Human Trafficking Research

Human trafficking is one of the many faces of organized crime. Human trafficking is a broad term which contains trafficking for the purpose of sex along with the exploitation of labor. Currently, there are 20.9 million victims of sex slavery (Stacy.j.cecchet 2014 482) whom have or are suffering suffer inhumane circumstances and consequences. Sex trafficking is one of the largest criminal activities in the world (Stacy 249). Vulnerable women and children are taken advantage of and thrown into sex slavery, yet there is no explanation available as to how women and children are taken and thrown into the industry within countries such as Canada and the United States of America (482 Stacy j Cecchet 2014), which have human rights protection. Sex slavery leaves everlasting mental and physical effects on the abused women and children being trafficked. Even though sex trafficking is a crime it is also, for a lack of better words, an industry which would cease to exist if it was not for the supply and demand for women and children.

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.”).

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

Human trafficking has been known to be a tragic and unfortunate crime of the 21st century. Social workers, policy makers, and other human service providers must understand the various policies and forms of legislative involvement that are working towards combatting this issue. For the purposes of this policy analysis, I will be analyzing The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the implications that it has for social workers and those who are invested in working towards abolishing this social issue.

Human trafficking is a serious problem in modern society. In fact, the United Nations has referred to it as “one of the gravest human rights violations of our times” (“Secretary - General Calls Human Trafficking”). It is a fast growing industry that affects millions. No gender, age, or status is spared from the cruelty that is trafficking. To stress this point again, human trafficking is not just a problem of the “world” or “United States”, in general. As previously seen, it strikes very close to home, affecting hundreds of men, women, and children of our own community. In fact, “North Carolina ranked as a top-10 state for human trafficking with Charlotte being the top destination. It is estimated that more than 1,700 girls are trafficked

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.

Regardless of “the growing recognition that human trafficking is an important national and global issue, little empirical research containing primary data has been published.” However, there are many that are passionate about this horrific matter and are determined to make a difference. For instance, the Fraser Health Authority is establishing a way that will help health workers identify signs of human trafficking. Their new program is called ‘Help, Don’t Hinder’ and helps workers identify signs of abuse in victims, specific injuries, certain living situations, “long work hours, and a lack of money, documents or permanent homes.” Many times the victim is unable to ask for help. A victim may look like an average everyday worker, customer, or person passing by on the street. This is why the most beneficial thing that one can do to help is to recognize the signs of human trafficking and know how to help. Not only this, but have the bravery to reach out to someone and give them the aid and support that they need. This program is expected to raise awareness over the next three years and increase research as well as legislative responses. All social workers throughout America should follow this example to help raise their awareness so they know when they see this issue happening around them, and help raise awareness in

Even in the land of the free, there are millions of people oppressed through human trafficking. The problem has not been addressed properly to citizens of America, and tends to be overlooked by many. This article will educate one on a variety of topics, regarding human trafficking in America through peer-reviewed research evidence. The first topic focused on is about who the victims are, how to identify international and domestic causalities, and what types of obstacles one may face, when trying to identify a potential victim. Next, one will learn how victims become involved and the common types of human trafficking. Moreover, the plethora of services for victims, eligibility for assistance, and issues for providing help will

Of the 13,325 calls made to the Human Trafficking hotline, 4,546 were made by community members; that is highest amount of calls were made by a single source. By making people aware of the crime, it can help to the spread and vast reach of trafficking. Not only an increase from a decade ago, but also a difference between two years that sees an increase in reported cases and victims. 2016 alone saw 7,572 reported cases of human trafficking, 2015 saw 5,526 cases reported, and 2014 saw 5,042 reported cases. There were 4,293 more reported cases in 2016 than 2012. This data shows an increase in recent years, the data from the human trafficking hotline is as current as for December 31, 2016.(Human Trafficking hotline 1) The recent increase within recent years is putting many people at

Also, there is the matter of trust and fear. Victims are often, for example, frightened to believe they can accept help without owing something back. Some survivors are too afraid because they fear their traffickers too much to accept any services. Furthermore, it aggravates victims to find out that the time is takes for cases to be prosecuted and to gain protections is very extensive. Intensifying the existing laws to better defend human trafficking victims is critical.The United States Government, in 2000, certified the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. This act helps prosecute traffickers and support victims. Since then the number of recognized victims of trafficking has risen as well as trials and social service providers working with survivors. Because of this it gives researchers an opportunity to track and study the issue deeper and come up with new solutions (Family Violence Prevention Fund, 2005).

Chapter seven is principally about providing helpful suggestion that can further enhance encouraging efforts to combat sex trafficking. The chapter starts off by implicating the use of the research findings that were found to be effective with sex trafficking victims. These proposals are not meant to be perceived as the remedy to aiding sex trafficking, but to cultivate additional research on these methods. These methods include survivor-informed programming, survivor defined practices, trauma-informed practices, and sex-trafficking-specific services. Further, the chapter begins to talk about the services that are needed for labor trafficking victims. Translating agencies, labor-specific services, and housing are examples of services that labor

I'm going to start this presentation off with a story. This story is about a girl named Karla. You see Karla didn't live an ideal life. Karla had been sexually abused by a relative since she was just five years old. When Karla was about twelve years old, she was waiting around a subway station for her friends. An older man approached her and began connecting with her, telling her that he had also been abused as a child. Shortly after, Karla agreed to take a trip with the man. They planned on going to a nearby town, and little did Karla know, she would be making the worst mistake of her life. This amazing man had soon become her worst enemy. As a twelve year old, this man had forced her to have sex with up to thirty men a day, seven days a week, for four years straight. For those of you who didn't do the math, yes, she was essentially raped a total of 43,200 times. In an interview Karla revealed that the men would laugh at her because she was crying. That she had to close her eyes so that she wouldn't see what they were doing to her, so that she wouldn't feel anything.

According to the Bureau of Justice, human trafficking is becoming the nations second largest problem, following the war on drugs (“Anti Human Trafficking Initiative” 1.) Statistics on human trafficking in the United States are very scarce and there have not been many studies conducted on the issue. Of the studies done, many of the studies focus only on minors. 100,000-300,000 children are prostituted each year in the United States. In the Ohio, 1,078 people will be trafficked into the sex trade each year. Between January 2003 and June 2006, 15 human trafficking cases were identified in the Columbus and Toledo area. Human trafficking is not something that only takes place in foreign areas, which is why the Polaris project is working to fight human trafficking not only in foreign areas but also in the United States.

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.

It is clear that there are many challenges and barriers when responding to the individual needs of victims of human trafficking. They are in a very vulnerable and fragile state and are often looking for any means of escape. It is also difficult for these individuals to trust the people around them because they are so used to being manipulated. However, the barriers are not just with the victims but with the institutions that attempt to help. Some of these barriers also result from cultural and societal issues.