Sex Trafficking : The Fastest Growing Crime

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.

human trafficking is one of the fastest illegal trade in the world especially in countries such as China. Human trafficking is more of a modernized type of slavery that involves fraud, force, or having the trafficker persuade their victims to do something by using force or threats. Many victims of human trafficking victims fall prey to this type of crime by being sold by family, abducted, tricked, or lured in by false jobs advertisement, and many more. Human trafficking is a booming illegal business where the criminals can exploit women and child for services that involve labor or sex which can also be accessed on the internet. When these victims become involved in human trafficking, they become high risk to abuse, drug use, and sexually transmitted diseases. A lot of these sex trafficking victims are forced to work in places such via online ads or escort services, fake massage parlors, residential brothels, on the streets, hotels and motels, and sweatshops.

“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.

Sex trafficking is becoming more and more of a problem as time moves on. Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harbouring, 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 [Internet Safety 101]. Sex trafficking is increasing due to the evolution of modern day social services and sources. From safety sources, it is the 2nd fastest growing criminal industry [Internet Safety 101]. More and more sex trafficking is coming about due to the evolution of the internet and the improved ability of gps tracking. Through internet, social media also causes many problems for ability to find people and try to be their friend, it is providing

Sex trafficking can be assimilated with slavery, which is the view that will be discussed at length in this paper, however sex trafficking can also be assimilated with the idea of smuggling. The difference between sex trafficking and smuggling lies in the fact that sex trafficking is viewed as a process rather than an act of crime. Human trafficking is defined as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms or 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 labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.” Being defined as a process, sex trafficking involves stages: 1) action (recruitment), 2)

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.

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).

For example, victims cannot freely leave or return to their living or working environments, is unpaid or paid little or only through tips, works excessively long hours or at around unusual hours, is not not allowed breaks or suffers strange restrictions at work, owes a significantly large amount of debt and cannot pay it off, was recruited underneath a guise of false promises, and obscene amounts of security measures exist at his or her working or living environments, like boarded or barred windows, barbed wires, or security cameras (National Human Trafficking Hotline). In addition, many victims possess poor mental health or display abnormal behavior, like constant fear, anxiety, paranoia, and submissiveness, even continuously avoiding eye contact (National Human Trafficking Hotline). In like manner, many victims get suspicious or anxious after hearing mentions of law enforcement, even in just normal day to day conversations (National Human Trafficking Hotline). For this reason, many victims similarly lack medical care or are denied medical attention, appear malnourished, show serious signs of physical or sexual abuse, and show signs of physical restraint or confinement (National Human Trafficking Hotline). Lastly, many victims lack control of their own possessions, like financial records, bank accounts, passport, ID, or money (National Human Trafficking Hotline). If these trait in victims are not broken, many victims almost always return to their trafficker. It is a sad reality, but it happens nevertheless. This is why rescue is just not enough, especially when trafficker not only physically damage victims, but also mentally. They need places to safely heal, without fearing that their traffickers might find them again, but shelters just cannot take in extra victims. It is not because they do not want to, but because of

Human sex trafficking is an epidemic that has been continuously growing by the minute worldwide. And is the most common form of modern day slavery; slavery today and 200 years ago share the same notion. Around the world there are 12.3 million people being sold into the human sex trafficking industry(caeact.org). It mainly deals with women along with some men and young teens, typically young girls, who are around the age of 16 being used essentially as prostitutes and being sold to random people on the black market worldwide. This problem has grown tremendously over the years because it’s hard to catch those who are in charge of this business in the act especially when the business keeps getting bigger by the second. The policy problem with this policy issue is no one knows exactly who is a victim of human sex trafficking so it’s hard for authorities to spot him or her. Although there are programs that help authorities identify such victims the fact of the matter is those who are at the head of this ring are often more than one step ahead of everyone else.

Now there is one aspect of human trafficking that needs more attention, it is the rehabilitation of victims that have been rescued and liberated. These victims are in dire need of counseling, medical, psychological and housing assistance. If these victims were helpless before they were trafficked and exploited, their vulnerability after is most likely greater. Rehabilitation is not only crucial in order for them to recover from the physical and emotional trauma of trafficking but also to reduce the likelihood of being trafficked

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

Not all of them can return to a satisfactory level of health and the ones that do still have scars. The diversified needs of human trafficking victims may be satisfied only through coordinated actions of state institutions, non-governmental organization (NGOs) and international organizations. For victims to even have a possibility of normalcy, society and the law must take actions. Society had classified victims of human trafficking to be damaged and unworthy. The victims are afraid to go for help so most can't return to normal. Also laws that are in place at this time restrict victims from getting help out of fear of being prosecuted. Most people categorize victims of sex trafficking as prostitutes which causes them to be prosecuted for breaking federal laws that prohibit prostitution. Prostitution is illegal across the United States with exception of Nevada (US Federal and State Prostitution and Related Punishments). Prostitution is the practice or occupation of engaging in sexial activity with someone for payement. Human sex trafficking is NOT prostitution.There are many laws however that do help victims for example The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. This law establishes human trafficking and related offenses as federal crimes (Polaris Project). If society and the government actually took action to help instead of hinder

Human trafficking is an epidemic around the world. It doesn’t just happen once in a great while, but it’s happening all the time. Every single day, people are involved in human trafficking. People need to help raise awareness of what is going on around the world, and we are definitely not doing enough to help stop this issue. Also, the way the women and children are being treated is absolutely horrible. They are beaten, starved, and even murdered. In almost every situation, they can’t do anything about it because they are scared for their lives. Society as a whole needs to be more educated about human trafficking.

Many human rights have been established around the world in order to protect each individual and give them their rights as long as they apply justice and respect the laws. Unfortunately, violating of human rights is still done internationally and secretly. The worst part about this issue is that big profits are made from cruel acts done with mostly innocent individuals. Human trafficking is not a new phenomenon. It has been occurring around the globe for centuries. (Davidson 2010) Nowadays, with the advancement of computer technology, social media, it is really easy to trick someone by taking their precious and private information and take them away from their friends, family and everyday lifestyle. From then, it becomes an absolute nightmare in many possible ways. Either the victim is used for sex, organ stealing or harvesting, slavery, poverty, exploitation in the labor world (working without being paid), illegal scientific experiments, to force joining gang members, and many other possible reasons. (Davidson 2010) Sadly, most of them do not survive. For those who do, years of therapy, family and peer support as well as time are the only ways victims can fully return to their everyday life and habits. The purpose of this research is to explore the subject of human trafficking in geographical and sociological perspectives.

Sex trafficking is sustained by multiple factors. These factors are complex and predators are actively looking to prey on these circumstances. Any one can fall victims to these factors but usually they are women and children. In this essay, I will talk about how Economics factors, cultural factors, regional factors, and a weak government can increase ones’ chances of being sex trafficked.