It’s an unpleasant truth that slavery is alive and well in the modern world Slavery is no longer legal anywhere yet it occurs to some extent everywhere. There is an estimated 27 million slaves currently living in servitude.

Modern titles like Debt Bondage, Indentured Servitude, and Bonded Labour are all used in place of the more honest pejorative, Slavery. Slaves continue to be owned for life and forced to work under threat of violence without remuneration or rights.

The majority of modern slavery occurs in India and Africa, however most other countries of the world, including Australia, have some level of people trafficked into slavery from overseas. Apparently the average cost of a slave in our modern world is a mere $100.

Slavery has been hell on earth for it’s victims for thousands of years, and despite its manifest illegality and immorality it’s larger now than ever before. As such it is hard to see how you could affect this grim reality, and yet for every circumstance there’s always a positive action you can perform.

One positive thing you can do is to remain enchanted with trust in human goodness. Hold fast too innocence even whilst your naivety is cast away in the face of cruel facts. That each of us lives in the glow of our humanity will accumulate the light thus dispelling darkness. Trust and belief with a good dose of empathy have a way of translating into action.

One example of a concrete action that can come from this belief and trust is a contribution to charity. Imagine an entire village in India living in servitude believing them selves condemned to toil in shame and fear forever having generations ago accepted a loan that wasn’t possible to repay. With charitable assistance they were inspired to change generations of thinking and see a way to buy independence through the acquisition of their own mining lease.

To face the ferocious facts with your compassion held aloft as both your weapon and your shield can create a sea of change. Even for you too rescue just one soul is too redeem your entire world.

Martin Hunter Jones is an honorary life member of the Australian Counselling Association. He has a Counselling and Hypnotherapy practice on the Northern Beaches. For appointments call 9973 4997.