What If I Told You Slavery Still Exists? Many Would Disagree

Today there are more slaves in the world than in any recorded time in history. Human trafficking is the largest growing criminal enterprise in the world happening in almost every country. It is ranked as second highest revenue tied with weapons just behind narcotics, bringing in an estimate of thirty-two billion annually. Human trafficking is the trade of humans for sex or labor in return for a profit. In the Public Service Announcement (PSA), “The Reality of Human Trafficking”, produced by Global Nomads Group (GNG), the organization’s presentation of logos overshadows their representations of pathos and ethos.

Images of foreign lands usually conjure up when the thoughts of human sex trafficking come to one 's mind. The United States of America is not immune to this type of horrific behavior. America is the land of the free and yet something as awful as human sex trafficking occurs in our very own backyard each and everyday. According to the Department of Homeland Security the definition of human trafficking is “modern day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act” (“What Is Human Trafficking?”). In this research paper the reader will experience the savagery that comes with human sex trafficking and how it has expanded in the United States over recent years. Within this research

There are many myths involving human trafficking. One myth is that human trafficking is not a modern problem (Richmond, 2015). When people are asked about human trafficking, they may say that it is a Trans-Atlantic issue, not a problem in the United States. To help people understand what kind of problem

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.

Human trafficking is an issue that no one really wants to talk about. The media portrays this horrible crime as something that only happens in foreign lands. Americans do not want to believe that something so heinous could happen on our own soil. However when survivors of human trafficking come forward, people are forced to confront the reality that this issue is not that far from home. Some individuals still choose to deny that this is a real issue. However the facts make it extremely hard to deny that human trafficking happens on American soil.

According to a study of a sample of major American, British, and Canadian newspapers from 2000-2005, sex-trafficking-focused articles represented more than half of the sample and more than double the number about labor trafficking (54% vs. 20%). Moreover, in the United States, the percentage of sex trafficking articles was even higher at 58%. More than just a numerical imbalance, this can be problematic as it “suggests that rather than influencing the nature of the debate, the news media mostly echo the narratives presented by the major participants in the policy process and, thus, help support the dominant views.”

This past year in the United States, there were an estimated 21,431 calls made to authorities concerning potential human trafficking situations and yet, the average American does not know that forced labor and prostitution is even a problem. (Melissa) Second to drug dealing, human trafficking is the largest criminal industry in the world today, and is growing fast. (Human Trafficking – Exploitation…) This modern day form of slavery takes victims captive against their will by using violence, threats, deception and other manipulative tricks. Even though each trafficking target has a different story, they all have similar experiences because they lose their freedom. In the United States, the First amendment protects all people citizens or aliens with basic freedoms. Therefore, human trafficking goes against ones American civil rights; human trafficking is major issue in the USA that needs to be stopped.

The author of this book gives an in-depth explanation as to why many people today still do not view human trafficking as slavery. Because of mainstream influence, society assumes only females that are uneducated, poor, or in prostitution are trafficked. In reality, young children or teenagers who are kidnapped and forced into trafficking make up a lot of the sex trafficking industry. The writer goes on to explain that this stereotype is both inaccurate and a hindrance to obliterating trafficking in today’s world. Lastly, this author thinks that in order for human trafficking to be viewed as a real world threat to society, the media must step in and cover this topic with tenacity in hopes to uncover what really goes on behind the trafficking

The earliest form of human trafficking was the international African Slave Trade. This went on for years until it was banned. People began to start a White Slave Trade, whereas instead of Africans, they would trade caucasian women and girls against their will for prostitution (Oster, 2015). The criminalization of this did not happen until 1910 (Oster, 2015). In 1921, women and girls were the only ones being trafficked, and the reason was for prostitution and sexual abuse (Oster, 2015). Today, men and boys are also trafficked, but for labor positions like textile, agriculture, fishing, or other hard labor jobs. Today, the media is helping and hurting this issue.

Sex trafficking is a major problem in the world today and the only way to truly combat it is by raising awareness through the media. I say the media because it is the most effective tool to reach out to world’s largest audience. Although one person has the ability to change the world, it is not enough to change the process of sex trafficking. If everyone right now was able to view real, in depth information on sex trafficking, the problem would not go unnoticed. However, the thought would be out of people’s mind within a week because of some other news article, or video. I propose that we use the mass media to its full potential and rame through every aspect of social media and make the people uncomfortable. By doing this, I believe that it would be a more effective way to to keep the thought of sex trafficking linger in one’s brain enough for them to want to help change the problem.

Although slavery was abolished in 1865, the practice of it is still very alive today. Human trafficking, a form of modern slavery, is the buying and selling of people, whether it 's for forced labor or commercial sex. Every year, thousands of adults and children, especially girls, are forced into the endless trafficking ring. “The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally” (“The Facts”). The human trafficking industry is a worldwide network that is worth an estimated 150 billion dollars (“The Facts”). Millions of stories about victims experiences can be found and read. Many of these victims are sucked into the world of human trafficking because they are immigrants trying to escape to the U.S. and have debts to pay off once they get there. Trafficking happens everywhere, from big city shopping centers, to small town massage parlors. People are being captured, sold and transported across the world via various forms of transportation at all times. With updated technology, it becomes easier and easier to buy and sell these “slaves” and with this, the chances of being caught and punished is almost nothing. Many people think slavery is dead; however, human trafficking is still alive and it needs to be stopped because many people are being forced into involuntary sex and labor.

Human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery, is one of the most profitable crimes today. According to Polaris Project, “Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar crime industry that denies freedom to 20.9 million people around the world.” (Human) This is why learning about human trafficking in the United States is so important. Although, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery in the United States many people are still victims of being bought, sold, and abused. As citizens of the United States, we need to be aware of the issues we face as a country. Therefore, my research paper is for all citizens of the United States.

Slavery is a modern, pervasive problem. Human trafficking has been found in every state in America (humantrafficking.org). It seems that most Americans likely live within a comfortable drive of someone who is being exploited through human trafficking. There is a growing trend in human trafficking toward sexual exploitation (Bennetts, 2011). The Information Age has helped to create new opportunities for sex trafficking to flourish.

Another strategy to stop human trafficking is to increase awareness to the public especially to women who are more susceptible to fall prey to human traffickers. It is incredibly important to promote awareness to potential victims before they unknowingly get involved. There are many ways to spread awareness especially in this world of technology. Awareness can be spread through videos on YouTube, community groups on Facebook, status updates on Twitter and e-mails. Traditional ways include hanging up posters and banners, advertising through televisions and radios, campaigns, and so on. To further capture the attention of the civic, A-list celebrities can also get involved in increasing awareness on human trafficking. It is absolutely necessary to educate ourselves on this global problem in order to fight against it. Experts on human trafficking can release tips and guidelines to the public to prevent them from being fooled by the traffickers. With the right amount of knowledge and awareness, it is possible to combat human trafficking.

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