When Americans today consider the term "slavery," they remember a dark period in their nation's past, when an entire race of people were subjugated just for color. of their skin, a parody of civil rights that progressive thought has strived to cure, to the point of paving the way for the election of an African-American president. Slavery is an antiquated practice from a draconian past and has no relevance in our modern, enlightened age. What Americans fail to understand is that slavery is not only alive and well, but thriving and fueling the global economy at the expense of human lives. The International Labor Organization (ILO), a United Nations agency dedicated to protecting the human rights of workers around the world, estimates that at any given time there are nearly 21 million victims of forced labor, including 25 % are children (“Questions”). During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Americans took a stand and boycotted businesses that promoted racial segregation, while the government abolished laws that hindered free and equal treatment for all. It was a time of social unrest and political anxiety, but progress often requires revolution, and while growth can be painful and exhausting, it is essential to evolution. To ensure that the world we live in becomes a place where people everywhere are treated with dignity and the inalienable rights of all are protected, slavery in all its forms must be eradicated; Americans must once again take a stand, as well as responsibility, for what is involved in purchasing products made in sweatshops and forced labor, and the government should hold American businesses accountable responsible for the way their products are manufactured. ..... middle of document ......Social issues: slavery today. Ed. Ronald D. Lankford, Jr. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. 66-72. Print. " Welcome ". Enditmovement.com. End It movement, and Web. September 9, 2013. “My imprint”. Enditmovement.com. End It movement, and Web. September 9, 2013. “Questions and answers on forced labor.” ILO.org. International Labor Organization, 1996-2013. Internet. September 23, 2013. “Results.” Enditmovement.com. End It movement, and Web. September 9, 2013. “Work in Sweatshops.” Problems and controversies. File News Services Facts, July 15, 2013. Web. September 4, 2013. Thistlethwait, Susan Brooks. “Ask after Bangladesh: It’s time to choose ethics over fashion.” TheWashingtonPost.com. May 13, 2013. the web. September 16, 2013. Yardley, Jim. “Report on deadly Bangladesh factory collapse finds widespread blame. » The New York Times, May 23, 2013: A5. NYTimes.com. May 22, 2013. the web. September 15. 2013.