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Essay on Human Trafficking

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The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Acts of 2003 and 2005 have defined sex trafficking as a commercial sexual act or acts that are induced by fraud, coercion, or in which the person to perform these sexual acts are under the age of eighteen Blackburn, Taylor and Davis (2010). The sex industry in Cambodia and Thailand consists of men, women, and children. In order for there to be enforced labor and sex trafficking there has to be forms of illegal immigration to these economies, though not all human traffickers are kidnapped or forced into sex work, many choose to do this work. Singh and Hart (2007) have labeled Thailand as a country of many prostitutes and its reputation …show more content…

Blackburn, Taylor and Davis (2010) found because of poverty in Cambodia and Thailand parents tend to give up or sent their children (mostly females) to recruiters or creditors in order to make ends meet, pay off a family debt and their children were a part of debt bondage. These children became prostitutes and they were accepted to do these acts to pay for food and shelter to the recruiters. Singh and Hart (2007) indicate that their findings were that many of the women involved in sex work were interested with making money because they were facing financial hardships and sex work was able to help increase the standard of living for themselves and their families. Parents spent money raising their daughters and the daughters would become prostitutes to repay the debt. Singh and Hart (2007) explain that the earnings of one daughter can support a whole family in the rural villages of Thailand.
Due to cultural myths, men believe that having sex with underage girls as young as five will boost their health. Another belief is that having sex with a virgin can cure sexually transmitted diseases like HIV and AIDS. Though estimates of children infected with HIV and AIDS show otherwise reports from 2007 present that 4,000 to 5,000 children aged zero thru fourteen and 63,000 to 80,000 adults aged fifteen and older in Cambodia are living with HIV. In Thailand 12,000 to 17,000 children aged zero thru fourteen and 400,000 to 860,000 adults aged fifteen and

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