Human trafficking is when people, usually poor or otherwise vulnerable people, are taken captive and exploited. They are often transported far from home and treated as slaves or forced into hard labor or prostitution. Most of these helpless people are women and children who are subject to brutal living conditions. Human trafficking is a major international problem with estimates of the number of trafficked people ranging between 500,000 to 4,000,000 a year.
Archive for the ‘Daily Definition’ Category
Human Trafficking is…
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009Greenhouse Gases are…
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009Greenhouse gases are thought to be a major culprit in global warming. Gases including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and even water vapor, trap heat from the sun and make the Earth warmer – just like glass in a greenhouse traps heat and makes the air inside warmer. These gases exist naturally in the atmosphere, but human activities have increased their concentrations and subsequent air warming to a level that could potentially have disastrous climactic effects.
Natural Resources are…
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009Natural Resources are materials that are produced by or derived from the environment and used by people for many different purposes – things like energy production, building, and food. The environment provides natural resources that are essential to life like pure air, light, clean water, and food as well as the basic inputs to our industrial societies like wood, oil, gas, iron, and land.
A Bid is…
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009A bid is the means by which someone expresses willingness to buy something at a certain price. For example, if you want to buy one share of Microsoft (MSFT) for $25 then your bid is $25. A bid is the opposite of an offer which expresses the willingness to sell.
The IMF is…
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009The IMF is the International Monetary Fund, an organization established to encourage international trade and financial cooperation, stabilize exchange rates, and combat poverty. Countries that are members of the IMF contribute to the fund in gold and in their own currency, and they can then withdraw from the fund in order to pay off debts to other nations during times of deficit.
A Receipt is…
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009A receipt is a written or printed record that shows that something has been paid for or goods have been received. When you pay for something in a restaurant, you receive a receipt that typically tells you what you ate and how much it cost.
A Lender is…
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009A lender is any person or business that makes loans. A lender gives a borrower money because the lender expects to be paid back not only the initial amount he or she lent – the principal – but also interest.
The World Bank is…
Tuesday, October 27th, 2009The World Bank is an organization whose job it is to help poor countries achieve economic development through loans and advice. It gives out about $30 billion every year to 100 countries.
Exchange Rates are…
Friday, October 23rd, 2009Exchange rates are the value of one currency in relation to or expressed in another currency. For example, the exchange rate of the U.S. Dollar to the Euro might be $1.43. That means that every one Euro equals 1.43 U.S. Dollars.