The Importance Of Human Trafficking In Houston

Have you ever walked into Wal-Mart and taken the time to look at the numerous pictures of missing youth that is plastered on the wall? When looking at how long they have been missing, it ranges anywhere from months to years. Looking at their age, both boys and girls, it is hard not to wonder if these kids are being trafficked. Child sex trafficking, also known as human trafficking, is a major issue that is not only plaguing the United States, but the world. Residing in a state where teen sex trafficking is very common, it is imperative that not only adults, but the youth understand what child sex/human trafficking is, what is a sex-trafficker, and the data that reveals the seriousness of child sex

A primary location for human trafficking is at truck stops. According to Lieutenant Kimberlin, there are 25 or more truck stops that can hold 20 trucks overnight in Oklahoma. There is a considerable presence at these truck stops. “But it is difficult to detect since the drivers generally assist in hiding the girls.” (Kimberlin2) Love’s Travel Stop, a well-known chain of truck stops, is also working toward the cause to stop human trafficking. Love’s is planning to sponsor a group called Truckers Against Trafficking later in 2014. Love’s plans to teach workers of their truck stops about trafficking through a training video. This video will show common signs of human trafficking. The purpose of Truckers Against Trafficking is to help the trucking industry recognize that human traffickers are taking advantage of the trucking industry with their trafficking efforts.

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).

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.

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;

Many organizations have formed to establish several resolutions for combating the issue of human trafficking , both locally and nationally. I chose to investigate two existing social awareness campaigns located in Ohio. The reasons I decided to explore these two organizations is because of the obvious, that my classmates and I are in the state of Ohio but overall, it is due to the fact that this state rank's number five in the nation for human trafficking. There are explanations behind the ranking of Ohio for this issue. The first explanation is due to the inner city centers and country counties, which included a big immigrant population. The second explanation is due to five main highways located throughout Ohio. These highways make it convenient for human traffickers (Ohio State Bar Association, 2014).

Human trafficking is a significant, but hard to spot problem in Houston – and across Texas. Houston is known as a hub for human trafficking, which involves young women brought here for prostitution because of our proximity to the Mexican border. One fourth of all trafficking victims rescued in the United States are found in Texas, mostly in Houston (McCall). In the year 2011 alone, there have been a number of arrests for Human Trafficking made in the Houston area as well as several brothels have been closed down. However, FBI reports at least two new brothels open monthly in Houston (Palmer). There are a number of ways to fight human trafficking including educating yourself, spreading the word, taking a look in your own community,

27 million people all over the world are currently being forced into human trafficking or modern day slavery, 161 countries including the US will be affected by human trafficking. 1 million children will be exploited by the commercial sex trade each year. Sex trafficking began in the 1700s in the United States. It hasn’t been stopped because it continues to increase over the years. Even though the law enforcement and people around the world could be strong enough to stop human trafficking, I believe this situation needs to be more focused on and stopped as soon as possible. Because Human Trafficking is increasing rapidly and Oklahoma is a cross-way for sex trafficking due to the interstates such as I-35, I-40 and I-44.

Every day innocent girls are manipulated into the human trafficking industry. Human trafficking is the illegal movement of people, typically for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. Typically, human trafficking involves bringing girls living outside of America, into the United States, telling them there is a better life for them. However, this could be further from the truth. In the United States, the top two states with the highest rates of human trafficking are California and Texas. One of the top cities for human trafficking in Texas is Dallas. Even though human trafficking may not be in the public eye as much as it has been in the past, it is still a prevalent issue within the city of Dallas.

In a letter from 2010, Mayor Annise Parker acknowledged the growing problem and said, “Houston is a hub for Human Trafficking where approximately twenty percent of all human trafficking victims will pass through our city at some point of their enslavement.” The Mayor’s Office recently reiterated the importance of fighting human trafficking and in a

The city of New Orleans, Louisiana is known as a human gumbo due to the assortment of people, cultures and year round festivals. New Orleans, Louisiana has become a renowned tourist attraction primarily due to its delectable food, night life (Bourbon Street) and adult entertainment industry. The population for the city of New Orleans in the year of 2015 was projected to be 389,617 while the population in the entire state of Louisiana was 4,670,724 (United States Census Bureau, 2015). To clarify, the state’s population is 63.2% Caucasian, 32.5% African American and 5.0% Hispanic or Latino as of July 1, 2015 (United States Census Bureau, 2015). In addition, 5.9% of New Orleans population is foreign born persons which has divulged the city and states issues of Human Trafficking (United States Census Bureau, 2015).

To fully understand the controversies regarding making human trafficking laws tougher in Texas, it is essential to analyze the various views regarding the issue and its history to be able to see how the problem arose. Such views include discussions of laws like Tex. Penal Code §20A.02, where it “Establishes trafficking as a second-degree felony with a sentence of two to 20 years imprisonment. If the persons trafficked or transported are under the age of 14, or if the commission of the offense results in death, the offense is a first-degree felony with a sentence of five to 99 years imprisonment” (“Human Trafficking Laws”). Specifically, these views are centered around three main beliefs. Some professionals advocate for tougher laws, while others want to see more comprehensive laws. Others believe that our attentions are misplaced, and instead, the emphasis should be on helping the victims recover from their traumas.

So what exactly is the problem? Well according to the US department of health and human services, human trafficking is second largest criminal industry making $12 billion per year off of a staggering 1.2 million child victims, all from the ages 5 to 17. Unlike other criminal industries children can be sold over and over again. The profits from one girl alone can range to as much as 250,000 dollars. This is not just distant problem but LA which hits close to home for me is the second larges trafficking city in the United States. I am going to share with your the one statistic that lead me to write this speech. (CAS Research and Education) fewer than 1% of all children in California are in the foster care system (SCEC 2012 study) and yet they make of 60% to 80% of all commercially sexually exploited children in California. This is as much as 8 out of every 10 kids. That is a problem. Not only that but the average lifespan for a trafficked child decreases to just seven more years. Subjecting these children to a horrible death of disease, drugs, murder, or suicide.

Human trafficking is a serious problem in modern society. In fact, the United Nations has referred to it as “one of the gravest human rights violations of our times” (“Secretary - General Calls Human Trafficking”). It is a fast growing industry that affects millions. No gender, age, or status is spared from the cruelty that is trafficking. To stress this point again, human trafficking is not just a problem of the “world” or “United States”, in general. As previously seen, it strikes very close to home, affecting hundreds of men, women, and children of our own community. In fact, “North Carolina ranked as a top-10 state for human trafficking with Charlotte being the top destination. It is estimated that more than 1,700 girls are trafficked

Many Americans remain ignorant of human trafficking within the United States, believing that this inhumane act only occurs in third-world countries. No one likes to believe that it can be happening in our own country let alone in some of our own states and cities. Society rarely takes the time to understand these women and what lead them into trafficking and what factors contributed to them staying in trafficking. This study seeks to voice the ability to raise awareness, enhance penalties for the traffickers/violator’s, and offer rehabilitation for the victims.