--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It surprises people that there's actually…" description: "\"It surprises people that there's actually a very large number of slaves in the world today-our best estimate is 27 million. And that is defining a slav..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/kevin-bales-27476_controlled_it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actuall_1557298.jpg" --- # It surprises people that there's actually a very large… ![“It surprises people that there's actually a very large number of slaves in the world today-our best estimate is 27 million. And that is defining a slave in a very narrow way; we're not talking about sweatshop workers or people who are just poor, we're talking about people who are controlled by…” quote by Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/kevin-bales-27476_controlled_it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actuall_1557298.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/kevin-bales-27476_controlled_it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actuall_1557298.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/kevin-bales-27476_controlled_it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actuall_1557298.jpg) > “It surprises people that there's actually a very large number of slaves in the world today-our best estimate is 27 million. And that is defining a slave in a very narrow way; we're not talking about sweatshop workers or people who are just poor, we're talking about people who are controlled by violence, who cannot walk away, who are being held against their will, who are being paid nothing.” [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Modern slavery is far more widespread than commonly recognized, encompassing people forced into labor and bondage beyond traditional definitions like sweatshops. **In simple terms:** Millions are enslaved in hidden, violent conditions. Key Takeaway Raise awareness of hidden slavery. Themes human rights slavery economics Mood urgent somber Type activist informative When to use this quote - policy advocacy - education campaigns - support NGOs - legal reform Key Concepts Modern bondage human trafficking global inequality Questions to Reflect On - What everyday products might involve forced labor? - How can societies better protect vulnerable populations? A Different Perspective Addressing slavery requires complex legal and economic solutions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Controlled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlled/) [Defining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining/) [Defining Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defining-slave-5834443/) [Large numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/large-numbers/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [Not talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-talking/) [Number Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/number-slaves-2321141/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Slave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slave/) [Slavery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slavery/) [Slaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaves/) [Slaves World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/slaves-world-1282250/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Sweatshops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweatshops/) [Talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talking/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Violence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violence/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Workers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workers/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-today/) ## Related quotes > [In fact, there are more slaves in the world today than at any other point in human history, with an estimated 27 million in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-lilley/in-fact-there-are-more-slaves-in-the-world-today-than-at-any-other/) [Jen Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-lilley/) > [Those Who Are Slaves Of Desire, Are Slaves To The Whole World. But To Those For Whom Desire Itself Is A Slave, The Whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/those-who-are-slaves-of-desire-are-slaves-to-the-whole-world-but-to/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [“From 1783 at the end of the American Revolution to 1861, the number of slaves in the United States increased five times over, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-e-baptist/from-1783-at-the-end-of-the-american-revolution-to-1861-the-number-of/) [Edward E. Baptist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-e-baptist/) > [All the principal people in the town are concerned in the slave trade, and their chief wealth consists in the number of slaves they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-grey/all-the-principal-people-in-the-town-are-concerned-in-the-slave-trade/) [George Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-grey/) > [“There are more slaves in the world today (best estimate—27 million) than were extracted from Africa during 400 years of the transatlantic slave trade.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-a-haugen/there-are-more-slaves-in-the-world-today-best-estimate-27-million/) [Gary A. Haugen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-a-haugen/) > [The first census in 1790 asked just six questions: the name of the head of the household, the number of free white males older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-g-palmer/the-first-census-in-1790-asked-just-six-questions-the-name-of-the/) [Tom G. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-g-palmer/) > [I have an idea for sweatshops: air conditioning! That's simple. 14 year old boys working twelve hour days? "Yeah, but they're comfortable!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-have-an-idea-for-sweatshops-air-conditioning-that-s-simple-14-year/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [GLHR... has used Greenpeace-style media antics to draw more public attention to the plight of sweatshop workers than the multimillion - dollar international trade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/glhr-has-used-greenpeace-style-media-antics-to-draw-more-public/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Adolescence was invented in the 19th century to enable middle-class families to keep their children out of sweatshops. But it has degenerated into a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/adolescence-was-invented-in-the-19th-century-to-enable-middle-class/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [“Go home now,” says I. “Keep away from the saloons. Save your money. You are going to need it.” “What are we going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/go-home-now-says-i-keep-away-from-the-saloons-save-your-money-you-are/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [“That’s got to stop,” says I. “The idea of any blood-thirsty pirate (Mexican President Diaz) sitting on a throne and reaching across the border…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/that-s-got-to-stop-says-i-the-idea-of-any-blood-thirsty-pirate/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [Our lack of community is intensely painful. A TV talk show is not community. A couple of hours in a church pew each Sabbath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james-duncan/our-lack-of-community-is-intensely-painful-a-tv-talk-show-is-not/) [David James Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james-duncan/) > [“I am a citizen of this country,” I declare, “and Mr. Mayor, tonight I will be a citizen of this city when I put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-ash/i-am-a-citizen-of-this-country-i-declare-and-mr-mayor-tonight-i-will/) [Jerry Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-ash/) > [For every nineteenth-century middle-class family that protected its wife and child within the family circle, there was an Irish ora German girl scrubbing floors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-coontz/for-every-nineteenth-century-middle-class-family-that-protected-its/) [Stephanie Coontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-coontz/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) ## More by Kevin Bales > [Slavery is an obscenity. It is not just stealing someone's labor; it is the theft of an entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-an-obscenity-it-is-not-just-stealing-someone-s-labor-it-is/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [If you look at slavery across all human history, and you sort of strip away the packaging, whether it's racialized or religious-based, and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/if-you-look-at-slavery-across-all-human-history-and-you-sort-of-strip/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [There are more slaves alive today than all the people stolen from Africa in the time of the transatlantic slave trade. Put another way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/there-are-more-slaves-alive-today-than-all-the-people-stolen-from/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [“Slavery is not a horror safely confined to the past; it continues to exist throughout the world, even in developed countries like France and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-not-a-horror-safely-confined-to-the-past-it-continues-to/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [The flow of people into the United States into slavery, it follows the other types of immigration into the United States, so people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/the-flow-of-people-into-the-united-states-into-slavery-it-follows-the/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [It's as if all identity has been stolen from them, except their identity as slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/it-s-as-if-all-identity-has-been-stolen-from-them-except-their/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [For some slaves, the first step out of bondage is to learn to see their lives with new eyes. Their reality is a social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/for-some-slaves-the-first-step-out-of-bondage-is-to-learn-to-see/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Most of the people who come into slavery today, the people who enter into slavery for the first time in the present moment, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/most-of-the-people-who-come-into-slavery-today-the-people-who-enter/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [The factor that makes people extremely vulnerable to enslavement is the lack of the rule of law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/the-factor-that-makes-people-extremely-vulnerable-to-enslavement-is/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [We have to make it clear to the multi-nationals that slavery is too high a price to pay for cheap goods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/we-have-to-make-it-clear-to-the-multi-nationals-that-slavery-is-too/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Slavery is theft - theft of a life, theft of work, theft of any property or produce, theft even of the children a slave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-theft-theft-of-a-life-theft-of-work-theft-of-any-property/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Slavery is what slavery's always been: About one person controlling another person using violence and then exploiting them economically, paying them nothing. That's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/slavery-is-what-slavery-s-always-been-about-one-person-controlling/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [“…consumers do look for bargains, and they don’t usually stop to ask why a product is so cheap. We have to face facts: by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/consumers-do-look-for-bargains-and-they-don-t-usually-stop-to-ask-why/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [We're up at almost seven billion people on the planet and most of that growth has been in the developing world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/we-re-up-at-almost-seven-billion-people-on-the-planet-and-most-of/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) > [Ben Skinner's brains and courage take us into the belly of the beast and expose the ugly truth of modern slavery. Instead of sensation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/ben-skinner-s-brains-and-courage-take-us-into-the-belly-of-the-beast/) [Kevin Bales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) [Explore all 20 Kevin Bales quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/) ## More Controlled quotes > [The things that inform student culture are created and controlled by the unseen culture, the sociological aspects of our climbing culture, our 'me' generation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-van-sant/the-things-that-inform-student-culture-are-created-and-controlled-by/) [Gus Van Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-van-sant/) > [The reason we have to regulate . . . church schools is that . . . children that are not trained in state-controlled schools will not fit in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hoagland/the-reason-we-have-to-regulate-church-schools-is-that-children-that/) [Peter Hoagland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hoagland/) > [Taste cannot be controlled by law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/taste-cannot-be-controlled-by-law/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Mr Bush, Mr. Blair and now Mr Brown's sense of human rights precludes our people's right to their God-given resources, which in their view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/mr-bush-mr-blair-and-now-mr-brown-s-sense-of-human-rights-precludes/) [Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/) > [News events cannot be controlled, nor can newscasts be mapped out like entertainment shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-savitch/news-events-cannot-be-controlled-nor-can-newscasts-be-mapped-out-like/) [Jessica Savitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-savitch/) > [If any remedy is tested under controlled scientific conditions and proved to be effective, it will cease to be alternative and will simply become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/if-any-remedy-is-tested-under-controlled-scientific-conditions-and/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [In a way, human beings have never been part of the natural order; we're not biological in the normal sense. Normal biological animals stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-keen/in-a-way-human-beings-have-never-been-part-of-the-natural-order-we-re/) [Sam Keen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-keen/) > [The economy in Gaza is declining because Gaza is controlled by a terror regime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-shaked/the-economy-in-gaza-is-declining-because-gaza-is-controlled-by-a/) [Ayelet Shaked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-shaked/) > [“Don’t be controlled by the tradition of men”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/don-t-be-controlled-by-the-tradition-of-men/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [You say I changed but no I just stopped listening to you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-say-i-changed-but-no-i-just-stopped-listening-to-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only big ideas I've ever had came from daydreaming, but modern life keeps people from daydreaming. Every moment of the day your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-maccready/the-only-big-ideas-i-ve-ever-had-came-from-daydreaming-but-modern/) [Paul MacCready](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-maccready/) > [In working class districts, you had several families living together in the one house, and it was very difficult to get a house, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hume/in-working-class-districts-you-had-several-families-living-together/) [John Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hume/) > [I and others of my sex find ourselves controlled by a form of government in the inauguration of which we had no voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-woodhull/i-and-others-of-my-sex-find-ourselves-controlled-by-a-form-of/) [Victoria Woodhull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-woodhull/) > [The gifts that Yeshua left in the earth realm to enforce His authority were apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, and evangelists. The gift that gets…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-pierce/the-gifts-that-yeshua-left-in-the-earth-realm-to-enforce-his/) [Chuck Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-pierce/) > [“All things in the world of Nature are not controlled by Fate for the soul has a principle of its own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iamblichus/all-things-in-the-world-of-nature-are-not-controlled-by-fate-for-the/) [Iamblichus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iamblichus/) [Browse all 943 Controlled quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controlled/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It surprises people that there's actually a very large number of slaves in the world today-our best estimate is 27 million. And that is defining a slave in a very narrow way; we're not talking about sweatshop workers or people who are just poor, we're talking about people who are controlled by violence, who cannot walk away, who are being held against their will, who are being paid nothing.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kevin Bales" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actually-a-very-large-number-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Controlled" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actually-a-very-large-number-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/kevin-bales-27476_controlled_it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actuall_1557298.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/kevin-bales-27476_controlled_it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actuall_1557298.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d9/kevin-bales-27476_controlled_it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actuall_1557298.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It surprises people that there's actually a very large number of slaves in the world today-our best estimate…” — Kevin Bales", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kevin Bales", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-bales/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It surprises people that there's actually...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actually-a-very-large-number-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-bales/it-surprises-people-that-there-s-actually-a-very-large-number-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```