The Importance Of Sex Trafficking In The United States

Children within the United States who are being trafficked are part of what is called, domestic minor sex trafficking. These adolescents are citizens who have been forced, coerced, or misled to become a part of the commercial sex industry. Some of the most common ways to force minors into trafficking is through exotic dancing also known as stripping, brothels, porn, escorting, and massage services just to name a few (Minor Domestic Sex Trafficking). It is disturbing to know that there are children who are going through this. In order to create prevention and intervention programs for trafficking, it is important to understand what a sex trafficker is and the strategies they use to recruit children.

You may be asking yourself, what is the real problem before the solution is stated? Sex trafficking is the selling of children and adults for money with them performing prostitution, pornography and sexual performance in return for drugs, shelter, food, money, or clothes. According to Safe Ventures in 2016, every 3 minutes a minor is sexual abused, 10-15 minors sold as sex slaves a day, 5.4 million reports of child exploitation in the US alone. According to the ILO it estimates human trafficking generates $150.2 billion in illegal profits every single year. What most people fail to notice is that sex trafficking is business that is strictly just profit which makes it that much more dangerous of an issue because there is no supply to buy. Traffickers use several tactics to lure their victims with using fear, intimidation, violence, and threats to make their slaves follow their commands. Sex trafficking is pure evil and we need to do something about so it does not happen to those who are possible victims.

Imagine knowing that your parents set you up to be raped, just so they can make money. This violence leads to depression and even suicide, making the children feel extremely weak and empty. Weak law enforcement and poverty has driven sex slavery out of hand. A solution to end this violence begins with people who raise awareness. To raise awareness, it is important to meet with the federal and local government to inform them on the issues and convince them to combat sex trafficking. Come up with different fundraisers for battered victims, host awareness events so people become familiar with the issue, and eventually the victims can become educated and well equipped with the proper care they need. Consider working with different organizations that help women who have fallen victims of prostitution, pornography, trafficking and other forms of sexual violence. Work with a religious community that can help raise money for families in poverty. This can decrease the amount of women and children traded for sex. Internationally, we need to become more familiar with, knowledgeable of, and aggressive to end this suffering of dehumanization and advertise what the poor victims have to face on a daily

After thinking about a research topic for a long and hard time I decided to choose sex trafficking. The problem with sex trafficking is that it happens more than what we are aware of! Yet we do not raise any awareness for it. My question to schools, local communities, health workers and local governments is, "Why can we not raise more awareness sex trafficking wise?" As a future educator, I want my students to be aware of this harsh and cruel world. Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery! This modern form of slavery is not for labor but for sexual desires. Do you see why I do not understand making rape very aware in public. Yet, we do not do the same about sex trafficking?

Kotrla, K., & Wommack, B. A. (2011). Sex Trafficking of Minors in the U.S.: Implications for Policy, Prevention and Research. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 2 (Iss. 1), article 5.

One of the first questions that some may ask is, “why education?” Why is education an effective way to fight against human trafficking? Well, the answer has to do with prevention. Frederick Douglass, one of the foremost African American abolitionist and social reformer, wrote, “Knowledge makes a man unfit to be a slave” (Douglass 33). When he said these words, Douglass was, of course, not speaking specifically about human trafficking. He was discussing the enslavement of African Americans, more specifically his personal encounters with it. Education, at this time, helped him to cope and eventually free himself from slavery. An educated person is aware and, therefore, less susceptible to exploitation. This same principle can be applied to the human trafficking dilemma. Educating people about the realities of this crime, as well as how they can protect themselves gives them a powerful tool of defense. It has been noted that traffickers often target individuals who are in great distress, are unfamiliar with the environment, or the trade (“The Victims & Traffickers”). A lack of information makes for an easy target, which we must prevent. Educating children, as well as others, who may be susceptible to trafficking and exploitation, gives them a tool of defense, enabling them to recognize when trafficking is taking place and how to handle it.

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’s hard not to wonder if they have been kidnapped and are being trafficked. Child sex trafficking also known as human trafficking is a major issue that is not only plaguing the United States, but also the world. Residing in a state where teen sex trafficking is very common, it is imperative that not only adults, but youth as well understand what child sex/human trafficking is, what is a sex-trafficker, and data that displays how serious child sex trafficking is.

The whole foundation that AwareKC and Stop Trafficking is built off of raising public awareness over this issue. The only way to combat this problem, is to educate all ages about the gravity of this issue. The education of young people is vital to shape the future posterity of the United States. Research has proven that people who receive a greater punishment are less likely to to repeat their actions. In 2012, sex traffickers “received sentences that ranged from four to eleven years in prison, and that was all” (KCTV5). The fact of the matter is that on average, people in the trafficking business, if caught, are only sentenced roughly 7 years. Knowing these women/men sold into the business are doing these things against their will, and the puppet masters are only put in jail for a few couple years for ruining someone's life, is incredibly problematic. Another known issue seen in society today is the objectification of the female body. If female bodies were not objectified by society, exploitation of vulnerability would be harder, since the women insecurity rate would decrease. If males were taught from a young age to respect the female body, it will help decrease the amount of trafficking through the United

In 2014, the states considered more than 220 bills that addressed human trafficking, including 24 bills in 11 states that called for expanding services to sexually exploited youth. (State Legislative). The United States expanded services like the “safe harbor” for sexually exploited children. In the United States, about 300,000 children are at the risk of being exploited and trafficked for sex. Human trafficking impacts millions of people globally; as a community we need to come up with a solution to stop it; some solutions may be, provide security for victims (of being trafficked); and help force laws against it.

Sex trafficking keeps becoming a bigger issue in modern times. More victims are being taken, mainly women and children. In order to be able to help those in sex trafficking we need to help people become aware of the dangerous acts that they create and or cause to a person. Since “Sex trafficking is a fast-growing criminal enterprise. In response, some states are looking for help in combating the trafficking where it’s likely to occur.” (“Sex Trafficking Law Enforcement Task Force Highlighted During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month”) By giving those in your community the opportunity to help you around your community is something that can definitely change the way things are done. When you're in a community, you are familiar

Human trafficking has become one of many issues within the borders of the United States as well as other countries. It seems that quite a few people have come to terms with trafficking and other forms of prostitution to be socially acceptable within and outside the realms of their own country. Even though a lot of these individuals see the injustice when it comes to sex trafficking, there are policies and values that tend to take precedence over the morality of the issue. With over hundreds of thousands of men, women, and even young children being purchased and sold into slavery and hard labor without a care in the world for them. It becomes quite clear after seeing this that this topic needs to seriously be addressed and closely examined.

Sex trafficking is a problem that sweeps across the nation. The number of children and teens on the street makes them more at risk of being taken into human sex trafficking. According to the Covenant House Institute, more than two million kids in America will face a period of homelessness. As many as 20,000 kids are forced into prostitution by the human trafficking networks every year in the United States

Sex trafficking is a problem that nations across the globe have come together to try and combat, however, efforts amount to little avail. It is a difficult task to take on because

The International Labor Organization estimated that there were 4.5 million victims trapped in forced sexual exploitation, or sex trafficking, globally. Most would believe that this is a problem that does not occur in the United States, but they would be wrong. In 2007 alone, 14,588 sex trafficking cases were reported in the United States and the problem is only getting worse. This research paper will discuss multiple topics such as the definition of sex trafficking, recruitment and those at risk, where it occurs, organizations, consequences, a healthcare provider’s role and a study on the attitudes of the public. The objective is to bring light to this problem and educate those who are reading (Polaris Project, 2016).

Where does your mind wander when someone talks about child trafficking? Do you think of children from third world countries being kidnapped or sold into the black market of human trafficking? Most of us probably think of human trafficking as being an issue that poor countries just have but, that isn’t the case. Human trafficking is alive and sadly thriving in the United States. According to Trafficking Source Center, 5,544 cases of human trafficking were reported in the United States in 2015. With human trafficking being around for so long, nations have to find ways to create tougher laws, find a way to focus on the issue, and create better safe havens for the victims of the crime.