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Human Trafficking Is The Modern Form Of Slavery

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Human trafficking is the modern form of slavery, with illegal smuggling and trading of people, for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Trafficking is officially defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by means of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, or abuse of power of a position of vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation. (“dictionary.com”) Human trafficking is not equivalent with forced migration or smuggling. In the U.S., human trafficking tends to occur around international travel-hubs with large immigrant populations, such as California and Texas. The U.S. Justice Department estimates that 17,500 people are trafficked into the country every year, but the true figure could be …show more content…

Victims are exploited by the service industries in restaurants, bars, strip clubs, nail salons, and similar businesses. You will find many victims on “adult services” internet sites. The commercial sex industry relies heavily on human trafficking victims. Prostitutes, strippers, escorts, and workers in massage parlors, brothels and for phone chat lines are often victims. Right now traffickers in many American cities are exploiting workers and sexually abusing women and girls.
Some ways of spotting people who have been involved in human trafficking are very startling. Victims of human trafficking often live on or near their work premises, often with a large number of occupants in a small space. Bouncers, guards, guard dogs or barbed wire may be present. Many victims live in isolated areas. Victims lack of private space, personal possessions and financial records and are kept under surveillance or are escorted by an employer when they are out in the community. The trafficker may act as a translator. The victim may be branded or have other scarring indicating ownership. Victims are often malnourished and may show signs of rape, sexual and physical abuse, posttraumatic stress and poor psychological health. They also may have sexually transmitted diseases or other untreated medical problems. Brothels often contain barred windows, locked doors and electronic surveillance.

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