Today is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

I ask the public to examine its seriousness and realize it affects all countries, races, religions, ages and sexes.

For those reasons, Congress in 2007 established this day, Jan. 11 of each year, to raise awareness about and opposition to human trafficking.

Human trafficking is modern slavery. Victims are subjected to sexual exploitation or forced labor. Victims are children and teens, men and women.

Human trafficking is the world’s fastest-growing criminal industry. The International Labor Organization estimates global profits from human trafficking at $44.3 billion per year.

Some 800,000 persons are trafficked each year, mostly women and children who are often used as sex slaves, laborers or even to fight wars.

The numbers do not always include those enslaved in their own countries; many believe figures on trafficked persons are higher than reported.

Some 27 million people live as slaves today around the world.

How does this affect our community?

Human trafficking happens in every state, including Maine. Recent prostitution investigations by Auburn police have raised concerns about whether human trafficking was involved.

The U.S. government estimates nearly 18,000 victims are trafficked into the United States annually and that there are 200,000 trafficked people in the country.

We’ve only scratched the surface of this crime. We’re committed to being proactive in pursuing justice for victims.

We all can make a difference. By educating ourselves and our community about this issue and recognizing ways to identify victims, we can end this new form of slavery.

Phil Crowell, chief, Auburn Police Department