Here are some little-known facts involving the number twenty-seven:

• The planet Uranus has twenty-seven moons
• There are twenty-seven countries in the European Union
• Jimmi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison all died at the age of twenty-seven.
• Florida was the twenty-seventh state to enter the American Union
• There are twenty-seven books in the New Testament section of the Protestant Bible (and the number of chapters in the Old Testament book of Leviticus)
• Twenty-seven million people are enslaved in the world today

Like many of these other facts, few people are aware of the slavery that still goes on in the world today. It occurs in 161 countries all over the world, even within the United States. Men, women, and children of all ages and races are forced into exploitive industries like pornography, prostitution, and dangerous mining and manufacturing occupations. In addition, many in those situations are abused and suffering mentally, emotionally, and physically. There are many organizations working to bring freedom and healing to slaves and put an end to their bondage, but sadly, only one to two percent of victims ever get rescued and one in one hundred thousand traffickers are ever convicted. Many factors create this statistic. The resources require money and years of training and regional laws often complicate investigation and rescue operations. Oftentimes, victims are fearful of their suppressors and will not seek help. But you can help them by connecting with an anti-slavery organization and spreading the word about modern day slavery. The twenty-seven million slaves in this world need to be known. Their lives are not trivial. They are friends, family members, and neighbors. They could be your friends, family members, or neighbors. They need your voice and your support. To help out, I recommend these websites and organizations to find more information or if you wish to support modern day abolition:

http://www.thea21campaign.org/ –The A21 Campaign, based in Europe, aims to prevent trafficking through awareness and education, protect victims and represent them in criminal proceedings.

http://www.polarisproject.org/ -Polaris Project is the leading organization in the global fight against human trafficking. They maintain a national hotline (phone number: 1-888-3737-888) to report a tip on trafficking activities, connect with anti-trafficking services in your area, or find other information.

http://love146.org/ – Love146 focuses on child victims of trafficking and slavery. They provide care for victims and also seek to educate on preventive measures, and even research in these areas.

http://enditmovement.com/ – End It Movement was established earlier this year and centers on raising awareness of modern-day slavery through various campaigns and social media. Several of these mentioned organizations are coalition partners with the End It Movement.