WhatsApp Is Keeping Sex Slavery Alive Without Knowing It

International law states that slavery is a crime, yet it is estimated that around 48.5 million people are enslaved today.

It is hard to believe, especially during this time and age, but the Islamic State and Boko Haram have been organizing slavery on a scale not seen since World War II.

Reportedly, there are over 5,000 Yazidi people, including women, children and men, that are currently enslaved by the Islamic State.

The group, which is known to force child recruits to become suicide bombers, have set up their own slave registries and markets, even going so far as to issue "how-to" manuals on slavery.

Horrifyingly, social media has only added to their success, and it spreads a lot farther than just Iraq and Syria.

Men from as many places as Algeria, Australia, Belgium, Egypt, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and Uzbekistan have taken part in human trafficking and enslavement.

Please, recognize how many of these places shock you, as every one of them should.

Many groups are using social media, like the app Telegram, to set up slave auctions. They use Telegram to broadcast photos of captured Yazidi women. They also list their age, marital status, location and price.

Two women were almost sold on Facebook recently by Islamic State.

On top of that, many displaced Syrian refugees in Lebanon have been traded on WhatsApp. Islamic State also uses apps that are promised to be secure such as Surespot and Threema.

Many believe that there is more the Security Council can do to protect these people.

They are encouraging the Security Council to denounce these crimes and to have countries punish their citizens who are involved.

They could even have a special international tribunal to address these crimes against humanity.

They also believe the council could monitor the connection between human trafficking and armed conflicts better, while also protecting people displaced by these conflicts.

Currently, there are over 65 million people displaced from their homes due to conflict. They are the key targets of trafficking.

Citations: Sex slavery is thriving on Whatsapp (BI)