The Dangers Of Human Trafficking In America

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 prominent problem within the United States that is often overlooked. The definition of human trafficking is, “Human trafficking - the illegal practice of procuring or trading in human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation” (“Human trafficking”). People in the United States believe that human trafficking is a problem that occurs in other less developed countries compared to the United States. What these individuals do not realize is that human trafficking occurs on American soil contrary to popular belief. The United States is one of the top three destination countries of human trafficking and human trafficking is a top criminal enterprise across the world (“WEAVE, Inc.”).

The United States has always been known for sticking their nose in places where it does not belong. America has been part of wars that could have been avoided, scandals that had nothing to do with the United States. Millions of lives over the years could have been spared if America would have just simply stayed where they belong. What if though, America feels like they have to get involved in forging affairs if they think it can cause or is causing a problem on American soil or with the Americans themselves? Human trafficking is issues that most people do not necessarily knows about or even really think about. There are several different types of human trafficking and smuggling crimes that are in today's society. The number one kind of human trafficking is sex trafficking. The handlers usually kidnap someone, ninety percent of the time, a girl under the age of eighteen, and sell them to different people all over the world for sexual reasons. The girls they kidnap and sell can be from the area or just passing through and get in the wrong place at the wrong time. Forced labor is the second most common type of human trafficking in the world. This is where a person takes advantage of a worker and changes labor laws to make them work longer hours or harder, more tiring jobs with very little pay. Victims of forced labor most of the time do not even know what is happening to them. Most of the people that get sucked into the forced labor trade are very vulnerable;

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.

1). Ms. Greenlee is one of the most identifiable survivors of this type of tragedy. Greenlee told Ms. Martin (2013), “ she was forced to go through anywhere from 25 to 50 men a day or she would receive unimaginable punishments,” (para. 3). Greenlee told Martin (2013), “punishments were beyond severe, if she was not able to go through the number of customers they told her to she would pay with beatings, multiple rapes by multiple men, or even worse they would force her to watch as they tortured one of the other women they had kidnapped as her punishment,” (para. 6). Martin (2013) reports that, “Greenlee, who was kidnapped at age 12, was part of about eight girls who were kidnapped by a group of men who injected them with heroin and sometimes handcuffed them to the bed,” (para. 4). The tortures that Ms. Greenlee faced are unimaginable. She is one of the few women who have been able to escape from that world and talk about it openly.

When trying to define human trafficking it gets hard because is it slavery or is it some kind of other servitude? The United Nations defined trafficking as it “Involves the movement of people through violence, deception or coercion for the purpose of forced labor, servitude or slavery-like practices.”# This means that the traffickers use violence to coerce the victims to do anything they want. Including controlling all aspects of their lives from where they go, who they talk to, and essentially controlling their freedoms. This new breed of Human Trafficker is “global sophistication, complexity and control of how women and children are trafficked from/to/in all parts of the globe.”#

What exactly is human trafficking? We have all heard of it, but what actually is it. It’s a modern form of slavery. It involves controlling a person through force, fraud, or coercion to exploit the victim for forced labor, sexual exploitation, or both. It strips victims of their freedom and violates our nation’s promise that every person in the U.S. is guaranteed basic human rights. This is a crime (Beccera). Sadly, the United States is widely regarded as a destination country for human trafficking. According to the federal reports, nearly 14,500 to 17,500 victims are trafficked in the United States annually. That doesn’t even include the number of victims that are trafficked WITHIN the United States. If you are looking for a defined definition of human trafficking, California legislatures states it as being “ALL acts involved in the recruitment, abduction, transport, harboring, transfer, sale or receipt of persons, within national or across international borders, through force, coercion, fraud or deception, to place persons in situations of slavery or slavery like conditions, forced labor or services, such as forced prostitution or sexual services, domestic servitude, bonded sweatshop labor, or other debt bondage.” (Beccera) This is a crime that needs to come to an end.

Situation: Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 14,000- 17,500 people trafficked across our boarders. The issues of international human trafficking have only recently been brought to light as an increasing problem within the United States. The department of homeland security, which consists of many branches such as Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Coast Guard, are some of the top combating agencies against human trafficking. With the rise of the amount of victims estimated to be trafficked into the U.S each year, there is much more that needs to be done in order to better address the issue.

Some of the worst nightmares possible to imagine actually happen to women and children across the United States. In this country that americans are so proud of, every single day, including today there are dozens to even hundreds of people that are suffering deeply from being a victim of human trafficking. No one ever thinks that it could happen to them but there are men and even women recruiters for the trade that lure their victims. Since human trafficking is so unknown around us people tend to forget about it and have a tendency to “throw it under the rug”. Human trafficking in the United States must end because the variety of laws from state to state do not encourage a cohesive front against the practice, the victims are completely taken advantage of, and the level of disturbing and detrimental situations that these victims go through warrant an end to human trafficking.

Human trafficking has been in existence in several states for many years. It is a form of slavery where people can be transported from one place to another for exploitation in farms, being forced into criminal activities such as terrorism, forced marriages, sexual abuse, prostitution among other forms of illicit activities (Butler, 2015). The trafficked individuals are often oppressed through violence, threats or coercion which forces the individuals to be involved in various things which they could not be willing to conduct. Majorly, members of the African continent have been widely bound to human trafficking. However, the ordeal has expanded even to trafficking within members of the same state.

Regardless of “the growing recognition that human trafficking is an important national and global issue, little empirical research containing primary data has been published.” However, there are many that are passionate about this horrific matter and are determined to make a difference. For instance, the Fraser Health Authority is establishing a way that will help health workers identify signs of human trafficking. Their new program is called ‘Help, Don’t Hinder’ and helps workers identify signs of abuse in victims, specific injuries, certain living situations, “long work hours, and a lack of money, documents or permanent homes.” Many times the victim is unable to ask for help. A victim may look like an average everyday worker, customer, or person passing by on the street. This is why the most beneficial thing that one can do to help is to recognize the signs of human trafficking and know how to help. Not only this, but have the bravery to reach out to someone and give them the aid and support that they need. This program is expected to raise awareness over the next three years and increase research as well as legislative responses. All social workers throughout America should follow this example to help raise their awareness so they know when they see this issue happening around them, and help raise awareness in

“People were created to be loved; things were created to be used. The reason the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.” --John Green. Human Trafficking is a big problem here in the United States and all around the world (Zhai 2). Trafficking is violent, both emotionally and physically (Hummel “Human Smuggling” 1). There are three major forms of human trafficking: forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution (Petriliggieri 1). Forced Labor is the most common type in the U.S. (Haerens 17). About 17,500 people are trafficked to and from the United States every year (Haerens 16), but there were only 3,000 known cases (Zhai 2). Some critics may say that there are organizations and government programs

Of the 13,325 calls made to the Human Trafficking hotline, 4,546 were made by community members; that is highest amount of calls were made by a single source. By making people aware of the crime, it can help to the spread and vast reach of trafficking. Not only an increase from a decade ago, but also a difference between two years that sees an increase in reported cases and victims. 2016 alone saw 7,572 reported cases of human trafficking, 2015 saw 5,526 cases reported, and 2014 saw 5,042 reported cases. There were 4,293 more reported cases in 2016 than 2012. This data shows an increase in recent years, the data from the human trafficking hotline is as current as for December 31, 2016.(Human Trafficking hotline 1) The recent increase within recent years is putting many people at

“Smuggling of migrants has been defined by the United Nation as the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, or the illegal entry of a person into a State Party of which the person is not a national or permanent resident.” If the individual pays for his transportation from exiting and entering the country and if he decides that he wants to cut ties with his transporter, then he has been smuggled. Illegal immigrants and trafficked victims try to approach someone to help them enter another country and the smuggled people pay the entire fee they owe to enter the country while the trafficked victims pay a percentage for the trip and remain in debt which puts them in the hands of a traffickers because they will have to pay the money they owe by working as a sex slave. When you travel to another country with a vise to visit family, work and study and if the visa expires they become an immigrant. Even if they travel to a different part of the country without legal documents or passport, they end up seeking help from smugglers and traffickers to enter the country illegally. When you are illegal you are in more danger to becoming exploited into trafficking and they are usually exploited until they pay off their debt which in a lot of cases that never happens, only if the person is rescue, escaped or died. The huge difference between smuggled victims and human trafficking victims is that the smugglers are allowed to leave and find another job, unlike the human trafficking victims don’t have that opportunity and they have to stay there to repay their debt, to get their documents or else they

Up until last semester, I truly had no idea of the magnitude of human trafficking in the United States. Living in the Bible belt, we tend to be sheltered and naive to the corruptions of the world. Last semester, I was required to do some research regarding human trafficking I was appalled at my findings. I even had my husband read an article to bring him insight and awareness. I know Ashton Kutcher is a huge advocate for human trafficking awareness and trying to put an end to this heinous crime. I am aware of the Tennessee website for human trafficking. I received training in identifying human trafficking in the health care setting through my education, here at King University. If I am recalling correctly, we also had a training module through