Human Trafficking 's Effects On Families And Its Victims

Human trafficking is the act or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation, however, it is continuing to grow in the united states and is happening everywhere not just in other countries. In this essay, I want to explain how human trafficking is involved in human services and how we can help people get help after they have been a victim of human trafficking. Victims can be men or women, or children, foreign nationals or U.S. citizens, the attacker normally draws in the victim with a stable job, education, or relationships.

Thousands of girls and boys are forced into human trafficking and the slavery market daily. However, it is not always forced labor, but voluntary. These underground activities affect families and puts them at potential danger of someone being trapped in human trafficking (Clause & Lawler, 2013). Many families are unaware of the dangers that exists today, even in America, and the different ways victims are trapped by and/or unable to escape human traffickers (McClain & Garrity, 2011). It is important to make families aware of these dangers since individuals who are caught in human trafficking have not provided consent nor agreed to this oppressive lifestyle. In 2012, there were 44 survivors of human trafficking cases reported in Kansas (Halley, 2012) while in 2013, Rapp (2014) reported that over 200 individuals were identified as victims of human trafficking throughout Kansas. There continues to be inadequate understanding of what human trafficking is and how to intervene. There are many families that are unaware to the extent of how youth and communities are impacted by this social issue (Macy & Graham, 2012).

Human trafficking is a public health problem within the United States and Internationally. The victims subjected to the lifestyle of human trafficking can have sexually transmitted disease, HIV virus, and AIDS. It is an estimated 30,000 victims of human sex trafficking dying each year from abuse, disease, torture, and neglect. According, to U.S. government an estimates, of 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders annually, and up to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year (Hodge, 2008). “According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), over the past 30 years, over 30 million children have been sexually exploited through human trafficking” (Random Facts, 2015, para. 24).

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use fraud or coercion to profit from forcing victims in commercial sex acts or labor services ("Human Trafficking".) It is a market-driven criminal industry that is based on the principles of supply and demand, like drugs or arms trafficking. Many components make children and adults susceptible to human trafficking. Traffickers target vulnerable people for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional issues, economic hardship, lack of safety, or political instability. Unfortunately, victims rarely seek help due to language barriers, fear of the traffickers and law enforcement, or fear of potential consequences. Knowing how to identify signs of human trafficking is the first step in pinpointing victims. Additionally, we can assist victims by modifying criminal policy, receiving more state funds, participating in organizations, and raising 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.

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

Human trafficking, or the selling and buying of people, is a well-hidden yet prominent issue within today’s society. It is both an immoral and horrific topic that needs brought to attention and dealt with. When human beings are manipulated into work, sexual servitude, or economic hardship, human trafficking is occurring. In the year of 2006, only one individual is convicted of human trafficking per 800 victims (UNGIFT). By looking at straight statistics, reasons human trafficking happens, and the toll it has on people, it is very clear that this is a major issue that is happening in our world.

Human trafficking has received increasing global attention over the past decade. Trafficking of women and girls for forced sex work and, to a lesser extent, domestic servitude, were the sole focus of advocacy and assistance. There is recognition in today’s society that women, children, and men are trafficked into many different forms of labour, and for sexual exploitation. In her article, “Understanding and Addressing Violence Against Women”, Cathy Zimmerman and Heidi Stockl focus on the commonality of human trafficking and how evident it is in everyday life. They bring in the health effects and possible solutions to human trafficking to help validate their opinion and argument. In the solutions they offer, Zimmerman and Stockl shine a light on policy-makers/decision-makers, health-care providers, and researchers/funders and what each of these groups of people can do to help combat the issue of human trafficking. In a quote from their article, Stockl and Zimmerman say: “Health care providers and organizations involved with trafficked persons should increase their capacity to identify and refer people in trafficking situations and provide sensitive and safe services to people post-trafficking”. This quote shows how Zimmerman and Stockl believe human trafficking should be combated by caring and talking to those affected by the issue but how they also believe awareness should be made about human trafficking so as to allow people surrounding the issue to identify and help victims of this issue. Zimmerman and Stockl’s view on the ways human trafficking should be combatted relate to those of Soroptimist due to the fact that the two groups of people are focused mainly on helping women and girls who have been trafficked and trying to get them to a better life after getting out of the trafficking situation. Both groups focus on helping men as well, providing options to help them such as raising money and awareness, and getting educated on being able to identify victims of human trafficking.

Statistic show between four and 27 million individuals worldwide are trapped in some form of modern slavery (Grace et al., 2014). Of those victims trapped, only 25%-50% of human trafficking victims encountered health care professionals while in captivity, and were not identified and recognized (Grace et al., 2014). As health care professionals, it is important to be equipped with basic knowledge that allows one to recognize victims and properly manage cases of human trafficking. Thus, a policy has been created for policymakers to adopt that effectively educates the health care community and proper steps to follow using evidence- based practice.

Most people throughout the world would think of slavery as an issue of the past, but sex trafficking is today’s form of “modern day slavery” (Countryman-Roswurm, 2014). Sex trafficking has become the fastest growing and most profitable criminal enterprise in the world due to the fact that people can be sold over and over again. Corrupt governments have tried to cover this issue up and have worked alongside traffickers to help them obtain illegal documents to continue operating (Deshpande et al., 2013). The effects of this crime causes victims of trafficking to have many emotional, physical, and mental traumas (Deshpande et al., 2013).

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).

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.

Globally, millions of people are being coerced into commercial sex acts. In the United States, the problem of sex trafficking has grown into a lucrative illegal industry and it has really expanded over the years. As Brennan et al. (2014) portrays, Miranda is kidnapped from a park and is later forced into prostitution although she later gets justice, evidence enough that commercial sex workers are on most accounts forced into the acts. Under the federal law in 2003, civil suits against human traffickers were made possible. More than a decade later, there are few cases filed in federal court by victims of trafficking. Most of the victims do not have knowledge of the fact that they have private right of action. There is a variety of legal assistance

Human trafficking is one of the most dangerous crimes touching humanity. Because it violates the basic human rights to life and liberty of a significant proportion of the world’s population, of whom are socially, economically and politically vulnerable. It makes the processes of recruiting, transporting, hiding and holding, and finally receiving a person through a use of force, coercion, false promise, and monies for the purpose of exploiting them. In the article human trafficking: preventing, protecting prosecuting by Susie Johnson on page 3 there is a fact that states “through out the world 27 million people are trafficked”. These victims are used for a number of different purposing including, but not limited to prostitution, pornography,

In order to overcome human trafficking, it is imperative to give adequate support and protection needed to the victims. Support and protection prevent the victims from relapsing and risking their lives by getting involved again. Without the encouragement and care after a traumatic experience, it is probable for the victims to lose hope and fall back into their previous doings that