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Bonded Labor: Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia

In Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery, Siddharth Kara conducted one of the most comprehensive, systematic accounts of the global sex-trafficking industry. His book became a widely consulted resource not only for its uncommon revelations into an unconscionable business but also for its detailed analysis of the trade’s immense economic benefits and corresponding human costs. Sex Trafficking has become an invaluable resource for policy makers, women’s and human rights activists, NGO workers, and specialists in dozens of related fields, as well as for university scholars and everyday citizens.

Bonded Labor: Tackling the System of Slavery in South Asia is Kara’s second explosive study of slavery, this time focusing on the pervasive, deeply entrenched, and wholly unjust system of bonded labor. From his eleven years of research in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, Kara delves into this ancient and ever-evolving mode of slavery, which ensnares roughly six out of every ten slaves in the world and generates profits that exceeded $17.6 billion in 2011. In addition to providing a thorough economic, historical, and legal overview of bonded labor, Kara travels to the far reaches of South Asia, from cyclone-wracked southwestern Bangladesh to the Thar desert on the India-Pakistan border, to uncover the brutish realities of bonded labor in such industries as hand-woven-carpet making, tea and rice farming, construction, brick manufacture, and frozen-shrimp production. He describes the violent enslavement of millions of impoverished women, children, and men who toil in the production of numerous products at minimal cost to the global market. He also follows supply chains directly to Western consumers, vividly connecting regional bonded labor practices to the appetites of the world. Kara’s pioneering analysis encompasses human trafficking, child labor, and global security, and he concludes with ten specific initiatives to eliminate the system of bonded labor from South Asia once and for all.

If Only I Could Sleep: A Survivor’s Memoir

An astonishing journey of survival and courage told in the face of unthinkable odds. The heaviness of hurt. The lightness of humor. And, finally, a reason for hope and an opportunity to serve humanity.

Stephanie Henry’s childhood took an unexpected turn when her granduncle molested her. The soul-crushing experience was but the first in a series of sexual abuse perpetrated by family members and strangers that wrecked her self-esteem and left her feeling isolated, guilt-ridden, and confused. Out of necessity, Stephanie became an instant expert at survival and a student of spiritual endurance.

Desperate to regain some sense of control, she began an emotionally shattering struggle with bulimia and the curse of having ”the look” men desire. After slipping through the education system, multiple suicide attempts, years of working as a stripper, losing custody of her daughter, battling drugs and alcohol, and enduring a string of ill-fated marriages, Stephanie put her life on course by reaching out to others and fighting for voiceless victims of exploitation around the world.

A testament to resilience and preservation, If Only I Could Sleep is a heartbreaking and riveting story of self-discovery, sacrifice, and overcoming the challenges that can make life seem unbearable.

Walking Prey: How America’s Youth Are Vulnerable to Sex Slavery

Today, two cultural forces are converging to make America’s youth easy targets for sex traffickers. Younger and younger girls are engaging in adult sexual attitudes and practices, and the pressure to conform means thousands have little self-worth and are vulnerable to exploitation. At the same time, thanks to social media, texting, and chatting services, predators are able to ferret out their victims more easily than ever before.

In Walking Prey, advocate and former victim Holly Austin Smith shows how middle class suburban communities are fast becoming the new epicenter of sex trafficking in America. Smith speaks from experience: Without consistent positive guidance or engagement, Holly was ripe for exploitation at age fourteen. A chance encounter with an older man led her to run away from home, and she soon found herself on the streets of Atlantic City. Her experience led her, two decades later, to become one of the foremost advocates for trafficking victims. Smith argues that these young women should be treated as victims by law enforcement, but that too often the criminal justice system lacks the resources and training to prevent the vicious cycle of prostitution. This is a clarion call to take a sharp look at one of the most striking human rights abuses, and one that is going on in our own backyard.