Human Trafficking In Guatemala Essay

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 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.”).

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 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.”)

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.

Throughout the larger Caribbean region, the conversation of trafficking on a national platform, is virtually nonexistent. The Dominican Republic is the only country to have any sort of agenda for it. Through non-governmental organizations, trafficking survivors have access to orientation, assistance, protection, and health services, all of which are not available anywhere else in the region, which leaves survivors at greater risk of being re-trafficked. Throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, many countries have varying degrees of support for victims and the organization that shows the most promise for actually being successful in that

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.

Mexico is a Tier 2 source, transit, and destination country. It’s primary forms of trafficking are sexual exploitation and forced labor. Men, women, and children are trafficked, but the most vulnerable populations are indigenous peoples, migrants, mentally and physically disables, and LGBT individuals. Victims are forced into labor in the agriculture, domestic, manufacturing, food processing, construction, begging, and street vending services. Many victims are lured by fraudulent recruiters, possibility of romantic relationships, extortion, debt bondage, and the possibility of harm to family members. Women’s shelters and rehabilitation facilities become agencies for traffickers into forced labor and sexual exploitation. Child sex tourism flourishes and tourists come from the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. Many Mexican citizens and families exploit children into the commercial sex trade. Organized crime is actively involved and make men, women, and children engage in illicit activities, become assassins, aid as lookouts, and help in the production, transport, and sale of drugs. Government officials at every level either actively participate of are complicit in human trafficking. Many law enforcement, judges, immigration officials extort bribes, partake in sexual services from women and children, falsify documents, facilitate movement across borders, threaten victims if they choose to file a formal complaint, operate and patronize brothels, and refuse to respond

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.

Human trafficking of U.S. citizens and foreign nations persist and thrive for various reasons, one is the low risk involved. This is when the community is unaware of this issue, when the government/community institutions aren’t properly trained to respond, and the biggest reason yet is when law enforcement does not investigate and prosecute the crime, human traffickers perceive little risk or deterrence to affect their criminal operations. The next reason why human trafficking is so successful is because the high profits; when individuals are willing to buy commercial sex, they create a market and make it profitable for the traffickers to sexually exploit children and adults. (“Why”)

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 could be seen from California to New York. Just because it’s not obvious to the average citizen, the truth is, the person who’s in charge of trafficking their victims are notorious for hiding the crime in a undisclosed location. In Bangladesh, for example, it’s known for having the most human trafficking cases in the world, for not only are young girls and women lured into human trafficking, but also men as well (Samant, 2013). Rescuing the victims, at times, is a difficult task do for law enforcement officers, especially if the victims are hostages. In other words, rescuing human trafficking victims in Bangladesh is harder than most places since not only are human traffickers involved, but also hard working professionals

Imagine a four year old girl growing up in contemporary Cambodia. Each morning she wakes up miles from home, homesick and scared. She is forced to beg for money for the brothel that she belongs to, and all of her earnings go straight to her master. Then, that night, about seven men come to the brothel. These men, some as old as fifty, often pay as little as two dollars to partake in sexual intercourse with these school-aged children. The toddlers enslaved in the horrific sex trade are forever stripped of their purity, making human trafficking a major issue in present day Cambodia. Over 30,000 children are sexually exploited annually (“Children for Sale”), and millions have been forced into human trafficking

This research paper dives into the world of human trafficking looking into key details about the ethical implications of human trafficking as well as proposed solutions. With information such as statistics, methods of trafficking and the ending of trafficking that is found from websites from organizations that are dedicated to ending trafficking, the involvement of all countries are cited as necessary in ending this worldly crime. Information was found through University of South Florida’s library system and websites with information pertaining to their organization’s attempts at ending human trafficking. Articles utilized include Unintended Effects of United Nations Intervention, From Bush to Obama: Rethinking Sex and Religion in the U.S. Initiative to Combat Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking, and Supply and Demand: Human Trafficking in the Global Economy. In addition to these scholarly articles, websites used include the organizational websites of UNODC and UNICEF.

many academics, public officials, law enforcement authorities, and the news media believe human trafficking to be among the most tragic and horrendous transnational criminal activities facing us today. Victims are typically transported from