Sex Trafficking Research Paper

Human trafficking is the modernized version of slavery that involves force, fraud, and/or a type of labor in a sexual act. The United States government defines it to be “In which a sex act is forced in which the person induced has not yet been attained eighteen years of age” (National Institute of Justice). Human trafficking is a threat to all nations and promotes breakdown of families and can support organized crime. Trafficking can occur everywhere. Human trafficking and human smuggling are related to one another, but different crimes. The difference between smuggling and trafficking is that smuggling is the illegal movement of someone across a border while trafficking is the illegal exploitation of a person.

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

Nothing drives emotions out the window more than hearing about innocent children being used for sex. In Cambodia, sex trafficking has grown into a troublesome issue. Sex trafficking has become one of the fastest growing crimes occurring internationally. It is the third largest crime-business in the world, after drugs and arms trafficking. Women, girls, and even men and boys are victims of the billion-dollar sex trafficking industry. Sex trafficking occurs everywhere, and it is not culturally specific, but a gender specific issue. There are numerous cases of sex trafficking within Cambodia, however child sex trafficking is extremely captivating and distressing to learn about.

Each year about 17,500 individuals are brought into the United States and become victims of human trafficking. Every country has this problem and it has become the 3rd largest illegal industry worldwide.

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 brings in billions of dollars into the U.S and all around the world. “The prime motive for such outrageous abuse is simple: money. In this $12 billion global business just one woman trafficked into the industrialized world can net her captors an average $67,000 a year” (Baird 2007). The laws around human trafficking are not strict and vary depending on what country it is happening in. Human trafficking is not something that is strictly foreign, it is happening right in front of our faces, in our neighborhoods, and all around us.

Human trafficking is one of the most shocking human rights violations of mankind. It is a form of present day slavery, where men, women, and children are forced to perform manual labor or sexual services. This contains (but is not restricted to) work in sweatshops, eateries, home service, farming, meat packing plants, strip dancing, and sexual transactions.

This article provided an overview of relevant issues surrounding contemporary sex trafficking, including risk factors. The article estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and child are sex trafficked every year. It also explains three main factors that play into sex trafficking: human rights, migration, and security. This article exemplifies women’s lack of agency in relation to their bodies. Although there are male sex workers, there are many more female workers, further exploiting women’s sexuality. This aids in the fear women grow up and live with; the fear of being sold.

citizens, foreign nationals, women, men, children, and LGBTQ individuals. Vulnerable populations are frequently targeted by traffickers, including runaway and homeless youth, as well as victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, war, or social discrimination. The United States is notorious for focusing the spotlight of human trafficking exclusively on international countries and their victims rather than victims within borders (Laczko & Gozdziak, 2005). However, research is beginning to show that the United States is also a mega hub for human sex trafficking. It has only been recently that an actual estimate of youth at risk for sexual exploitation has come close to estimating U.S. domestic trafficking. Within the United States alone, between 244,000 and 325,000 American youth are considered at vulnerable for sexual exploitation. Since the first study in the United States in 2001, there have been an estimated 199,000 recorded incidents occur of sexual exploitation of minors following each concurrent year in the United States (Estes & Weiner, 2001). These figures, however, are severely limited by their scope. Only youth who have been recorded within the United States, specifically for sex trafficking are estimated. This does not account for the adults who have been trafficked, the individuals who have been trafficked outside of the United States, or individuals who have been trafficked in the United States for labor.

Over the past several years, human trafficking has become a sizable world-wide problem. Human Trafficking has had a considerable affect on the World and United States. To combat this, several laws and initiatives have been enacted. While this allows for some headway in combating this problem, there are still several things that we can do to help. This review of literature on Human Trafficking focuses on these areas and provides the information on the steps that can help combat this epidemic.

Sex trafficking is a hidden issue in every country of the world; the overview of this ongoing and increasing problem includes, the meaning, the victims and the locations. Human trafficking has a central definition of modern day slavery which, in some fields, represents slavery from the past using forced labor. However, sex trafficking is the most common type of trafficking in North America (Hotline Statistics). Human trafficking is a 32 billion dollar organization which involves around 2.5 million people worldwide and has been increasing since 2015 (Facts on Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery). From the year 2007 to 2016, a total of 31,659 cases were reported in the United States alone and many of the cases were women induced into the sex trade (Hotline Statistics). Traffickers do not have standards for their victims, “Victims can be men or women, adults or children, foreign nationals or U.S. Citizens” (The Victims and Traffickers). Most victims are from similar backgrounds including runaway or homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault cases, war or conflicted disputes, and social discrimination (The Victims and Traffickers). Drug addiction, school

State Department, human trafficking is “one of the greatest human rights challenges of this century” affecting the world and the United States (Lehnardt, 2016). Among other countries, the United States is ranked very high as a destination country of trafficked victims (Lehnardt, 2016). In 2016, the International Labor Organization estimated 40.3 million victims are deceived in trafficking around the world, and with hundreds of thousands in the United States (Global estimates, 2017; Victims, n.d.). Meaning there are 5.9 adult victims for every 1,000 adults and 4.4 child victims for every 1,000 children in the world (Global estimates, 2017). More than 71% of the trafficked victims around the world are women and girls and 29% are men and boys (Human trafficking, 2017). In Texas, the Dallas Women’s Foundation reported that more girls are being trafficked in one month, than those who die by suicide, homicide, and accidents combined (Human, n.d.). In the last five years, trafficking profits grew by nearly 400%, making human trafficking the second most profitable criminal industry in the world and generate around $150 billion dollars globally (Shut out, n.d.). With its fast-growing criminal enterprises, it's anticipated that the drug trade would be surpassed by human trafficking in the next five years (Popp,

According to the United States government, criminals are making 9.5 billion a year in the sex trafficking business (“Poverty and Sex Trafficking”).

Each year, thousands of people are trafficked and forced to work without pay in the United States. As of June 30th 2017, 4,460 cases of human trafficking have been reported in the United States. Many of these cases were reported as tips. There have been 13,897 calls from January to June reporting human trafficking (Polaris, 2017). This a wide spread issue because it is growing in numbers from previous years.

The problem has been perpetuated by a global rise in racism, gender discrimination and related intolerance. The demand for these women and children is generated by an increasingly globalized market. Trafficking happens within and across borders, and is largely related to forced prostitution. Law-enforcement officials say hundreds of active “stash” houses, or buildings where weapons, drugs, and trafficking victims are hidden, can be found throughout the United States. These houses are most often found in major cities, such as New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Chicago, and hold underage girls and young women from dozens of countries who have been trafficked and are being held captive. Some trafficking victims are drawn into the country by promises of stable jobs and a better quality of life in America, while others are abducted or bought from their poor families. In order to fully comprehend this issue, Americans must acknowledge that this may be a global problem and not just an American one. Human trafficking is a relatively modern term, but it describes a practice that can be dated back to the Roman Empire. Promoting and aiding in the enslavement of human beings who are forced into labor has happened repeatedly throughout American and global history, and human trafficking continues such practices in current