There Is No Set Characteristics Of A Person Or People Who

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use fraud or coercion to profit from forcing victims in commercial sex acts or labor services ("Human Trafficking".) It is a market-driven criminal industry that is based on the principles of supply and demand, like drugs or arms trafficking. Many components make children and adults susceptible to human trafficking. Traffickers target vulnerable people for a variety of reasons, including psychological or emotional issues, economic hardship, lack of safety, or political instability. Unfortunately, victims rarely seek help due to language barriers, fear of the traffickers and law enforcement, or fear of potential consequences. Knowing how to identify signs of human trafficking is the first step in pinpointing victims. Additionally, we can assist victims by modifying criminal policy, receiving more state funds, participating in organizations, and raising awareness.

Out of the thousands of people that have been human trafficking victims each year, only an insignificant amount of them is actually reported. Imagine being in 8th grade. Having all sorts of hopes and dreams. Now flash forward to dreams being taken away by a pimp that lures people into human trafficking. In short, this is true for Holly Austin Smith, a survivor of human trafficking. The punishment for the pimps that ruin the lives of these young girls is not severe. Therefore, there is not much help for the girls after they get rescued from this tragedy. A realization Holly had soon on and explains, “...Although I was soon recognized to be a victim, the specialized aftercare needed for a trafficking victim did not yet exist... Twenty years ago, there were no anti-trafficking laws in place. This pimp, who raped and lured a child into prostitution, served only 365 days in jail” (Smith). This young girl had recovered from this horrible incident all by herself. Many other girls in her position have gone through similar experiences and have been hurt by their pimp. In addition, the pimp will not receive much punishment. A sad story repeated across America and is very prominent in other countries. In America, most of the time victims are the ones that usually serve time in jail since in some cases it’s considered prostitution, even if it was forced by the pimp. In most cases, the pimps stay uncovered and if the victims of trafficking come forward as to who their pimp is, they

Human trafficking is a worldwide problem. From California to Australia, it happens. “161 countries are reported to be affected by human

Victims are usually extremely vulnerable members of society, chosen for that very reason. They include women, men and children. They are often young people who are hoping for a better life, have an unstable home life, are isolated from family, lack employment opportunities, have limited education level, possess a history of abuse, have undocumented status, addiction, disability, and suffer poverty, illiteracy, or some combination of these characteristics.

Human trafficking is in every state of this nation and in every country across the world. It’s in cities, suburbs, and rural areas; being hidden in plain view; unseen by so many. In 2015, 17,500 cases of sex trafficking were reported in the United States (Chawla). This is only the cases that were reported. It is estimated that there were about 20.9 million cases across the world that never got reported in 2015 (Lize). There are more human slaves in the world today than ever before in history (Straker). The purpose of this paper is to educate the reader on human trafficking in the United States and in the World, and prove how bad it has become.

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

“Owners” of Women in human trafficking are beyond brutal. Survivors say they will beat you till you admit something even when you know nothing of the incident. They do not tell the traffickers where they are. If they know where they are they may be able to get help. Traffickers have no rights. 90% of the time they have no cell phone, no contact to family, and are under monderting at all times. They are beaten for not working hard enough. These victims experience abuse that no one should ever have to experience. It is an unimaginable situation that is a reality to too many women. According to the FBI services here is what Human Trafficking means “People are being bought, sold, and smuggled like modern-day slaves, often beaten, starved, and forced to work as prostitutes or to take jobs as migrant domestic, restaurant, or factory worker with little or no pay.” This is a hard situation to think about living in but yet women are forced to.

The U.S. Department of State reported there’s an estimate of 20.9 million victims of human trafficking. Human trafficking is many occurrences that happen unnoticed anywhere, anytime causing undescribed and inhuman events to the victims. Victims of human trafficking are unable to escape from the life of being raped, beaten, and violated constantly; however, with the support of the government and people around the world, we can help stop it.

A $28 billion trade is human trafficking, not to be confused with smuggling. This can take place in many forms such as modern day slavery, sexual exploitation, or even worse, organ harvesting. Human smuggling is when persons pay just to be brought into a country and do not get forced into all the terrible things that a ‘trafficked’ person gets forced into doing. Trapped with no way out many are forced to work as migrant workers or prostitutes. This is one of the fastest growing criminal activities around the globe. (Vardi, 2010). “It is estimated that 800,000 to 900,000 victims are annually trafficked across international borders worldwide and between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States annually.” (2012).

According to research conducted by Baker and Grover (2013), human trafficking is the third most profitable criminal activity in the world. In Baker and Grover’s published article, Responding to Victims of Human Trafficking: Interagency

Labor and sex trafficking both use very similar methods. Exploiting the victim’s weakness is a common method for traffickers. “They prey on the longings of the victim’s heart and fill psychological wounds that the victim has had inflicted on him or her in a previous life experience” (Tomkiewicz). From creating longings of the victim’s heart and filling them with psychological wounds, the victim will become weaker and easier to manipulate because he or she would want somebody to rely on. Traffickers often aim for young girls, ages 12 to 14, who had a bad childhood and abusive family, so they can act as their guardian. After gaining the victim’s trust, the trafficker will lead them away from his or her family and force him or her into prostitution. Traffickers would use filthy methods such as saying “I saved you” or “I love you,” then after this psychological attack they would end with “do this for me please, if you love me” (Tomkiewicz). Manipulating with the victim’s heart is easy because the trafficker was able to gain their trust and love. CNN unfolds a story about a human trafficking survivor and the cruel reality of human trafficking that happens commonly in Mexico and United States.

Human sex trafficking is and has been a big concern around the world. It has been around since before Christopher Columbus discovered America. Whether sexual, domestic, or labor, the terror and horror that human trafficking victims have endured defies the scope of our sensitivities.  To realize that that this may be happening in our own towns and neighborhoods, invisible to us as we go about our daily comfortable lives, is unthinkable.  Since Congress first acted on this issue in 1999, the federal government has supplied more than 150 million dollars to fight human trafficking in the United States alone.  However, the most recent data suggests that there are tens of thousands of victims that were not originally cited. While no one would argue that any victim in the United States is worth the support of our various systems, the danger of loss of credibility for those persons rises when there is a substantial gap between the cited numbers of cases and those that have be exposed.

Trauma theory provides insight on perpetrator’s ability to control their victims. Traffickers understand the element of captivity in complete subordination. Victims must have the feeling of helplessness in their situation, escape is not a viable option. As described in Herman, the process of destroying attachments requires isolation and destruction of connection with others (Herman, 2015). Traffickers isolate their victims by placing bars over windows and locking them inside. Eventually, victims are so accustomed to entrapment that they will not escape, even if there is an opportunity. The destruction of connection occurs when victims experience assault and violence at the hands of their “clients” and the lack of intervention on their behalf. They learn to trust no one to ensure their survival; dependence on others will only result in loss. Total surrender is an inevitable consequence for trafficking. Victims submit to their circumstances because that is their new reality. In a situation of complete bondage, a victim only has control left over her emotions; their physical self is completely controlled. It seems a bit counterintuitive, but, perhaps by shutting down emotionally, victims are in a way controlling the one thing that they still

many academics, public officials, law enforcement authorities, and the news media believe human trafficking to be among the most tragic and horrendous transnational criminal activities facing us today. Victims are typically transported from