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From the earliest recorded times, women, men, and children have been sold against their will into forced labor and prostitution. This practice continues today in almost every nation around the world, including the United States. Those who wish to abolish this practice have been fighting long and hard; but within the past decade, a great insurgence has joined groups and individuals together in fighting this heinous, worldwide crime.
3000 BC - 300 AD: Slavery, forced prostitution, and sexual exploitation exist in many ancient cultures, including the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and Persians.
1441: European slave trading begins in Africa. African men are exploited for labor in Europe and the Caribbean, while African women are exploited for labor and sexual services.
1619: The first slaves in the United States arrive in Jamestown, Virgina.
1865: The U.S. Congress approves the 13th Amendment, outlawing slavery.
1885: William and Catherine Booth, Salvation Army founders and anti-slavery movement leaders, help establish the Criminal Amendment Act, raising the age of sexual consent in Britain from 13 to 16, and bringing worldwide attention to the issue of forced prostitution
1904: District Court for District of Washington recognizes sexual servitude of women as grounds to block their deportation from the United States.
1949: United Nations adopts The Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.
1998: US Congresswoman, Linda Smith founds Shared Hope International to rescue and restore women and children in crisis by providing comprehensive services to meet their needs.
2000: The U.S. Congress passes the U.S. Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA), in which Congress declares that sex trafficking is the "modern day slavery."
2001: War Against Trafficking Alliance (WATA) is formed.
2003: U.S. Congress unanimously reauthorizes the TVPA, allotting additional measures and funding to continue fighting trafficking.
2005: The United States becomes the 95th country to ratify the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.
2005: U.S. Congress again unanimously reauthorizes the TVPA, including additional measures and funding to continue fighting trafficking.
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