Some say ignorance is a blessing. What they don't know can't hurt them. They don't know that these problems they choose not to think about hurt others, others who can't ignore it, but who are the victims. Would you believe me if I told you that human trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world (human trafficking)? Slavery and human trafficking have existed since ancient times, from slaves in ancient Greece and Rome, to the discrimination that led to slavery in small European port towns in the Middle Ages, to the enslavement of Native Americans and African Americans in the New World. Slavery still remains unsolved from ancient times. In ancient Greece and Rome, slavery was a way to show class and power. Thousands of poor and low-class people were enslaved during the raids or surrendered themselves to pay off a family debt. Slaves became such a regular part of life that in some cities they outnumbered ordinary citizens. Meltzer provides the example of a Greek city, stating, “In Attica around 431 BC there were about 315,500 people in all, of whom 115,000 were slaves” (Meltzer 60). There were even more in the surrounding areas and in other towns. None of these slaves were allowed to fight in the war, because they were not believed to remain loyal (Meltzer 69). Most slaves were in fact taken as prisoners of war or in raids against opposing cities (Meltzer 63). For example, when the North African city of Carthage was destroyed, 55,000 people were taken as prisoners of war and enslaved (Strayer 250). These slaves, although African, were not taken because of race. In ancient times slavery was not based on race as African slave raiding was in modern times (Strayer 248). Slavery was class based. Anyone who wasn't rich......middle of paper......com, 2014. Web. April 17, 2014.The-untold-story-of-American-Indian-slavery.htm>."Traffic of human beings". Polaris Project. National Human Trafficking Resource Center, 2014. Web. April 29, 2014. Meltzer, Milton. Slavery: A World History. Da Capo Press, 1971.Moore, Barrington, Jr. "Ethnic and Religious Hostilities in Early Modern Port Cities." International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society 14.4(2001): 688+. Press."Sex trafficking and forced prostitution." Half of the sky movement. Np, nd Web.1 May 2014. sex trafficking>. Strayer, Robert W. Ways of the World: A Global History with Sources, Volume I.NY: Macmillan Higher Education, 2010. Print.