Human Trafficking And The United States

In 2010, there were almost 30,000 Latino immigrants in Durham, ninety percent of which were undocumented immigrants (Johnson). Initially, most Latino immigrants arrived in the southwest, but since the turn of the century, more have settled in new destinations, such as Durham, and other parts of the Southeast, due to opportunities to work in low-skilled jobs.

There should be stronger enforcement of the human trafficking policies in the United States. Human trafficking is modern day slavery that consists of men, women, children being forced into sex or labor work. Some think that human trafficking policies shouldn’t be enforced because it brings in money and sometimes the victims choose to be in the business. Human trafficking victims suffer from many health deficits as the result of being trafficked and the cost to help pay for these health deficits are expensive. The trafficking of humans is a huge human rights violation and it needs to be stopped.

Human trafficking is a public health problem within the United States and Internationally. The victims subjected to the lifestyle of human trafficking can have sexually transmitted disease, HIV virus, and AIDS. It is an estimated 30,000 victims of human sex trafficking dying each year from abuse, disease, torture, and neglect. According, to U.S. government an estimates, of 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders annually, and up to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year (Hodge, 2008). “According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), over the past 30 years, over 30 million children have been sexually exploited through human trafficking” (Random Facts, 2015, para. 24).

Human trafficking is a prominent problem within the United States that is often overlooked. The definition of human trafficking is, “Human trafficking - the illegal practice of procuring or trading in human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation” (“Human trafficking”). People in the United States believe that human trafficking is a problem that occurs in other less developed countries compared to the United States. What these individuals do not realize is that human trafficking occurs on American soil contrary to popular belief. The United States is one of the top three destination countries of human trafficking and human trafficking is a top criminal enterprise across the world (“WEAVE, Inc.”).

The United States has always been known for sticking their nose in places where it does not belong. America has been part of wars that could have been avoided, scandals that had nothing to do with the United States. Millions of lives over the years could have been spared if America would have just simply stayed where they belong. What if though, America feels like they have to get involved in forging affairs if they think it can cause or is causing a problem on American soil or with the Americans themselves? Human trafficking is issues that most people do not necessarily knows about or even really think about. There are several different types of human trafficking and smuggling crimes that are in today's society. The number one kind of human trafficking is sex trafficking. The handlers usually kidnap someone, ninety percent of the time, a girl under the age of eighteen, and sell them to different people all over the world for sexual reasons. The girls they kidnap and sell can be from the area or just passing through and get in the wrong place at the wrong time. Forced labor is the second most common type of human trafficking in the world. This is where a person takes advantage of a worker and changes labor laws to make them work longer hours or harder, more tiring jobs with very little pay. Victims of forced labor most of the time do not even know what is happening to them. Most of the people that get sucked into the forced labor trade are very vulnerable;

Each year about 17,500 individuals are brought into the United States and become victims of human trafficking. Every country has this problem and it has become the 3rd largest illegal industry worldwide.

Human trafficking is an issue that no one really wants to talk about. The media portrays this horrible crime as something that only happens in foreign lands. Americans do not want to believe that something so heinous could happen on our own soil. However when survivors of human trafficking come forward, people are forced to confront the reality that this issue is not that far from home. Some individuals still choose to deny that this is a real issue. However the facts make it extremely hard to deny that human trafficking happens on American soil.

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 doesn’t happen in third world countries only. It doesn’t just happen to poor people and it certainly doesn’t solely happen to women. It is present here in the USA but it is hidden, and even worse, so are their victims. They are everywhere yet invisible. They are silently crying for our help through their eyes and smiles. According to Polaris, “…the prevalence of sex trafficking in the United States is still unknown, we do know that women, children, and men are being sold for sex against their will in cities and towns in all 50 states”. Human trafficking can happen to anyone even to Theresa Flores, the author of “The slave across the street”(“Sex trafficking” 2015). An average 15 year old American girl, coming from a privileged background and a respected family became a victim of sex trafficking and through her book, she convinces us that human trafficking doesn’t have a specific demographic.

Freedom is an undeniable right that this Country was founded upon. Yet even today, the ongoing practice of human trafficking continues on a disturbingly large scale. Well said by the President, “It ought to concern every person, because it’s a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at the social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage, of

As we separated our pubescent selves from the clutches of overbearing Britain we promised our civilians liberty in apparent abundance. We went so far as to build our country off of the foundation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, the constant question remains, are we actually granted these three rights? Are all Americans subject to complete freedom? If one answered yes they would be sadly mistaken. Underground in our united land we face a severe issue that questions one’s liberties. We have slavery in this country, the most prominent type being sexual slavery, enforced through prostitution and human trafficking. Human trafficking and prostitution are severe undercurrents that surge rapidly in the United States despite common belief.

Up until last semester, I truly had no idea of the magnitude of human trafficking in the United States. Living in the Bible belt, we tend to be sheltered and naive to the corruptions of the world. Last semester, I was required to do some research regarding human trafficking I was appalled at my findings. I even had my husband read an article to bring him insight and awareness. I know Ashton Kutcher is a huge advocate for human trafficking awareness and trying to put an end to this heinous crime. I am aware of the Tennessee website for human trafficking. I received training in identifying human trafficking in the health care setting through my education, here at King University. If I am recalling correctly, we also had a training module through

Human trafficking has always been a though subject. Most Americans prefer to believe that this is a problem of the past, that it simply does not occur anymore. Others accept the fact that human trafficking exist, but in a far away reality, an incident homed only in poor, third world countries. This couldn’t be farther away from the truth. Human trafficking is a real and current problem in the United States, California being a hotspot for this issue, and with the Super Bowl in 2016 the problem will only get worse.

Human trafficking have become more significant in modern society. Measuring the extent and tracking the numbers of people trafficked yearly is difficult due to the covert operations of human trafficking worldwide (Shelley, 2010). Shelley noted that trafficking are often committed by discrete ethnic groups that are difficult to for foreigners or outsiders to penetrate (Shelley, 2010, p. 4). Europe is currently facing an increasing migration of illegal immigrants from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, with an estimated 400,000 people entering Europe each year (Shelley, 2010). Human trafficking and human smuggling in the U.S. is composed of young sex trafficking victims, and are often native born (Shelley, 2010). One of the problems of human

Many Americans remain ignorant of human trafficking within the United States, believing that this inhumane act only occurs in third-world countries. No one likes to believe that it can be happening in our own country let alone in some of our own states and cities. Society rarely takes the time to understand these women and what lead them into trafficking and what factors contributed to them staying in trafficking. This study seeks to voice the ability to raise awareness, enhance penalties for the traffickers/violator’s, and offer rehabilitation for the victims.