On a recent cruise with my family, we were getting back on the ship at a port and the security guard asked us all for ID and our ship cards. Of course, our 11 month old's card fell to the bottom of our beach bag, hiding somewhere under beach towels, $5 water bottles and copious amounts of sand.

Frustrated, I was close to snapping. The baby was crying. We were all hot and cranky. Couldn't we just get back on? What was this guy's problem?

And then, it dawned on me. They weren't asking to delay us all from heading to the buffet, or messing with us because they were bored.

They were checking to make sure she actually came off the boat—and wasn't picked up on the way. 

It's a hard pill to swallow. But human trafficking—or modern-day slavery—which can take the form of sex trafficking, forced labor and domestic servitude, is a major global issue. 

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