The recently completed census, unlike the one done in 1860, does not count slaves.
While there is increasing awareness of the horrors of human traficking in the U.S. and globally, the problem still gets short shrift, partly because it is ignored in key government reports.
With greater awareness, we can make progress on this problem.
Estimates are that there are at least ten thousand slaves among the 308 million people recently reported by the census.
You might argue that it would be hard to come up with a reliable estimate of the number of slaves by city. But any numbers would be helpful, and it isn't exactly easy or cheap to come up with some of the figures the Department of Commerce produces, such as monthly changes in import prices.
But it is perhaps not the census, but the crime statistics where the slaves are so completely missing.
Some states, like even Arizona, have strong laws against human trafficking. A pimp who rapes a prostitute to discipline her could in theory get natural life in prison, especially if she were a minor.
Unfortunately, when you look at the uniform crime statistics, this crime does not appear. Wouldn't it be as worthwhile to know how many citizens were forced into slavery as it is to know how many cars were stolen.
While public awareness is improving, too much of the law enforcement establishment tends to continue to view these as crimes against public order, meaning that anything that is kept out of sight and doesn't make the police look bad is O.K.
We can do better for these people.
There was recently an excellent story on NPR of girls forced into slavery in Oakland.
http://www.npr.org/...