers. I. Are there any American slaves or are most slaves foreigners trafficked into this country? S. There are, indeed, slaves taken from among our own population. Several sources, including the federal government, places in the hundreds of thousands the number of American citizens – mostly children and young people – at risk of being caught in slavery annually. The type of slavery seen as mos
