Sex Trafficking: Modern Slavery

In recent times, the number of human trafficking cases has skyrocketed through the roof. So, what exactly is human trafficking? Human trafficking is defined as a criminal activity, in which people are recruited, harboured, transported, bought or kidnapped for the purposes of exploitation. These exploitations include forced labour, child soldiery, sexual slavery, forced marriages and so on. Statistics show that the main victims of human trafficking consist of women and young girls while children come in a close third (Appendix A). Over the years, human trafficking has become rampant worldwide as the demand for human labour and sex slaves drastically multiplies due to the Internet.

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

There are no more reasons why human trafficking should be abandoned but here one of the reason many that of the victims developed mental health disorder including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), of female survivors of human trafficking who are currently supported by local non-governmental organizations. A study was done in 2007 about those females who were human

Sex Trafficking has been a key component in “ degradation of human and women's rights” because they believe that these people are only good for sex (Deshpande Para 1). Often victims who come back, if they ever can, have a hard time adjusting back to normal life. These girls have trust issues towards men, and sometimes even women. They also could have numerous health problems ranging from STD’s to unplanned pregnancy or even worse “ broken bones, concussions, bruises and burns” can all be found on these victims of sexual assault. These girls could also have mental issues, such as anxiety toward older men and women, fear of going outside ever again and social issues. The saddest thing about this is not only are these victims going through a horrible amount of sexual abuse, they also have been ripped away from what they know and may love. Some people believe that women and some men are just objects and they are the ones that are often pimps in the sex trafficking, but this is a completely skewed way of thinking of people.

Rehabilitation for victims is available such as Freedom Place and Dream Center. Joy Friedman, a survivor of 27 years of sex trafficking in the United States, now serves as women’s program manager at Breaking Free, a Minnesota nonprofit group that helps women and children escape that world. On average, sex trafficking victims are between 12 and 14. It is estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 U.S. children are sex slaves. Providing care for these victims is very important, their self-esteem is completely demolished and don’t know where to begin to fix themselves.

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.

The trafficking of human beings has evolved and become more universal and serious over the years. Trafficking of people is equivalent to modern day slavery. The duties and expectations of these people are outrageously irrational. The victims are forced to do unthinkable tasks for people they may or may not know. Anyone can be a leader or a victim of human trafficking. Victims of trafficking programs span from an extensive variety of women, children, and men ranging widely in age. There are two very diverse trafficking programs: sex trafficking and labor trafficking. Sex trafficking, the most common of the two trafficking programs, can also be referred to as sex slavery. The sex trafficking occurs when the unwilling are being forced to

In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States, but even after that the amendment was signed many individuals did not stop and abolish the idea of slavery as a whole. The action of slavery still existed after 1865 because individuals were still selling and degrading other human beings. It can be argued that trafficking human beings is one of the most profitable crimes today. Sex trafficking has been extremely profitable because some say that humans can be used for many different purposes, for more than one time. Unlike slavery in the 1800’s, there has now been a Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, which states that sex trafficking and labor trafficking is illegal, which helps prevent violence

The services provided to victims of human trafficking are inadequate and inappropriate and they lack coordination and consistency (Gabriele, Sapoznik, Serojitdinov & Williams, 2014).

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 200 defines sex trafficking as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion. Under U.S federal law, any minor under the age

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).

The mental and physical health issues surrounding survivors of human trafficking (HT) are as complex as their trauma. With a disturbingly high occurrence of exaggerated levels of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and other coexisting mental and physical disorders, past research illustrates how many professionals fear their training may be inadequate to treat the complexities of trauma present in adult and youth survivors. The authors also highlighted the fact that “trafficked survivors are seeking and receiving mental health services (Domoney et al., [2,4]). A lack of established, system-wide, Trauma-Informed Approach resources and training to provide survivors with the consistency in care required to heal has been recorded through two different research papers. Researchers have found assessment and treatment measures for complex trauma problems,

Treating victims of human trafficking begins with identification. A principal opportunity for intervention exist that may occur at numerous points during an individual's life. The first opportunity occurs immediately after the traumatic events and involves helping the individual to begin dealing with the trauma and its implications at an occasion more proximal to that event. Intervening at this point

Human trafficking is not just a part of our history; it is continuously growing around the world today because of traffickers who are using it as an easy way to make a profit. Victims of human trafficking feel as if they have no way to escape because they have limited ways to survive or make a good enough living to support themselves along with their families outside of the sex industry. Women, children and even men from time to time are taken before they get the opportunity to receive little if any education, at all. Therefore, many who could’ve gotten out of the sex industry chose to stay out of fear to return back home after years to be discriminated against by their own families and communities, knowing getting a job would be nearly

Sex trafficking is when a person is being forced or deceived into prostitution. Commercial sexual exploitation includes pornography, prostitution and sex trafficking of women and girls. Sex traffickers use violence, debt, lies and many other forms to manipulate women, children and men. Some of the ways of engaging these victims is lying to them with high paid jobs or promising romantic relationships. Women that involved in commercial sex have sex with 6 to 10 men a day, 7 days a week. All of those involved in recruiting, transporting receiving or obtaining the person has been a committed into a trafficking crime. Many of these young girls and women are often held against their will. They get put into prostitution to pay back the people who provided them with the job. Some of the victims are often found in the streets working in establishments that offer commercial sex. For example strip clubs, pornography houses, adult bookstores, modeling studios, and