Human Trafficking Essay

You turn on the news and see another story about trafficking in a third world country. You’re not surprised. One day, you see a story about trafficking in the United States. You’re surprised. Human trafficking happens all around the world, yet it’s a taboo subject. Over 20 million people are trafficked around the world. They’re usually forced into labor or prostitution. There are government efforts towards combating this problem. Despite these efforts, the government is not doing enough because in preventing and regulating it.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will. (“Human Trafficking.”) Differing definitions of sex trafficking in state laws make it difficult to know if the studies on sex trafficking are including consensual, adult sex workers, who are not victims of trafficking under federal or international law in their numbers. Vulnerable Native American women and youth are targeted by traffickers more than any other ethnic group. The data collected for the “Shattered Hearts” report from 95 Native women and girls suggest that the trafficking of Native girls into prostitution is a significant, though rarely discussed as a problem. Still, the studies do suggest that sex trafficking of Native women and girls, specifically, is present in the United States. (“Shattered Hearts.”)

Both Human Trafficking and Violence against Women can be caused by a number of things, yet let’s look specifically at the causes in the United States. Human trafficking is lucrative business, earning “$32 billion in 2005”, is fueled by the kidnapping of women and children before being coerced in to the sex trade and forced labor (Fiengold,2005). While human trafficking is an equal opportunity crime unlike gender-based violence, the root causes can be divided into three different parts including economic, social, and politics based on area in which the individual may be lacking or has had a void. Economicaly, “traffickers often deceive their victims” by luring them under false pretenses of vast and abundant economic opportunity, creating new “routes of trafficking from less developed countries to developed” ones like the United States (Clawson,Dutch,Soloman,Grace,

Out of the thousands of people that have been human trafficking victims each year, only an insignificant amount of them is actually reported. Imagine being in 8th grade. Having all sorts of hopes and dreams. Now flash forward to dreams being taken away by a pimp that lures people into human trafficking. In short, this is true for Holly Austin Smith, a survivor of human trafficking. The punishment for the pimps that ruin the lives of these young girls is not severe. Therefore, there is not much help for the girls after they get rescued from this tragedy. A realization Holly had soon on and explains, “...Although I was soon recognized to be a victim, the specialized aftercare needed for a trafficking victim did not yet exist... Twenty years ago, there were no anti-trafficking laws in place. This pimp, who raped and lured a child into prostitution, served only 365 days in jail” (Smith). This young girl had recovered from this horrible incident all by herself. Many other girls in her position have gone through similar experiences and have been hurt by their pimp. In addition, the pimp will not receive much punishment. A sad story repeated across America and is very prominent in other countries. In America, most of the time victims are the ones that usually serve time in jail since in some cases it’s considered prostitution, even if it was forced by the pimp. In most cases, the pimps stay uncovered and if the victims of trafficking come forward as to who their pimp is, they

Sex trafficking is essentially systemic rape for profit. Force, fraud and coercion are used to control the victim’s behavior which may secure the appearance of consent to please the buyer (or john). Behind every transaction is violence or the threat of violence (Axtell par. 4). Just a decade ago, only a third of the countries studied by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had legislation against human trafficking. (Darker Side, par.1) Women, children, and even men are taken from their homes, and off of the streets and are brought into a life that is almost impossible to get out of. This life is not one of choice, it is in most times by force. UNODC estimates that the total international human trafficking is a

Human trafficking brings in billions of dollars into the U.S and all around the world. “The prime motive for such outrageous abuse is simple: money. In this $12 billion global business just one woman trafficked into the industrialized world can net her captors an average $67,000 a year” (Baird 2007). The laws around human trafficking are not strict and vary depending on what country it is happening in. Human trafficking is not something that is strictly foreign, it is happening right in front of our faces, in our neighborhoods, and all around us.

Slavery is a modern, pervasive problem. Human trafficking has been found in every state in America (humantrafficking.org). It seems that most Americans likely live within a comfortable drive of someone who is being exploited through human trafficking. There is a growing trend in human trafficking toward sexual exploitation (Bennetts, 2011). The Information Age has helped to create new opportunities for sex trafficking to flourish.

So, what can be done to fix this? The solution is simple, the hard part is getting enough people to care about the solution. If enough people considered how their products were being made and decided to stop supporting companies that abuse workers for labor, eventually those companies would need to change. If the market allows for human trafficking, it will exist. If companies start to lose money because people are boycotting their goods or services, they are going to take notice. If they don’t step up and eliminate trafficking in their supply chains, then they could die out. (Thrupkaew, Human Trafficking is all around you)

Human trafficking is a serious global issue that needs the awareness and attention of the world. The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crimes identifies human trafficking as “an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion, or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them” (UNODC). According to the book Trafficking in People by the policy analysts Clare Ribando Seelke and Alison Siskin, this exploitation can include forced prostitution, ”forced labor and services, slavery, servitude, or the removal of organs” (Ribando Seelke and Siskin 4). Human Trafficking is a violation against fundamental human rights. But even 63 years after the United Nations Universal Declaration

Slavery is a form of human bondage, in which people were forced to follow the demands of whoever owns them. Although it was abolished in the 19th century, slavery has been resurrected and has taken the form of human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery, in which thousands of foreign people are smuggled across national borders as forced labor in factories, farms, and brothels. The way human traffickers persuade foreign women into coming to their country is forcing them against their will or falsely promising them the American dream. The threats that human trafficking present are that it deprives people of their human rights, it is a global health risk, and fuels the growth of organized crimes, like sex crimes. The United States has

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.

Human Trafficking is a horrendous crime that takes advantage of people through the illegal trading of human beings for purposes of forced labor, and commercial sexual/child exploitation. Traffickers tend to prey on the vulnerable, those who want a better life, have little or no employment opportunities, very unstable, and have a history of sexual abuse. With this being popular in society, anyone can easily become a victim. By being an undocumented immigrant, runaway and homeless youth, and a victim of trauma and abuse, you have already put a target on your back. The most popular victims are the undocumented immigrants due to the lack of legal status, language barriers, limited employment options, and social isolation. ("The Victims.")

There are an estimated 27 million adults and 13 million children around the world who are victims of human trafficking

After the illegal drug-trade human trafficking is the fastest increasing criminal industry. Human trafficking is commonly referred to as "modern-day slavery." This is the illegal trade of human beings for forced labor or for exploitation. Exploitation referring to the use of others for prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, or the removal of organs. Woman and young children living in poverty are the ones who usually fall in the trap of the traffickers. Due to poverty many women are not educated and are not employed leaving them with no choice but to sell their bodies to provide for their families. An approximated 17,500 foreigners are trafficked each year in the United States alone, the

Human Trafficking is one of the many horrors that occur across the world that is not spoken about enough in society. Human trafficking can include organ trafficking, prostitution, child pornography, forced labor, debt bondage, child labor and child soldiers. In all cases of human trafficking, human beings are controlled and exposed for profit the most common type of profit being money. People who are victims of human trafficking can be found working in a myriad of places such as massage parlors, sweatshops, brothels, fields, online escort services, and even in private homes. This horrific crime occurs all over the world. Many people never know that this is highly prevalent in the United States as well. Traffickers often have a separate language that they use when discussing their “business”. For example, some words can include bottom, cathouse, daddy, circuit, branding, pimp, trap queen, seasoning, john, madam, queen pin, stroll and trick.