Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is the exploitation of humans to make money. There are more slaves today than ever in history. Most times victims are trafficked by people they know, trust and love like friends and family.

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).

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

Human Trafficking is a form of organized crime, in which people of all ages are taken from their homes to be exploited for sexual or labor purposes. The traffickers use fear and violence to get these people to come with them, and all they really want out of it is money. I will be using four main sources to gather my information. First I will give a general overview of two websites giving great depth into the topic of human trafficking. I will then summarize three case studies on human trafficking. Finally, I will give my views on the issue, and tell why it is such any important topic for the public to hear about.

Globally, about 20 to 30 million people are involved in the human trafficking system, and of those, 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked in the United States every year. Human trafficking is more prevalent today then ever before. It is the third largest crime internationally. People are abused and taken advantage of. According to the article, “11 Facts About Human Trafficking,” on average, a person is forced into the system around age 9, and the majority of victims are women and girls, with a small percentage of men and boys. In addition, the human trafficking system is a $32 billion dollar industry. Human trafficking can be defined as the selling and trade of human beings, ranging anywhere from children to adults, for the purpose of

They are sold by pimps for sex, and the sexual exploiters (or johns) are often given wide latitude in how they treat the victims. Some pimps even allow johns to murder the women and girls for an additional temporary sexual rush. The Lifetime movie, "Human Trafficking", give many disturbing but accurate examples as to how people are lured into forced labor. Throughout the film, there are stories of five girls forced into prostitution. First is Helena from Czechoslovakia. Helena is brought to Vienna by a handsome stranger who says he wants to marry her, and then sells her to traffickers. Second is Nadia from the Ukraine. A modeling agency recruits her and brings her to the U.S. where they turn against her and force her into prostitution. Third is Annie from the U.S. While vacationing in the Philippines with her parents, Annie is lured away from her parents and kidnapped. Finally is Jasmine from the Philippines. She is a member of a very poor family and sold to a trafficker by her father. Although these examples are derived from a film, they are excellent examples as to the many ways young women are coerced into forced labor.

Human Trafficking is the exploitation of men, women, and children in order to gain a monetary benefit from the involuntary sex acts the victims are forced to commit. Trafficking rings are usually run by one pimp or a family of pimps that charm the victim by offering them a better future of love and promise. However, this life does not consist of those charming promises. As the testimonies below will show, human trafficking may be stated as a good monetary business and life choice, but instead, trafficking violates human rights and leaves victims isolated from those who love them, and rejected by the world that does little to protect them.

Human trafficking, or the selling and buying of people, is a well-hidden yet prominent issue within today’s society. It is both an immoral and horrific topic that needs brought to attention and dealt with. When human beings are manipulated into work, sexual servitude, or economic hardship, human trafficking is occurring. In the year of 2006, only one individual is convicted of human trafficking per 800 victims (UNGIFT). By looking at straight statistics, reasons human trafficking happens, and the toll it has on people, it is very clear that this is a major issue that is happening in our world.

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about Human Trafficking. What it is, where it is and who gets affected.

Human trafficking is as described by Wikipedia as the illegal trade in humans for the use of sexual exploitation or forced labor.

Human trafficking has received increasing global attention over the past decade. Trafficking of women and girls for forced sex work and, to a lesser extent, domestic servitude, were the sole focus of advocacy and assistance. There is recognition in today’s society that women, children, and men are trafficked into many different forms of labour, and for sexual exploitation. In her article, “Understanding and Addressing Violence Against Women”, Cathy Zimmerman and Heidi Stockl focus on the commonality of human trafficking and how evident it is in everyday life. They bring in the health effects and possible solutions to human trafficking to help validate their opinion and argument. In the solutions they offer, Zimmerman and Stockl shine a light on policy-makers/decision-makers, health-care providers, and researchers/funders and what each of these groups of people can do to help combat the issue of human trafficking. In a quote from their article, Stockl and Zimmerman say: “Health care providers and organizations involved with trafficked persons should increase their capacity to identify and refer people in trafficking situations and provide sensitive and safe services to people post-trafficking”. This quote shows how Zimmerman and Stockl believe human trafficking should be combated by caring and talking to those affected by the issue but how they also believe awareness should be made about human trafficking so as to allow people surrounding the issue to identify and help victims of this issue. Zimmerman and Stockl’s view on the ways human trafficking should be combatted relate to those of Soroptimist due to the fact that the two groups of people are focused mainly on helping women and girls who have been trafficked and trying to get them to a better life after getting out of the trafficking situation. Both groups focus on helping men as well, providing options to help them such as raising money and awareness, and getting educated on being able to identify victims of human trafficking.

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.

“Owners” of Women in human trafficking are beyond brutal. Survivors say they will beat you till you admit something even when you know nothing of the incident. They do not tell the traffickers where they are. If they know where they are they may be able to get help. Traffickers have no rights. 90% of the time they have no cell phone, no contact to family, and are under monderting at all times. They are beaten for not working hard enough. These victims experience abuse that no one should ever have to experience. It is an unimaginable situation that is a reality to too many women. According to the FBI services here is what Human Trafficking means “People are being bought, sold, and smuggled like modern-day slaves, often beaten, starved, and forced to work as prostitutes or to take jobs as migrant domestic, restaurant, or factory worker with little or no pay.” This is a hard situation to think about living in but yet women are forced to.

“They would beat you. They would make you feel like they would cause you yourself or your family harm. Another thing, some of the girls don’t have anywhere to go (Victims, 2011).” Keisha Head works as an anti-human trafficking advocate, but that was not always the case. She was once a victim to this cold and unforgiving way of life that many people simply call “prostitution.” It has been said by the ignorant that prostitutes must enjoy their line of work, as sex is generally considered pleasurable. However, Keisha tells another story. “I became numb to what I was doing. I guess that’s the survival instinct,” she says. Another woman who escaped the life preferred to remain anonymous, but her statement is profound. “I was hoping that I would

She’s the girl who’s running away from her abusive past, the one who is impoverished and looking for a way to make ends meet, or perhaps, she’s the girl who naively fell in love with the wrong man. Regardless of the reasons, there are nearly 30 million victims of human trafficking globally. There are more slaves now than ever before. Trafficking of persons is not a subject that should be ignored or taken lightly. In order to fully understand the enormity of this crisis, we will examine the root causes, facts, and the impact of human trafficking throughout the world.