How was slavery different in Africa than it was when done by Europeans?

Slavery Is Everywhere

There are tens of millions of people trapped in various forms of slavery throughout the world today. Researchers estimate that 40 million are enslaved worldwide, generating $150 billion each year in illicit profits for traffickers.

Labor Slavery. About 50 percent (21 million) toil in forced labor slavery in industries where manual labor is needed—such as farming, ranching, logging, mining, fishing, and brick making—and in service industries working as dish washers, janitors, gardeners, and maids.

Sex Slavery. About 12.5 percent (4 million) are trapped in forced prostitution sex slavery.

Forced Marriage Slavery. About 37.5 percent (15 million) are trapped in forced marriages.  

Child Slavery. About 25 percent of today’s slaves are children.

Slavery today is a hidden crime, making it harder for the public to see and for those in slavery to call out for help.

Slavery statistics come from the U.N. International Labor Organization, Walk Free and the International Organization for Migration. See our Trafficking and Slavery Fact Sheet for details.

In October 1996, Pope John Paul II outlined the Catholic view of evolution to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, saying that the Church holds that evolution is "more than a hypothesis," it is a well-accepted theory of science and that the human body evolved according to natural processes, while the human soul is the ...