Human Trafficking Is A Criminal Act And Violates Human Rights

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 affects our children and our schools more than most realize. It is estimated that more than 200,000 American children are trafficked each year in America. Victims of trafficking often come from vulnerable populations, including migrants, oppressed or marginalized groups, runaways or displaced persons, and the poor (Talati). The children most likely to be targeted by traffickers are those not living with their parents, who are vulnerable to coerced labor exploitation, domestic servitude, or prostitution. Sex traffickers target children because of their vulnerability and gullibility, as well as the market demand for young victims. Studies have shown that it is not just high school children at risk, demonstrating that pimps prey on victims as young as 12 years old. Victims

Thousands of unreported children are trafficked from Bangladesh to other countries every year (2). Children who are taken by traffickers often come from impoverished or isolated regions. The parents are promised that their children will have a well-paid job or a nice marriage (4). Impoverished and desperate, they trust the offers, which ultimately lead their children to be exploited through trafficking (7).

Every year, hundreds of girls are taken advantage of and sold into prostitution. Sexual predators, especially in America, prey upon girls who are on the streets alone (usually due to problems at home). One such target was thirteen year old Salina, who lived in Las Vegas with her mother when personal distress caused her to run away from home. While detached from her family, Salina was picked up by a couple who forced her into sex work. It was clear that if she did not obey, went back home, or kept any of the money she earned, she would be beaten and possibly killed. But she was not held in a brothel or forced to walk the streets; no, this method is used by millions of people on a daily basis- the internet.

Between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States annually, and often, the average age of entry is thirteen to fourteen years old (Hodge, 2008). One victim recalls that her pimp, a man who controls sex workers and keeps the earnings, would take her and two other girls from the ninth grade out of school during lunchtime, have them do calls, and bring them back. She explains, “He knew how to read each girl—this one likes to party, that one needs a job, this one wants drugs.” By doing

Jasmine, a 13 year old girl, is roped into sex trafficking by “the man she thought was her boyfriend and protector [and now he] is selling her for sex to make money for his gang. She is stuck in ‘the game’ for more than five years…” (Basich).

In the case that the FBI studied, the young seventeen year old girl ran away from home to be with an “older boyfriend,” and was soon forced into using her body to make money for the trafficker. This led to her being exposed to the dark world of prostitution and her body being sold on the Internet (Alvarez, Cañas-Moreira). Since each victim’s story is divergent and arduous, not many are open to sharing their exposure to that world. However, some are, and Karla Jacinto, a victim of trafficking, informed the world of her experience. Jacinto was lured in by an older man, who promised her the world if she went away with him. She left home and about three months after, she was forced into prostitution. Jacinto “worked” every single day for four years, and she estimates that she, in that time frame, was raped 43,200 times (Romo). Her story continues, when one day she was working in a hotel known for prostitution and the police arrived. They, however, did nothing to stop this, but instead took videos of them and threatened to show their families. The police, in Karla Jacinto’s case, turned a blind eye to the fact that minors were being prostituted (Romo). Behind every trafficked victim’s story is a faceless trafficker, who does anything in their power to

Did you know that 100,000 kids a year are taken and forced into human trafficking? What about smuggling? That families would pay $10,000 dollars just to be taken over the border. Human trafficking has become the world’s largest crime and has affected many lives. Kids everyday are being taken away, some from as close as their own drive way. They are forced to have intercourse, which will ruin the lives of many such as a girl named Debbie who was taken from her drive way at the age of 9. People in today’s world need to be more knowledgeable about human trafficking and smuggling, not many know that it could be as close to their home town. These things affect many lives in today’s society and ruin some.

The trafficking of people is a simmering problem in Sub-Saharan Africa, UNODC (as cited in Observer Jamaica, 2016) reported that between 2012 and 2014 Sub-Saharan Africa constituted sixty-two percent of the world’s child trafficking and 69 countries from the region detected traffic victims. particularly, areas such as South Africa, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, and Togo; these areas being the destination for regional and extra-regional trafficking activities. Human trafficking is the dark side of migration, where people are illegally transported from one area to another for the purpose of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Consequently, victims are often time affected physically and psychologically “the consequence on individuals is clearly destructive and unacceptable” (UNODC, 2008).

Many children are trafficked away from home thinking that they can earn money for their family. “The parents in the countries of origin do not even know what happens to their children in the countries of destination”(“High cost of child trafficking” 1). The main reason that children are trafficked is because the traffickers are just looking for a way to make money by using the children to work for them in dangerous conditions. Many kids in Africa are tricked into thinking that they could somehow earn money for their families, but soon realize that they made a huge

According to the UNODC report, between 2007 and 2010 women constituted the majority of victims of trafficking in persons detected globally. (Crime) The same report reported that children being trafficked is on the rise. Out of the detected victims whose age profile was known and reported in the period 2007-2010, around 27 percent were children. (Crime)

Unfortunately, there are no nations unaffected by the curse of human trafficking. Yearly, millions of women and children are taken or lured away from their homes with the promises of being put into a position to better the lives of themselves, their families. The most common reasons for human trafficking is about the exploitation of women and children through sex trafficking. There has always been a thought that the trafficked people may have done something for this to have happened to them. People should be mindful of the fact that no one is immune to being trafficked. But those who are poor, in poverty – stricken areas are more prone to this type of criminal activity. Exploitation may include forced sex work and labour in settings such as domestic

Firstly, sexual exploitation is commonly reported and has become the utmost acknowledged types of human trafficking. Furthermore, both women and children are subjected to sex trafficking and are compelled to partake in commercial sex deeds. Generally speaking, in the United States, if a child is under the age of 18 who has engaged in commercial sex acts they are believed to be a sex trafficking victim. It is identified that 80% of women and girls are trafficked across national borders.

In other instances, child traffickers hook the family’s interest with talk of a better future; then, bribery and/or threats are used. Normally, in the more recent years, “families will be asked for payment towards the ‘service’ a trafficker is providing” (NSPCC). By paying for the child’s plane ticket to a new country or providing he/she with connections, it only seems fair for the parents of the minor to come up with a service payment. However, this is all a form of manipulation by the trafficker, because they are not actually looking to better the life of the child that they are indeed smuggling. The only interest is the money that is exchanged, and the innocent families in this situation are oblivious to that fact.

According to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (2000), child trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation. It is a violation of their rights, their well-being and denies them the opportunity to reach their full potential. Cathy Paris once said, “Truthfully, human trafficking is just a polite way to say modern-day slavery." That being said, no human is adequate to legislate and alternate a fellow human, without that humans assent. Even though slavery was abolished centuries ago, it still lingers on secretly in many countries in the world. Unfortunately, Child trafficking is a universal issue