Commercial Sex Trafficking In The United States

A trafficker, also known as a pimp, is anyone who receives cash or other benefits in exchange for sex with a victim (Smith 7). This form of organized crime is solely responsible for the wide spread of sex trafficking throughout the world. Corruption and greed of these traffickers makes it possible for sex trafficking to quickly and easily flourish. Traffickers can be anyone. They are both male and females from several different ethnic backgrounds. Child sex traffickers transport children away from home to avoid exposure and to lessen the chances of the child returning home. Throughout the United States, most major cities refer to the “track” as a street

Sex trafficking, particularly that of children, has become a growing concern in the United States over the past several decades (Kotrla, 2010). By definition, child sex trafficking is “when a child (under 18 years of age) is induced to perform a commercial sex act” (U.S., 2013, para. 4), and includes forms such as prostitution and pornography (Kotrla, 2010). Researchers suggest that children are the most vulnerable to becoming victims of prostitution (Kotrla), and it is estimated that there are at least 100,000 victims in the United States (Estes & Weiner, 2001). Sex traffickers, otherwise known as “pimps,” often lure children with promises of food, clothing, love, and shelter, and then the pimps manipulate the children to keep them in prostitution (U.S. Department of Justice [DOJ], 2015). Awareness of the issue has led to the development of organizations, such as Children of the Night, that seek to help victims escape the sex trafficking industry (Children of the Night [COTN], 2016d).

Human Trafficking is the trade of humans mainly for sexual slavery, but also forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker and sometimes others who take part in this act. Human trafficking is also used for organs or tissues, including surrogacy, ova removal, or making these victims spouses for traffickers or their customers. Human trafficking is defined as a sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act induced by force (isolation and confinement to the brothel: transportation to multiple locations for the trafficking network and occasional physical and sexual abuse), fraud (false promises of a better life), or coercion (the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats), or someone performing commercial sex under the age of 18. This is a crime that has newly risen to the public over the last decade and has been labeled as one of the most serious humanitarian crisis. Human trafficking is about profit. In 2004 the total annual income for trafficking in persons was estimated to be between $5 billion to $9 billion.

Human trafficking affects our children and our schools more than most realize. It is estimated that more than 200,000 American children are trafficked each year in America. Victims of trafficking often come from vulnerable populations, including migrants, oppressed or marginalized groups, runaways or displaced persons, and the poor (Talati). The children most likely to be targeted by traffickers are those not living with their parents, who are vulnerable to coerced labor exploitation, domestic servitude, or prostitution. Sex traffickers target children because of their vulnerability and gullibility, as well as the market demand for young victims. Studies have shown that it is not just high school children at risk, demonstrating that pimps prey on victims as young as 12 years old. Victims

Sex trafficking is a problem that is happening and occurring all over the world. Many families and individuals suffer due to sex trafficking. Many people are not even aware of what it really is. Sex trafficking is when young girls, as young as five or six, get kidnapped and are used for the sexual pleasure of others with a profit, or are sold as sex slaves to other people. The official definition is, “Human sex trafficking is a form of slavery and involuntary servitude resulting in grave human rights violations. Sex trafficking involves individuals profiting from the sexual exploitation of others and has severe physical and psychological consequences for its victims.” (The

Sex traffickers target victims through internet, cellphones, friends who have already been victimized, public places and even in after-school events where family members believe they are safe. Ansley Joye

Between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States annually, and often, the average age of entry is thirteen to fourteen years old (Hodge, 2008). One victim recalls that her pimp, a man who controls sex workers and keeps the earnings, would take her and two other girls from the ninth grade out of school during lunchtime, have them do calls, and bring them back. She explains, “He knew how to read each girl—this one likes to party, that one needs a job, this one wants drugs.” By doing

Oftentimes when people hear the term human sex trafficking, they think of heinous acts that take place in other countries where adults, children, girls and boys are exploited to perform sexual acts in exchange for money or goods against their will. They think it typically occurs in places that are less developed than the United States. However, the reality of this horrific crime is that it is taking place in the United States, and it occurs more and more each and every day. Young girls are not solely the victim of human sex trafficking, young boys are victims of this monstrous act as well. Individuals residing in the United States need to be made more aware of this issue as it has started to rise through social media, large events, and by those in other countries being promised work here. After researching, it is apparent that there is a great deal of information that is lacking, on sex trafficking in the United States. Not only is sex trafficking an issue, but the lack of awareness about sex trafficking is also an issue. This thesis proposes that human sex trafficking is an unacknowledged epidemic within the United States, and it seeks to discover why it has become so prevalent.

There is a “process” followed by traffickers when recruiting victims. For the convenience of this paper, it will be called the 5 steps of Grooming. Step 1. Targeting a victim: Traffickers are really good at identifying victims with histories of substance abuse, economic stress, low self-esteem, and emotional neediness. These types of people are usually the easiest to manipulate and control. Step 2. Gaining trust and Information: Traffickers obtain information about the victim, through casual conversations, allowing for “deep personal connections”. According to Mariah Long, the author of the article “Basic Stages of Grooming for Sexual Exploitation”, these conversations could be with the victim or the victim’s parents, as traffickers tend to “mix well” with adults. Step 3. Filling a Need: The information gathered in Step 2, is used to allow the trafficker to fill a void in the victim’s life. That void could consist of relationship problems, drug abuse, and/or needing a friend, and by filling it, traffickers shower the victims with money, friendships, relationships, and sometimes even drugs. Filling this void leads to Step 4. Which is Isolation. This step happens when the trafficker spends large amounts of time with the victim, effectively isolating them and making them feel “special”. When the victim is

When looking for topics to research I wanted to do something that was a prominent problem in my hometown, which was Sex Trafficking (ST). Coming from Houston, Texas, Sex Trafficking has the 2nd largest home in Houston. The main highway I - 10 is the main road used to travel these victims to state lines to get them out of the country. A better definition of sex trafficking is when someone uses force, fraud or coercion to cause a commercial sex act with an adult or cause a minor to commit a commercial sex act. A commercial sex act is a list of things known as prostitution, pornography, and sexual performance done in exchange for any item of value, such as money, drugs, shelter, food, or clothes. In the United States alone 14,500 - 17,500 people are trafficked alone in the United States and 46% of it is from Texas. Most cases found on sex trafficking come from Women and Child, but there are a percentage of males that are trafficked, but because the act makes most feel degraded they refuse to report it. Also the effects it has on these victims is indescribable and many programs created and people there to help still can sometimes not get close to giving these victims the closure they need. This topic is important because it is a worldwide social issue that destroys not on the people physically taken and put into the trafficking but everyone that is involved in saving that person. When choosing these two articles,“Sex Trafficking: Policies, Programs,

The victims commonly do not know what their future holds and they are turned into bondage. Several victims can be pushed into the world of sex trade by relatives such as parents and husbands. Others are forcefully kidnapped by traffickers. The two most common tactics traffickers use are debt bondage and traumatic bonding. Debt bondage is when a person is obliged to repay their debt by personal services. Families that suffer financially are mostly targeted in debt bondage. Traumatic bondage is, “where the victim is instilled with deep rooted fear coupled with gratitude for being allowed to live (Deshpande, Nour).” Traffickers and pimps usually recruit victims that are excluded from social norms due to poverty, drug addiction, failure in school, etc. A victim care be recruited by finesse pimping and guerrilla pimping. Finesse pimping is when a victim is lured using kindness and psychological games such as gifts or drugs. Guerrilla pimping is when a victim is taken into hostage through violence and aggression. The victim can fall into this trap and not even know what they have gotten themselves into. (Deshpande,

There is without a doubt that we live in a world where child sex trafficking is widespread and well-received. Although sex trafficking is illegal, the reality of children performing sexual acts is in favor and in demand. Children are forced into street prostitution, continuous beatings, and raped to make money for the pimps and johns. These vulnerable children come from impoverishment and hardship where in most cases guardians often sell their children off for money or debt. There are many organizations to help children with the abuse; helping them escape from the imprisonment in the United States but in order to stop the problem there has be firmer laws in place to capture the traffickers. The perceptibility of child sex trafficking is unbearable

Domestic minor sex trafficking is forcefully exploiting children through deceiving sex acts, slavery, or forced labor in exchange for the financial benefit of the trafficker. Traffickers usually traffic their victims through prostitution, pornography, and stripping. Sex trafficking differentiates from molestation crimes such as rape and sexual assault because something of value is exchanged, for sexual acts. Traffickers are also known as pimps. Pimps gain "cash or other benefits in exchange for the sexual use of a minor by another person" (Smith, Vardaman, & Snow, 2009, p. 7). Moreover, anyone is capable of being a sex trafficker or sex buyer, family members, strangers, or acquaintances. Pimps target damaged girls that have endured neglect,

Human trafficking is much different than sexual assault, molestation and rape. Sex trafficking involves “Commercial sex” which the Federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act defines as the giving or receiving of anything of value to anyone in exchange for sex. Sex traffickers mostly target women and younger girls but it can also include boys Sex traffickers frequently target vulnerable people with histories of abuse and use violence, threats, lies, false promises, and\or other forms of control and manipulation to keep victims involved in the sex industry. These children usually come from homes where they have been abused or families that have abandoned them. They often get the young girls to fall into prostitution to support themselves financially or to get the things they fell they need or want such as drugs. Most places that use sex trafficking are hostess clubs, online escort services, strip clubs, and fake massage businesses.

Human trafficking is a type of slavery in the present day. It is a criminal industry worth several billion dollars that that denies opportunity to 20.9 million individuals around the globe. Furthermore, regardless of where you live, odds are it's occurring close-by. From the young lady constrained into prostitution at a truck stop, to the man found in an eatery kitchen, stripped of his travel permit and held without wanting to. All trafficking casualties share one basic experience: the loss of opportunity. Sex traffickers utilize brutality, threats, lies, debt slavery, and different types of pressure to force children and adults alike to participate in sex acts for money without wanting to. Under U.S. government law, any minor less than 18 years old years instigated into business sex is a casualty of sex trafficking—regardless of whether the trafficker utilized constrain, extortion, or intimidation. The circumstances that sex trafficking casualties confront change drastically. Numerous victims turn out to be involved romantically with somebody who at that forces them into prostitution. Others are baited in with bogus guarantees of a vocation, like dancing or modeling. Some are compelled to offer sex by their folks or other relatives. They might be included in a trafficking circumstance for a couple of days or weeks, or may stay in the same trafficking circumstance for quite a long time. Casualties of sex trafficking can be U.S. citizens, immigrants, ladies, men, youngsters,