Human Trafficking Is The Modern Form Of Enslavement

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

“43% of victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98% are women and girls” (UNGIFT). Women and girls are ensnared in sex trafficking in a variety of ways. Some are lured in with offers of real and legal work in restaurants, massage parlors, or anything else. Others are promised marriage, education and a better life. Still others are sold into trafficking by boyfriends, friends, neighbors or even parents (SOROPTMIST). Many of the girls and women are also forced into pornography. With all of the types of sexual exploitation comes abuse. Sexual, physical, and emotional are all types of abuse put onto females in human trafficking. Many people traffic others in hopes of getting money, work done, or just pure pleasure.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, human trafficking is accounting for 2.4 million victims every single year. This is comparable to the African slave trade which was encompassing 5 to 6 million people annually. These figures are showing how both slavery and human trafficking were highly profitable. This is what helps to encourage recruitment. ("2.4 Million Human

Over the past several years, human trafficking has become a sizable world-wide problem. Human Trafficking has had a considerable affect on the World and United States. To combat this, several laws and initiatives have been enacted. While this allows for some headway in combating this problem, there are still several things that we can do to help. This review of literature on Human Trafficking focuses on these areas and provides the information on the steps that can help combat this epidemic.

There are an estimated 27 million adults and 13 million children around the world who are victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery where every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked in countries around the world, including the United

All over the world adults and children are victims of trafficking each year. These victims are in dangerous situations. Every year human trafficking continues to grow and expand every year. It is almost never ending. These victims are tortured and abused and they are being considered slaves. Many women and children

In the United States, estimates suggest that over 300,000 women and children become victims of commercial sexual exploitation in relation to human trafficking. Sexual exploitation plays a huge part on individual victims, who often suffer physical and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, passport theft, and even death. The impact of human trafficking on victims can take many forms and can have a lasting effect on the victim’s quality of life. Women and children are smuggled across national borders and forced in factories and brothels and made to perform sex acts against their will. One

State Department, human trafficking is “one of the greatest human rights challenges of this century” affecting the world and the United States (Lehnardt, 2016). Among other countries, the United States is ranked very high as a destination country of trafficked victims (Lehnardt, 2016). In 2016, the International Labor Organization estimated 40.3 million victims are deceived in trafficking around the world, and with hundreds of thousands in the United States (Global estimates, 2017; Victims, n.d.). Meaning there are 5.9 adult victims for every 1,000 adults and 4.4 child victims for every 1,000 children in the world (Global estimates, 2017). More than 71% of the trafficked victims around the world are women and girls and 29% are men and boys (Human trafficking, 2017). In Texas, the Dallas Women’s Foundation reported that more girls are being trafficked in one month, than those who die by suicide, homicide, and accidents combined (Human, n.d.). In the last five years, trafficking profits grew by nearly 400%, making human trafficking the second most profitable criminal industry in the world and generate around $150 billion dollars globally (Shut out, n.d.). With its fast-growing criminal enterprises, it's anticipated that the drug trade would be surpassed by human trafficking in the next five years (Popp,

1. According to research taken from the Polaris Project, over 20.9 million citizens in various countries across the world are currently enslaved in human trafficking (citation).

Human trafficking, a form of modern-day slavery, is the third largest money making venture in the world; 2.5 million out of 8.1 million of forced labor are sex trafficked and 1.7 million of women and girls are in commercial sexual exploitation (Stone 320). When it comes to human trafficking, it can happen to anyone and anywhere. Many female victims are sexually exploited because women and girls under the age of 18 are lured and misled by promises of employment, leaving their home and consideration that they will have a better life and finding themselves in sexual slavery and fear (“What Is”). Most sex-trafficked victims are unable to escape, but when they do, they use their voices to share their horrid experiences and how it has affected them.

"Over a century and a half after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, millions remain in bondage," stated President Barack Obama in his proclamation on December 30th, 2013 (Weaver 3). Human rights groups even estimate the amount of slave trade now to exceed that of the Atlantic slave trade of the 18th and 19th centuries (ProQuest Staff 1). Human trafficking takes human freedoms and rights away from victims, leads to organized crime, and undermines the security and safety of the nations it takes place in ("Impact of Human Trafficking" 1). The real eye-opening statistic is that every 30 seconds someone becomes a victim of human trafficking ("Human Trafficking and Slavery" 2). If the public was more aware of human trafficking, more programs for victims could be enacted as well as harsher consequences for traffickers.

“Human slavery is a robust, multi-billion dollar industry- only drugs and weapon dealing are more profitable,” said Dr. Noel Busch-Armendariz. Human trafficking is expected to have generated 32 Billion US dollars (“Factsheet”). Abducting humans into forced labor of any kind that generates this much money is absurd. Slavery has been illegal since 1865, however human trafficking is growing rapidly in the United States because of crime, poverty, and gangs.

Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery where its perpetrators profit from control, exploitation, coercion and defrauding of others through forced labor, or sexual exploitation and in some cases both. Sexual exploitation is the most prevalent form of human trafficking especially in the United States. Even though accurate statistics are rare in this field, those currently existing approximate that massive numbers of women and girls are sold for sexual exploitation within America’s human trafficking industry, which is worth an estimate of $ 9.5bn (Kelly, p.1). Additionally, the US Department of justice reveals that 300,000 children are at a risk of being sold into this inhumane and highly exploitative industry (Kelly, p.1). In the United States sex trafficking commonly takes place in the streets, residential brothels, brothels disguised as massage parlors and spas, online escorts services, truck stops, strip clubs, motels, hotels and anywhere else that is conducive for the trade to thrive. In addition to the inhumane treatment and extreme hardships that victims of sex trafficking are subjected to, all victims of sexual exploitation share one common experience, which is the loss of their freedom. This paper is a demonstration of how victims of sex trafficking in pursuit of lucrative jobs, education or loving romantic relationships, unknowingly and unwillingly trade off their freedom and freewill to perpetual bondage characterized by drugs, sex

Human trafficking is a worldwide issue that continues to pose problems to many countries including the United States of America. As technology continue to improve, it is very easy for a pimp or trafficker to sit in one state and connect with a victim in another state. People are been trafficked for many reasons, one of which is sex. As victims of sex trafficking suffers with emotional, physical, sexual and psychological abuse and manipulation, they are often afraid to report their traffickers or pimps to law enforcement. This is because of the lack of trust and fear of prosecution. Despite numerous laws that have been put in place to help victims of human trafficking reintegrate into the society, law enforcement agencies continue to treat human trafficking victims as criminals rather than identifying and helping these victims.

Slavery is a modern, pervasive problem. Human trafficking has been found in every state in America (humantrafficking.org). It seems that most Americans likely live within a comfortable drive of someone who is being exploited through human trafficking. There is a growing trend in human trafficking toward sexual exploitation (Bennetts, 2011). The Information Age has helped to create new opportunities for sex trafficking to flourish.