Global Issue Of Human Trafficking In The United States

Human trafficking is one of the many faces of organized crime. Human trafficking is a broad term which contains trafficking for the purpose of sex along with the exploitation of labor. Currently, there are 20.9 million victims of sex slavery (Stacy.j.cecchet 2014 482) whom have or are suffering suffer inhumane circumstances and consequences. Sex trafficking is one of the largest criminal activities in the world (Stacy 249). Vulnerable women and children are taken advantage of and thrown into sex slavery, yet there is no explanation available as to how women and children are taken and thrown into the industry within countries such as Canada and the United States of America (482 Stacy j Cecchet 2014), which have human rights protection. Sex slavery leaves everlasting mental and physical effects on the abused women and children being trafficked. Even though sex trafficking is a crime it is also, for a lack of better words, an industry which would cease to exist if it was not for the supply and demand for women and children.

In the year 2000, the trafficking victim protection act (TVPA) was passed by the U.S. Congress. This law “ criminalizes the forced or deceptive movement of people into exploitative conditions of labor and provides services to victims. This law makes a symbolic distinction (although it holds no legal meaning) between “sex” and “non-sex” trafficking” (Peters, 2013). At the same time in the international community, the Trafficking Protocol was adopted. This protocol

“43% of victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98% are women and girls” (UNGIFT). Women and girls are ensnared in sex trafficking in a variety of ways. Some are lured in with offers of real and legal work in restaurants, massage parlors, or anything else. Others are promised marriage, education and a better life. Still others are sold into trafficking by boyfriends, friends, neighbors or even parents (SOROPTMIST). Many of the girls and women are also forced into pornography. With all of the types of sexual exploitation comes abuse. Sexual, physical, and emotional are all types of abuse put onto females in human trafficking. Many people traffic others in hopes of getting money, work done, or just pure pleasure.

Situation: Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 14,000- 17,500 people trafficked across our boarders. The issues of international human trafficking have only recently been brought to light as an increasing problem within the United States. The department of homeland security, which consists of many branches such as Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Coast Guard, are some of the top combating agencies against human trafficking. With the rise of the amount of victims estimated to be trafficked into the U.S each year, there is much more that needs to be done in order to better address the issue.

Human trafficking has been in existence in several states for many years. It is a form of slavery where people can be transported from one place to another for exploitation in farms, being forced into criminal activities such as terrorism, forced marriages, sexual abuse, prostitution among other forms of illicit activities (Butler, 2015). The trafficked individuals are often oppressed through violence, threats or coercion which forces the individuals to be involved in various things which they could not be willing to conduct. Majorly, members of the African continent have been widely bound to human trafficking. However, the ordeal has expanded even to trafficking within members of the same state.

Human trafficking exists in several nations all around us. No nation, including the United States is exempt from human trafficking. There may be factors that create unique anti-trafficking issues and obstacles for each nation, but the characteristics are all the same or very similar worldwide. These characteristics are how the trafficking is conducted, how the victims are kidnapped, the percentage of victims, the gender of the victims, and the percentage of each gender in different trafficking situations. The situations include children, adults, male, and female victims. The situations the victims fall into are pornography, forced labor, sex slaves, prostitution, child sex tourism, and many more. These are the issues and key points made by the authors to persuade the reader to agree with their position.

There is estimated almost twenty-one million trafficked humans throughout the world. Sixty-eight percent of the trafficked humans are held captive and forced to work. In North and South America, there is more women trafficked than men, human trafficking is one the most traumatizing things in the world, people in this world are more worried about money, then being humane.

Women and children leave home in search of better lives and that makes them vulnerable to traffickers (Haerens 28). Traffickers lead their victims to believe that they would have a better life than before. One of the biggest offer traffickers present to their victims is that they will have a job if they go with them, but in the end, they will probably not end up with a paying job (Petriligieri 3). Traffickers offer many other solutions such as a bright future, better standard of living, sense of belonging and love (Pittaro 3). People living in impoverished areas do not have the same opportunity to get an education as we, in the United States, do (“Global Recession” 1). In the Philippines they “sweet talk” the parents to allow their daughters to leave their homes and work in Manila as “domestic helpers with promises of huge salaries that they would be able to send back home to help their families” (“Human Trafficking Is Caused” 1). Once they get there, they end up in forced labor or prostitution ( Haerens

Human trafficking is already a severe crime in the United States. To make matters worse, it 's the sex trade that has the lives of so many young girls turned upside down. The single largest demographic age for new targets and victims is roughly between ages 12-14. New targets are chosen every day. Most are very random choices; but then again some are watched and even have contact with their abductor. The solution for the human trafficking issue can be in many various way and type. But the solution must be strong enough to prevent and bring the human trafficking criminal to justice. We need to help create counter-measures for the elimination and prevention of human trafficking of the United States through the heightening of targeted public awareness to individuals and organizations with the potential for contributing or raising funds.

Also, there is the matter of trust and fear. Victims are often, for example, frightened to believe they can accept help without owing something back. Some survivors are too afraid because they fear their traffickers too much to accept any services. Furthermore, it aggravates victims to find out that the time is takes for cases to be prosecuted and to gain protections is very extensive. Intensifying the existing laws to better defend human trafficking victims is critical.The United States Government, in 2000, certified the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. This act helps prosecute traffickers and support victims. Since then the number of recognized victims of trafficking has risen as well as trials and social service providers working with survivors. Because of this it gives researchers an opportunity to track and study the issue deeper and come up with new solutions (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2005).

Human trafficking is a modern-day multibillion slavery business, involving victims who are kidnapped, smuggled and/or recruited then forced into slavery, labor and/or sexual exploitation. The primary cause of human trafficking is poverty. It is a global epidemic sweeping the nations and has been for years. It is more prevalent in third world countries, yet it is occurring all over the world. Traffickers make an income and a way of living from offering humans for slavery, labor, and sexual exploitation. According to Equality Now, “At least 20.9 million adults and children are bought and sold worldwide into commercial sexual servitude, forced

With an estimated 17,500 individuals trafficked into the U.S. annually, 1,000 individuals received certification within six years following the laws that were set up to stop human trafficking.(Wolf-Branigin, 2010, pp. 424-436) .Certification makes victims of trafficking eligible to receive services from federally funded or administered programs. Even after significant funding for services to support victims of trafficking at the federal level, these resources appear insufficient to meet the demand (Wolf-Branigin, 2010, pp.

In 2014, the states considered more than 220 bills that addressed human trafficking, including 24 bills in 11 states that called for expanding services to sexually exploited youth. (State Legislative). The United States expanded services like the “safe harbor” for sexually exploited children. In the United States, about 300,000 children are at the risk of being exploited and trafficked for sex. Human trafficking impacts millions of people globally; as a community we need to come up with a solution to stop it; some solutions may be, provide security for victims (of being trafficked); and help force laws against it.

In today’s world, people believe that all enslavement or forced labor of any kind has quietly deceased over the years, that all types of enslavement are behind modern societies and totally in the past, yet it has been exactly the opposite. An international office stated, “ Only one out of 100 victims of trafficking is ever rescued. This means around only 24,000 out of the 2.4 million people enduring human trafficking will be spared,” (“Combating Human Trafficking”). Human trafficking is still a very big problem across the world, even in the United States. Human trafficking has only increased over the past two decades. It is also not likely that a person being trafficked is only enduring this for a few months and then is set free; people are victims for multiple years, possibly even decades. Human trafficking is still a serious threat to innocent lives across the planet because rates are increasing, people are stuck in that vicious cycle for years, and it is damaging millions of people everyday.

A $28 billion trade is human trafficking, not to be confused with smuggling. This can take place in many forms such as modern day slavery, sexual exploitation, or even worse, organ harvesting. Human smuggling is when persons pay just to be brought into a country and do not get forced into all the terrible things that a ‘trafficked’ person gets forced into doing. Trapped with no way out many are forced to work as migrant workers or prostitutes. This is one of the fastest growing criminal activities around the globe. (Vardi, 2010). “It is estimated that 800,000 to 900,000 victims are annually trafficked across international borders worldwide and between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States annually.” (2012).