Human Trafficking : The Lack Of Awareness

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.

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, Violence against women:global scope and magnitude, “the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or recipt of persons, by menas of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abuction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or recievne of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation: including the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal

When trying to define human trafficking it gets hard because is it slavery or is it some kind of other servitude? The United Nations defined trafficking as it “Involves the movement of people through violence, deception or coercion for the purpose of forced labor, servitude or slavery-like practices.”# This means that the traffickers use violence to coerce the victims to do anything they want. Including controlling all aspects of their lives from where they go, who they talk to, and essentially controlling their freedoms. This new breed of Human Trafficker is “global sophistication, complexity and control of how women and children are trafficked from/to/in all parts of the globe.”#

According to the United Nations of Drugs and Crime, Human Trafficking of a Person is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs”. Human Trafficking is not something that is new to the world. Infact Human Trafficking has been in existence since the 1400’s; as you maybe able to revert back to your

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

Some of the worst nightmares possible to imagine actually happen to women and children across the United States. In this country that americans are so proud of, every single day, including today there are dozens to even hundreds of people that are suffering deeply from being a victim of human trafficking. No one ever thinks that it could happen to them but there are men and even women recruiters for the trade that lure their victims. Since human trafficking is so unknown around us people tend to forget about it and have a tendency to “throw it under the rug”. Human trafficking in the United States must end because the variety of laws from state to state do not encourage a cohesive front against the practice, the victims are completely taken advantage of, and the level of disturbing and detrimental situations that these victims go through warrant an end to human trafficking.

Human trafficking is in every state of this nation and in every country across the world. It’s in cities, suburbs, and rural areas; being hidden in plain view; unseen by so many. In 2015, 17,500 cases of sex trafficking were reported in the United States (Chawla). This is only the cases that were reported. It is estimated that there were about 20.9 million cases across the world that never got reported in 2015 (Lize). There are more human slaves in the world today than ever before in history (Straker). The purpose of this paper is to educate the reader on human trafficking in the United States and in the World, and prove how bad it has become.

Human Trafficking is serious, you may think that it doesn't affect you, you may think that you can’t do anything about it because the world of Human Trafficking is so much bigger than we as humans can comprehend. Over 27 million people are still trapped in Human Trafficking, and those are the documented people. This is the largest number of slaves ever recorded in history. The majority of trafficking happens in cities like our own. In fact, Houston is one of the top hubs in America when it comes to Human Trafficking. Homeless children – desperate for food, shelter and comfort – are

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

Biljana Meshkovska, one of the authors of the article Female Sex Trafficking: Conceptual Issues, Current Debates, and Future Directions, reports, “According to this United Nations protocol, human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation” (381). She records that 600,000 to about 800,000 females, males, and minors can become victims yearly (384).

In the second section of my essay, I will propose mandatory training of law enforcement officials in order to identify victims and ensure that they are not labeled as criminals. I will also emphasize the importance of increasing awareness about the issue of human trafficking among the general public to help rescue victims and prevent trafficking situations. I will explain how victims come into contact with people other than their traffickers but are often unable to directly ask for help. Frequently, women trapped in trafficking have a crippling fear of their trafficker and would not dare to brave the unknown of calling for help, even if

In today’s world, people believe that all enslavement or forced labor of any kind has quietly deceased over the years, that all types of enslavement are behind modern societies and totally in the past, yet it has been exactly the opposite. An international office stated, “ Only one out of 100 victims of trafficking is ever rescued. This means around only 24,000 out of the 2.4 million people enduring human trafficking will be spared,” (“Combating Human Trafficking”). Human trafficking is still a very big problem across the world, even in the United States. Human trafficking has only increased over the past two decades. It is also not likely that a person being trafficked is only enduring this for a few months and then is set free; people are victims for multiple years, possibly even decades. Human trafficking is still a serious threat to innocent lives across the planet because rates are increasing, people are stuck in that vicious cycle for years, and it is damaging millions of people everyday.

According to Global issues, human trafficking is the illegal transportational trade in people for the purpose of servitude. Human trafficking has become an increasing problem around the world. It is seen as the modern equivalent to slavery. According to Arkofhopeforchildren.org, 600000 to 800000 women, children, and men are bought and sold across international borders every year and exploited for forced labor or commercial sex. 50% of those victims were estimated to be children. But in 2012 there were 20.9 million victims of trafficking worldwide. Child trafficking has become an enormous problem itself, some cases involve child prostitution, labor, slavery or similar acts, removal of organs and illegal adoption. Some examples of these cases are forcing people to work in factories and being forced to become soldiers and wage wars. According to Human Trafficking, written by Joyce Hart, People are physically beaten, some are locked behind doors and some are even chained up.