Modern slavery can be quite profitable. Corrupt governments tacitly allow it, even thoug it is outlawed by international treaties such as Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery and local laws. Total annual revenues of traffickers were estimated in 2014 to over $150 billion, though profits are substantially lower. In 1809, American slaves were sold for around the equivalent of US$40,000 in today's money. Today, a slave can be bought for $90–$100. Bales explains, "This is an economic crime ... People do not enslave people to be mean to them; they do it to make a profit."
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