These Heartbreaking Photos Show How Slavery Isn't A Thing Of The Past

Photographer Lisa Kristine has spent her entire career traveling to the most distant corners of the world, 100 countries in total, to capture vulnerable indigenous communities. Yet, until 2009, she was totally ignorant of the thriving modern slavery trade.

She was showing an exhibition at the Vancouver Peace Summit when an abolitionist with Free The Slaves, a global advocacy group, told her that 27 million people were currently enslaved worldwide.

"I almost fell over," Kristine told the San Francisco Chronicle last year. "It blew me away …"

Kristine immediately connected with the advocacy group and embarked on a project to document and help expose the trade.

"The biggest shock to me was that something I thought was eliminated in the 1850s is running stronger than ever," Kristine told Business Insider.

Kristine shared some of the photos with us, but you can check out more at her website or at her new exhibition, Enslaved, which will begin touring this year.