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Francis Bok is the author of the first contemporary slave narrative, Escape from Slavery: The True Story of My Ten Years in Captivity and My Journey to Freedom in America. Now an abolitionist with the American Anti-Slavery Group, he discussed 21st century human trafficking with McClatchy-Tribune foreign-affairs columnist John C. Bersia.

Q: Human trafficking is an issue that is increasingly in the news. You have experienced it personally. In brief, what is your story?

A: Human trafficking is a reality. It is happening now – here in the United States and everywhere – and it takes on various forms. I was a victim of it. The year was 1986. I was 7 years old. The country was Sudan. I was captured and held as a slave until 1996, when I finally escaped.

Q: Summarize what a typical day was like for you.

A: I was the first to wake up in the morning and the last to go to bed. I had to take care of all the domestic work in the home and also the cattle. I was fed rotten food that made me sick. I was forced to sleep with the animals in a small shelter. I was completely isolated, mistreated and dehumanized.

Q: But you managed to escape?

A: Yes, but not the first or second times I tried. The third time was the charm. I finally made it out, at the age of 17, traveling to the capital of Sudan and eventually to Egypt, with the help of other southern Sudanese, especially members of my tribe. From there, with the assistance of the United Nations, I obtained refugee status and was granted an opportunity to come to the United States in 1999. I settled in Fargo, North Dakota.

Q: How was life for you in your new home?

A: I was glad to be there, but I was struggling. It was a different country with an unfamiliar culture. It was hard for me to adjust. Even the physical environment – the cold – was a shock. I decided to try to find another place to live, somewhere that had more Sudanese people. Iowa was the state I chose. I ran into some people I had met in Egypt. I worked at various jobs in the meat industry and hotels.

Q: Then things changed?

A: Yes, I was discovered by the American Anti-Slavery Group in Boston. It was a chance to speak for myself, my people and the millions of others who are in forced bondage today.

Q: What are some key steps that governments can take to address this problem?

A: To me, top government officials are not simply leaders. They are, in a sense, the heads of a household. Because they have a responsibility to take care of that household, it is up to them to come up with solutions. First, they have to look at their borders, and determine who is coming in and for what purpose. Then they have to speak up, and approve laws that really stop human traffickers.

Q: The United States has given human trafficking a higher profile in the past decade, including the publication of an annual, global report on the topic. What else could it do?

A: America is the No. 1 nation that deals with the world’s problems. Stopping human trafficking should be a core value for all. The United States has to speak up even more loudly on this issue. President Barack Obama needs to act as the household head, and make decisions for all to emulate. Look at what Brazil’s former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva did. He made anti-slavery efforts a top priority in his country as part of a national plan. It has truly made a difference. Justice can prevail.

Q: You have returned to Sudan?

A: Many times, starting in 2000. Now, my homeland – South Sudan – is going to be the newest nation on Earth. People from all walks of life have come forward to support this, to tear down the chains of oppression. They have been held in bondage for so many decades. The people of South Sudan are free at last. They will live in a country where men and women are represented equally.

Q: Are you optimistic about the future?

A: Yes, very. I am a believer. When I started speaking out in 2000, I had a dream for my country. If you keep pressing along, you will get where you are headed. We need to tell the slavery story to the whole world. Then people will know. Once they know and stand together against it, slavery and other injustices can be eradicated.

Francis Bok can be reached at francisbuk@gmail.com.