REALITY

CHECK

Watch the video

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REALITY

CHECK

Watch the video

DONATE

ON AVERAGE, A SLAVE COSTS ONLY US $90

That's less than ever before

In the 1850’s, the average cost of a slave in America was today’s equivalent of US $40,000. Today, a slave can be bought for an average of US $90. While no one should ever be bought or sold for any price, today’s slaves are not only incredibly inexpensive to buy but more available and disposable than ever.

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THERE ARE MORE SLAVES TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE

There were an estimated 40.3 million slaves in 2016. 71% are women. 1 in 4 is a child. While it may seem like an issue happening to people and places faraway from our everyday reality, slavery affects every region of our world today. As an industry, it generates an estimated US $150 billion in profits per year. To put this in perspective, slavery is even more profitable than the global arms trade, whose estimated worth is US $100 billion.

WE CREATED AWARENESS BY SERVING PEOPLE A REALITY CHECK

We wanted to expose the issue of slavery, particularly the inexpensive cost to buy a slave, in a way that was relatable. We presented unsuspecting diners with a restaurant bill that showed the price of their meal in terms of the number of slaves they could have bought with what they spent. We had a waiter explain what the bill meant, and highlight that slavery is more widespread than they might have thought. The waiter even introduced some of the diners to people at the very next table, who had survived slavery and were helped by Hagar International.

CHECK OUT HOW WE DID IT

Special thanks to DDB Hong Kong, Joanne Tong at MR.J Productions, Ranno Ng, and Upper Modern Bistro

“The campaign idea is a simple one. We wanted to shed light on this horrendous issue by bringing it into people’s everyday lives without them suspecting or knowing.” - Lilian Lee, Board Member, Hagar International

HEAR OUR STORIES

Chean Ra

SURVIVOR

Chean Ra left her country in hopes of a better job opportunity. Instead, she found herself trapped as a domestic slave.

Ha

HAGAR STAFF

Ha has been working with survivors in Vietnam for the past 6 years.

Sophea

SURVIVOR

Sophea thought she would only be away from her family for a few months. Held against her will for years, she never saw them again.

Long Dy

SURVIVOR

After being diagnosed with polio, Long Dy was sold into slavery and forced to beg in order to make money for his enslavers.

Chean Ra

SURVIVOR

Chean Ra left her country in hopes of a better job opportunity. Instead, she found herself trapped as a domestic slave.

Ha

HAGAR STAFF

Ha has been working with survivors in Vietnam for the past 6 years.

Sophea

SURVIVOR

Sophea thought she would only be away from her family for a few months. Held against her will for years, she never saw them again.

Long Dy

SURVIVOR

After being diagnosed with polio, Long Dy was sold into slavery and forced to beg in order to make money for his enslavers.

US $90 CAN ALSO DO A LOT OF GOOD

In fact, US $90 at HAGAR can:

Help four children who have been trafficked to start school

Provide food and basic necessities to a survivor for one month

Provide an emergency medical check-up for a survivor

Train two local social workers in effective trauma care for survivors

Provide one month of specialist trauma counselling for a survivor

Help a survivor seek justice through initial legal aid

Help four children who have been trafficked to start school

Provide food and basic necessities to a survivor for one month

Provide an emergency medical check-up for a survivor

Train two local social workers in effective trauma care for survivors

Provide one month of specialist trauma counselling for a survivor

Help a survivor seek justice through initial legal aid

THE COST OF YOUR DINNER CAN TRANSFORM LIVES

THE COST OF YOUR DINNER CAN TRANSFORM LIVES

FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN HELP FROM YOUR REGION

WE’VE BEEN CHANGING THE WORLD FOR 25 YEARS