Stereotypes Of Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking, particularly that of children, has become a growing concern in the United States over the past several decades (Kotrla, 2010). By definition, child sex trafficking is “when a child (under 18 years of age) is induced to perform a commercial sex act” (U.S., 2013, para. 4), and includes forms such as prostitution and pornography (Kotrla, 2010). Researchers suggest that children are the most vulnerable to becoming victims of prostitution (Kotrla), and it is estimated that there are at least 100,000 victims in the United States (Estes & Weiner, 2001). Sex traffickers, otherwise known as “pimps,” often lure children with promises of food, clothing, love, and shelter, and then the pimps manipulate the children to keep them in prostitution (U.S. Department of Justice [DOJ], 2015). Awareness of the issue has led to the development of organizations, such as Children of the Night, that seek to help victims escape the sex trafficking industry (Children of the Night [COTN], 2016d).

The sex trade is not a choice; there many situational factors contributing as to how these women and children got into the sex trade. Most of the women and children who are bought and trafficked into this industry are vulnerable or have a background of abuse and neglect (4425 Hossain). Exploiters use the vulnerability to their advantage by making promises of stability and love to lure their victims in. Many

Sex trafficking is essentially systemic rape for profit. Force, fraud and coercion are used to control the victim’s behavior which may secure the appearance of consent to please the buyer (or john). Behind every transaction is violence or the threat of violence (Axtell par. 4). Just a decade ago, only a third of the countries studied by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had legislation against human trafficking. (Darker Side, par.1) Women, children, and even men are taken from their homes, and off of the streets and are brought into a life that is almost impossible to get out of. This life is not one of choice, it is in most times by force. UNODC estimates that the total international human trafficking is a

Human trafficking is a criminal activity that has risen to be the second largest after drug trafficking. According to the International Labor Organization, 21 million people globally are victims of trafficking involving forced labor and sexual exploitation (Merry, 2015). There is no doubt that human trafficking is an evil that requires robust countermeasures to combat it. However, there are popular myths about human trafficking that do not only distorts a proper understanding of the problem but also hampers efforts to combat it. This paper describes two myths about human trafficking and challenges these myths with the aim of creating awareness about the truth surrounding human trafficking for better actions towards combating it.

The audience for this paper is an educated public and specifically those who influence or make policy regarding trafficking, most specifically in Colorado. The dominant discourse around human trafficking centers on sex trafficking, and I hope to encourage a more holistic view.

Sex trafficking looks like the old dehumanizing slave exchange. It includes automatic bondage and is accordingly regularly alluded to as advanced slavery. It is the lack of uniformity in how trafficking is defined is frequently cited as a major problem for the development of data sources and comparative analysis (Laczko & Gramegna, 2003; Kangaspunta, 2003).

Author, Alisa Jordheim exposes the growing problem of child exploitation in the United States. This book includes a series of personal narratives. Five (5) adults, who were taken captive as young children and exploited in the commercial sex industry, tell their individual stories and how they survived. This is an honest and accurate portrayal of a horrific and shocking industry prevalent in our modern society. Children, in particular, are an easy prey for human traffickers.

A young African girl, Gracie, was persuaded into having sex with strange men and packaging illegal drugs, all under the watch of child traffickers. Gracie’s family was murdered when she was eleven years old; shortly thereafter, an older man claimed to be a friend of her deceased family. This man brought her to a home where Gracie was forced to engage in sex with men she’d never met; “sometimes it was 3 or 4 men a day” (NSPCC).

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.

Human sex trafficking is one of the fastest growing and most insidious man made epidemics, coming only after the criminal industry of black market drug-trade. Perpetrators of human trafficking prey upon and agonize our most vulnerable members of society. These unprotected people are our men, women, children, who experiencing an institutional lack of resources. These individuals

Every year, hundreds of girls are taken advantage of and sold into prostitution. Sexual predators, especially in America, prey upon girls who are on the streets alone (usually due to problems at home). One such target was thirteen year old Salina, who lived in Las Vegas with her mother when personal distress caused her to run away from home. While detached from her family, Salina was picked up by a couple who forced her into sex work. It was clear that if she did not obey, went back home, or kept any of the money she earned, she would be beaten and possibly killed. But she was not held in a brothel or forced to walk the streets; no, this method is used by millions of people on a daily basis- the internet.

Oftentimes when people hear the term human sex trafficking, they think of heinous acts that take place in other countries where adults, children, girls and boys are exploited to perform sexual acts in exchange for money or goods against their will. They think it typically occurs in places that are less developed than the United States. However, the reality of this horrific crime is that it is taking place in the United States, and it occurs more and more each and every day. Young girls are not solely the victim of human sex trafficking, young boys are victims of this monstrous act as well. Individuals residing in the United States need to be made more aware of this issue as it has started to rise through social media, large events, and by those in other countries being promised work here. After researching, it is apparent that there is a great deal of information that is lacking, on sex trafficking in the United States. Not only is sex trafficking an issue, but the lack of awareness about sex trafficking is also an issue. This thesis proposes that human sex trafficking is an unacknowledged epidemic within the United States, and it seeks to discover why it has become so prevalent.

One-third of the victims of sex trafficking are underage. The girls had met a ‘friend’ who promised the girls that they could get away from their parents. This is one of the most used terms the pimps use to get young girls and teens. Even if the girls go willingly the act of forcing these girls to have sex is illegal. In most cases the girls are under constant watch even out on the streets. They are placed in a room that is locked, the windows are covered, and

“They would beat you. They would make you feel like they would cause you yourself or your family harm. Another thing, some of the girls don’t have anywhere to go (Victims, 2011).” Keisha Head works as an anti-human trafficking advocate, but that was not always the case. She was once a victim to this cold and unforgiving way of life that many people simply call “prostitution.” It has been said by the ignorant that prostitutes must enjoy their line of work, as sex is generally considered pleasurable. However, Keisha tells another story. “I became numb to what I was doing. I guess that’s the survival instinct,” she says. Another woman who escaped the life preferred to remain anonymous, but her statement is profound. “I was hoping that I would

Imagine a four year old girl growing up in contemporary Cambodia. Each morning she wakes up miles from home, homesick and scared. She is forced to beg for money for the brothel that she belongs to, and all of her earnings go straight to her master. Then, that night, about seven men come to the brothel. These men, some as old as fifty, often pay as little as two dollars to partake in sexual intercourse with these school-aged children. The toddlers enslaved in the horrific sex trade are forever stripped of their purity, making human trafficking a major issue in present day Cambodia. Over 30,000 children are sexually exploited annually (“Children for Sale”), and millions have been forced into human trafficking