Human Trafficking: Sex

Sex trafficking, particularly that of children, has become a growing concern in the United States over the past several decades (Kotrla, 2010). By definition, child sex trafficking is “when a child (under 18 years of age) is induced to perform a commercial sex act” (U.S., 2013, para. 4), and includes forms such as prostitution and pornography (Kotrla, 2010). Researchers suggest that children are the most vulnerable to becoming victims of prostitution (Kotrla), and it is estimated that there are at least 100,000 victims in the United States (Estes & Weiner, 2001). Sex traffickers, otherwise known as “pimps,” often lure children with promises of food, clothing, love, and shelter, and then the pimps manipulate the children to keep them in prostitution (U.S. Department of Justice [DOJ], 2015). Awareness of the issue has led to the development of organizations, such as Children of the Night, that seek to help victims escape the sex trafficking industry (Children of the Night [COTN], 2016d).

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

Images of foreign lands usually conjure up when the thoughts of human sex trafficking come to one 's mind. The United States of America is not immune to this type of horrific behavior. America is the land of the free and yet something as awful as human sex trafficking occurs in our very own backyard each and everyday. According to the Department of Homeland Security the definition of human trafficking is “modern day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act” (“What Is Human Trafficking?”). In this research paper the reader will experience the savagery that comes with human sex trafficking and how it has expanded in the United States over recent years. Within this research

The audience for this paper is an educated public and specifically those who influence or make policy regarding trafficking, most specifically in Colorado. The dominant discourse around human trafficking centers on sex trafficking, and I hope to encourage a more holistic view.

Furthermore, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 was best known for providing the framework to respond to human trafficking (Feldman, 2011). Likewise, it also helped for the redesigning of the laws in the United States by making sex trafficking an individual crime and allowing the government to focus on the victims. Even though this law has been reauthorized in 3 years the latest time, 2008, is the one that actually strengthens protections for the victims as well as, improves the protections for the victims. While this law already helped to develop people to prohibit the crime, the reauthorization of it, created a new set of criminal tools to reach unscrupulous labor recruiters (Feldman, 2011). Although the revisions of this law

There are many routes and resources provided towards the approach to better tackle human trafficking in the United States. The most important first steps in a course of action are education, training, and protocols. It is apparent that public awareness of human trafficking is very significant. It is a crime that affects communities in which the crime is happening, groups of individuals, and individuals. Police and law enforcement should not be the only ones who placed with the entire burden of identifying victims. It would be more effective if

When thinking of slavery, it is common for a person to think of stereotypical slavery: African Americans working in harsh conditions without pay or choice. However, since the Thirteenth Amendment was passed, this type of slavery has decreased significantly. Today, we use the term ‘human trafficking’ to describe modern slavery. Grant Oster states that, by definition, “human trafficking is the act or gathering, moving, receiving, or keeping of human beings by threat,

Slavery, the keeping of slaves as a practice or institution, has held a grim but important role in America’s history. Since the founding of the United States, slavery has been a moral and human rights issue that citizens have argued over to the point of war. To most Americans, the day slavery ended was January 1st, 1863-the day President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation and freed all slaves within America’s borders. However slavery never did end-and is in fact at an all time high as of 2016. Despite the ban on slavery over one hundred and fifty years ago, slavery and human trafficking,especially for sexual exploitation, are still an issue and still exist in the United States.

Human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery, is one of the most profitable crimes today. According to Polaris Project, “Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar crime industry that denies freedom to 20.9 million people around the world.” (Human) This is why learning about human trafficking in the United States is so important. Although, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States many people are still victims of being bought, sold, and abused. As citizens of the United States, we need to be aware of the issues we face as a country. Therefore, my research paper is for all citizens of the United States.

Amongst all the crimes in the world, one that is widely overlooked is that of human trafficking. Many individuals believe that murder, rape, grand theft auto, and other crime activities are of much importance. Although other crimes are of much important in the United States, one crime that is overlooked, especially when dealing with child welfare, is human trafficking. One thing that people overlook is that people of youth are the most vulnerable population in the United states that are risk to becoming victims of sex trafficking (Kotrla, 2010, pp. 27-42). Another issue that is overlooked is the fact that a majority of women who are in prostitution entered this fate as minors due to being trafficked (Kotrla, 2010, pp. 27-42)

When looking for topics to research I wanted to do something that was a prominent problem in my hometown, which was Sex Trafficking (ST). Coming from Houston, Texas, Sex Trafficking has the 2nd largest home in Houston. The main highway I - 10 is the main road used to travel these victims to state lines to get them out of the country. A better definition of sex trafficking is when someone uses force, fraud or coercion to cause a commercial sex act with an adult or cause a minor to commit a commercial sex act. A commercial sex act is a list of things known as prostitution, pornography, and sexual performance done in exchange for any item of value, such as money, drugs, shelter, food, or clothes. In the United States alone 14,500 - 17,500 people are trafficked alone in the United States and 46% of it is from Texas. Most cases found on sex trafficking come from Women and Child, but there are a percentage of males that are trafficked, but because the act makes most feel degraded they refuse to report it. Also the effects it has on these victims is indescribable and many programs created and people there to help still can sometimes not get close to giving these victims the closure they need. This topic is important because it is a worldwide social issue that destroys not on the people physically taken and put into the trafficking but everyone that is involved in saving that person. When choosing these two articles,“Sex Trafficking: Policies, Programs,

In 1865 the United States passed the thirteenth amendment to abolish slavery. Over a century, and yet somewhere in the dark corners of our country there is a dark truth. Slavery did not end with abolition in the 19th century but in fact there is still slavery today. There is trade of modern day slavery that remains widespread through our country. Human trafficking is an enormous issue that is often overlooked this is a skeleton the United States has in the closet. In fact very little light is shown on this topic, but the awful reality is there and it seems to be growing rapidly by each day that goes by. Every day women, children, and even men are kidnapped, taken from their families, and forced into free labor and sexual exploitation. According

When the topic of sex trafficking comes up in a discussion those that are not educated on the issue tend to ask the question, “Why don’t the victims runaway and find help?” Questions like these give human trafficking a wrong interpretation, making it seem as if it is not as crucial as it actually is. Each Trafficker uses different tactics for preventing their slaves from escaping, some use verbal manipulation, and others use physical power like chains and locks (Wake People Up, 2016). Even if the victims have access to receiving help, most of them are scared of becoming rescued. Let’s say someone finds a way to escape their ‘pimp’ and becomes reunited with their loved ones, that boy/girl will always fear that their slaveholder will tracked

While DMST is considered to be a modern-day form of slavery, history has recorded that the sexual exploitation of children has been practiced in America since its colonization. While slavery was abolished in the 19th century, it did not dissipate completely and it wasn’t until the beginning of the 20th century that the issue of child sex trafficking began to receive significant attention. This was in part due to the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act (TVPA) that was passed in 2000 which protected victims of trafficking by enhancing criminal penalties under the law as well as made benefits and services to victims available (TVPA, 2000). Since the act’s establishment, the TVPA has been amended 4 times in order to grow with the changing attitudes, policies, and approaches to best combat human trafficking (DeCeoursty, 2016). The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 refueled the United States dedication to sex trafficking by declaring DMST as a threat to national security which transformed the way human trafficking should be approached (DeCeoursty, 2016). The post-911 environment embraced a crime control approach by focusing more on combating organized crime activity instead of the issue of human rights and the recognition of victimization (DeCeoursty, 2016). However, this crime control approach to human trafficking failed to address the underlying structural problems, which is the high demand for the sex trafficking industry. Over time, the Department of

In 2007, the U.S. state Department reported, “600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year,” “1 million is the number of children exploited by the global commercial sex trade every year,” and “161 countries identified as affected by human trafficking” (Polaris Project, DoSomething.org).