When can we call an end to human trafficking?

Link to the article: http://articles.cnn.com/2013-01-31/world/world_europe_human-trafficking-arrests_1_europol-european-union-modern-day-slavery

Human trafficking, as the second most profitable illegal industry in the world, has been a huge problem against human right for hundreds of years. Although The Trafficking Protocol has been signed by 117 countries and ratified by 154 parties, the 103 people in 10 countries arrested by European police indicate a still huge problem.

            While slavery has been abolished around the world, trafficking, as another form of slavery, took place and grew to a huge open-secret. The first time when I really got to know about human trafficking was in my religion class at Southwest Christian School three years ago. Some of the pictures my teacher showed me touched me deep inside. One of the pictures was a girl with a price on her ear. It hit me so fast, with no space to back up. What is it like to become a priced good? Another picture shows bottles on a shelf, inside the bottles are girls with terrifying looking on their faces. I don’t know what’s inside of their eyes. Depression? Anger?  Hopelessness? I don’t know. They are not little kids, so they definitely know what they are facing and how their lives are going to be. Those girls are going to be sold as prostitutes or sex slaves. There will never be any dignity or happiness in their lives.  There are also many children involved in human trafficking. Those kids are sold as child labors or early marriages. They are usually from poor families where the parents can’t afford a living. The traffickers usually promise the parents that they will give their kids a better life; also the parents gain an income from it. I don’t know what those parents are thinking when they sell their kids. There shouldn’t be any excuse to sell your kids, whether you are too poor and want some income or those people promise you to give your kids a better life.

            It’s hard to imagine how it would be like when my life is not my own anymore; when I have to do whatever other people tell me to do; when I’m sold as an object with a price tag. I know it would never happen to me, because I have parents who love me and would never give me away. Why should other people live such a crucial life when we wear nice clothes, go to school, and get education? Human being should never be treated that way. I wish the end of human trafficking will come as soon as possible.