Human Trafficking : Modern Day Slavery Essay

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.”)

In today’s day and age human trafficking is a serious problem that is only getting worse as we become more technologically advanced. It is easy to transport human beings across the border, on ships, and into foreign countries. Women, children, and even men are the victims of these individuals. These poor souls stolen for the sex trade or for physical labor as a slave in modern world. As our enemies become more sophisticated in their evil craft, so must our law enforcement and investigation agencies. In order to stay up to par with the enemy these organizations make sure they stay up to date with the most advanced programs, tools, and systems in order to not only catch those responsible for mayhem, but to give a sense of justice to those who were wronged in the first place. We begin with a history of what human trafficking is, some current cases that were followed by the world, and way we fight the enemy and counteract their form of terrorism.

Human trafficking is viewed as modern day slave exchange. It is a genuine crime under both global and national legal systems. It opens casualties to economic exploitation with a significant number of them being women and children less than 18 years old years. It is essential to know the way that human trafficking has raised critical human rights issues, particularly concerning women and children as stakeholders are beginning to reexamine their way to deal with this societal issue. Human trafficking has emerged as the third greatest criminal industry by drug trafficking and illicit arms. The human trafficking industry has helped in the expansion of different crimes, such as child abuse, prostitution and violence against women. With the assistance of existing research, this paper seeks to explain the different measurements of human trafficking and how it has influenced the general public at the individual, national and global level. The paper offers a few proposals with regards to the most ideal route concerning managing the issue of the current slave trade.

Child sex trafficking is the profitable sexual act induced by force, fraud, coercion or a person is lured to have sex before they reach 18 years of age. It includes all the activities of recruiting, harboring, patronizing, advertising, transporting or obtaining children for sexual services involuntarily, through servitude, debt bondage, peonage or slavery. Due to advanced technology, it has acquired new course. It has become a complex phenomenon involving multiple stakeholders at commercial as well as institutional level. It is the modern-day form of slavery perpetrated against minors regardless of their race, class, socioeconomic status, education, gender, cultural conditions or citizenship (“Department of Justice," 2015).

Human Trafficking is a horrendous crime that takes advantage of people through the illegal trading of human beings for purposes of forced labor, and commercial sexual/child exploitation. Traffickers tend to prey on the vulnerable, those who want a better life, have little or no employment opportunities, very unstable, and have a history of sexual abuse. With this being popular in society, anyone can easily become a victim. By being an undocumented immigrant, runaway and homeless youth, and a victim of trauma and abuse, you have already put a target on your back. The most popular victims are the undocumented immigrants due to the lack of legal status, language barriers, limited employment options, and social isolation. ("The Victims.")

The paper focuses on human trafficking which can be considered as modern day slavery. The paper will mainly focus on human trafficking in the United States and globe wise as well as its effects and how this can be prevented. Actual statistics from credible sources and government sources will be used and cited where necessary. The paper will also try which school of thought for crime can best used to describe human trafficking. The paper will focus on the forms of human trafficking and how they are carried out.

Human trafficking is form of present-day slavery for sexual or labor exploitations for money. The most common forms of human trafficking are sex trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage. An average “slave” cost about $90 dollars. 80% of human trafficking involves sex trafficking, 20% involves labor exploitation. About 3,287 people are sold and kidnapped into human trafficking everyday. There are about 20 to 30 million people today that are slaves. 80% of the people that are slaves are women, and 50% of them are children.

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.

Besides that, human trafficking among young women is also brought about for the purpose of carnal oppression. Sexual slavery is slavery for the purpose of sexual exploitation. This form of slavery may involve single-owner sexual slavery; ritual slavery, sometimes associated with certain religious practices; or forced prostitution. As Lloyd stated in her book, “She’s much like any other eleven-year-old girl in America, except for one critical difference. Over the last year of her life, she’s been trafficked up and down the East Coast by a twenty-nine-year-old pimp and sold nightly on Craigslist to adult men who ignore her dimples and baby fat and purchase her for sex.” (qtd. in Lloyd 7). Sexual slavery is commonly known as sex trafficking, a type of human trafficking which involves the conscription, transportation, relocation, harbor or receipt of people, by coercive or abusive means for the purpose of sexual abuse. As Ceaser stated, there are times when young men search for girls from underprivileged and troubled families and pretend to fall in love with them; they then ‘sell’ the girls to brothel owners. (qtd. in Muller 150)

Did you know that women make up 66% of the worldwide trafficking victims? The victim is usually aged 8-18, and some are as young as 4 or 5. Human trafficking and smuggling is becoming the world’s largest crime in the world. People that are caught up in these horrible crimes either end up in jail if caught, or dead. Trafficking is a compared to a modern-day form of slavery as it involves the exploitation of unwilling people through force. Karla Jacinto was one of many cases. She was raped over 43,000 times. Unfortunately, human trafficking and smuggling is a huge issue. Everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings and be more careful and alert wherever they go. What people don’t know is that it can happen so close to you and you wouldn’t know until it happens.

Every year, thousands of women, men, and children get caught up in human trafficking. Human trafficking is when different kinds of labor are forced upon typically work labor or sexual exploitation. People can get trafficked in their own country and abroad. Human trafficking consists of three core elements, which are the action, the means, and the purpose. The action means the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons. The means includes threat of or use of force, deception, coercion, abuse of power or position of vulnerability. Lastly, the purpose is always exploitation. The exploitation can include, but is not limited to, sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.

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.

Based on testimonials of victims that have escaped the world of human trafficking, it is possible to see a pattern while looking at these victims. 98% of the victims are women and children, from this number 20% are children. Most of the people that fall into this world are

1. “Global human trafficking is the second most fastest growing organized crime in the world.” (4) Some may not realize, but the main contributors to human trafficking are in China, Russia, Mexico, most African countries, and Brazil. In Russia, there is a estimation of 50,000 children involved in involuntary prostitution. (2) China also traffics mail-order-brides and prostitutes. Human trafficking is caused mostly by immigrants wanting to be transported to another country, and pay with modern day slavery. The “modern day” slavery includes prostitution, selling drugs, forced labor, and other forms of servitude. (1) The origin of the problem originates from thousands of years. Evidence of human trafficking in ancient Greek and Rome can be found all the way to medieval times, in both forms of physical and sexual slavery. (3)

More specifically then human trafficking, there is child trafficking. Child trafficking is today’s version of slavery that involves transferring a child for the purpose of abuse or illegal activities. According to the U.S. Department of State, “Child/Human Trafficking is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and is the world’s second largest criminal enterprise, after drugs. Child trafficking happens in every single country, including the United States. When people think of trafficking of people, most think of women, but children are also being sold as slaves all across the world. Children who are most likely to become victims are those who come from low income homes, have limited access to education and are