Markets

Bet You Didn't Know You're a Slave Owner

By Constantine von Hoffman

Updated on: September 23, 2011 / 10:11 AM EDT / MoneyWatch

Ever wonder how many slaves work for you? Probably not, because you think the answer is "none." You're wrong. You, me and everyone else in the "developed world" depends on them to support our lifestyles.

Chances are there are about 55 slaves who make clothes, food, electronics and other things "affordable" for you. Fifty-five is the average number for Americans. If you want to know the exact number, go to slaveryfootprint.org or download the Made In A Free World app for your smartphone. Instead of finding the lowest price, this finds the true price. (Actually, go tomorrow -- the site launched Thursday and is still swamped today, otherwise I would have told you the exact number I have working for me. A writer at Fast Company found out she had 101 slaves working for her. That's probably more like my number.)

The website and app were created for the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons by the non-profit organization Fair Trade Fund. The State Department chose them because they had already made a movie about the slave trade, Call + Response, and were running ChainStoreReaction.com, which encourages consumers to send email to companies challenging them to define their policies on human trafficking.

The United Nations estimates there are 12 million to 27 million people doing forced, unpaid work around the world. They're making t-shirts, sneakers and electronics. They're growing food, peeling shrimp, cutting beef and all the stuff that feeds you me, my family and my dog. They're mining gold, diamonds, coal and anything else you can dig up. They're logging trees to make paper. They are subsidizing how all of us live.

In a world where everything is getting more expensive, slaves are still a bargain. According to Free the Slaves, the average price of a slave is $90.

No one knows how much the consumer price index would go up without all this labor. It would be significant. Here are a few estimates from SlaveryFootprint:

9 people or "slaves" were used to mine rubies in jewelry
3.1 to make bikes
1.9 to make diaper
0.9 to make cotton T-shirts
3.2 to make a smartphone

While the majority of slaving takes place in Africa and Asia, it would be a mistake to think of it as something that only happens to "those people" who live "over there." Probably the most slaves in the U.S. are used as prostitutes. As with any other industry, they go to where the demand is greatest.

That's why Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said the Super Bowl is "commonly known as the single largest human trafficking incident in the United States." If you don't think it happens in your state go to the University of Michigan Law School's Human Trafficking Database and type in the name of your state. Keep in mind, those are just the cases against people who got caught.

So, what do you do? Anything is a good start. You don't have to be Sojournor Truth or John Brown to make a difference. Every little thing counts. Try making up for having a smartphone by using the app to buy things that don't support slavery. Go to ChainStoreReaction and write an email. Wake up.