Human trafficking may be growing problem

By STAN STRICKER ( Contact ) Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Podcast Episode

WCLO's Stan Stricker reports on a Madison native's quest to highlight the problem of world slavery

A Madison native is working to expose the fastest growing illegal business in the world.

E. Benjamin Skinner has spent the last five-years working to expose the problem of world slavery. Skinner says the numbers are staggering. World wide there are close to 30 million slaves, and in the United States, the Justice Department reports up to 17,000 are trafficked annually. Skinner says with more than one billion people worldwide living on less than $1 a day, a large pool of potential victims is available. He says many take risks in the hopes of a better life, only to find themselves enslaved. Skinner is author of the book, " A Crime So Monstrous', recounting the stories of slaves he encountered in the United Arab Emirates, Romania, India, and Haiti.

He first encountered the problem in 2003 while on assignment for Newsweek International.

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