Essay On Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking in America

One of the biggest problems plaguing the earth and its inhabitants today is the act of human trafficking. Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. Over the years, trafficking has been fueled by poverty and gender discrimination. Such as countries with a high poverty rate may be at a higher risk of human trafficking.

Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. And though they are often confused, human trafficking and smuggling are separate and fundamentally different crimes. Human trafficking is a crime against the person whereas smuggling is a crime against the

2010. Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.). And The United States is widely regarded as a popular destination country for human trafficking as federal reports estimate that between 14,500 to 17,500 victims are trafficked into the United States every year. That doesn’t even include the number of victims who are trafficked within the United States each year ("WHAT IS HUMAN TRAFFICKING?" State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General. State of California Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General). Most women trafficked to the U.S. are forced to work in the sex industry (including strip clubs, peep and touch shows, massage parlors that offer sexual services, and prostitution). They are also trafficked to work in sweatshops, domestic servitude, and agricultural work. (Skinner, E. Benjamin. 2008. A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery. New York, NY: Free Press.). In the U.S. human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and in some U.S. territories. (”International Human Trafficking.” FBI. November 23, 2009. Accessed: December 23,

According to the Polaris project, which looks at national trends involving organized prostitution, Hampton Roads is the third worst region in Virginia, which is in the bottom tier of states when it comes to victim support and aggressive laws (Horne, Chris. "Exposing Human Trafficking in Hampton Roads." WAVYTV. WAVYTV). Congressman Scott Rigell of Virginia Beach hosted a panel discussion on human trafficking in August. Rigell said he learned the problem was more widespread than he had estimated. “It’s happening indeed in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore, on the Peninsula, and it’s a serious matter.” (Horne, Chris. "Exposing Human Trafficking in Hampton Roads." WAVYTV. WAVYTV). Tanya Street, a former victim of human trafficking, runs a local support group for current and former trafficking victims. Street says methods have changed since the mid-1990s when she was trafficked for two years along the east coast. She says the internet and social media have made it much easier for pimps to find girls and boys as young as 12. Street and the police she works with say social media give pimps both a recruiting tool and psychological leverage (Horne, Chris. "Exposing Human Trafficking in Hampton Roads." WAVYTV. WAVYTV). Portsmouth Police Sergeant Robert McDaniel has worked sex trafficking cases and knows about the effect of social media. “They put their whole life out there, they put their family’s life out there,”