The Pros And Cons Of Human Trafficking

According to Rijken (2009) any activity that involves the recruitment, transportation, or receipt of a person using coercive or deceptive means with the intent of exploitation is defined as Human Trafficking. If the victim is under 18 the coercive or deceptive means in unnecessary to call such conduct trafficking (p. 212). There are 12.3 million victims of human trafficking worldwide at any given moment (Hepburn & Simon, 2010; Nack, 2009). Statistics show that 43% are forced into the sex trade, 32% are used in forced labor, and the remaining 25% are trafficked for mixed or undetermined reasons (Hepburn & Simon, 2010). In the United States alone, 15-18,000 women, children, and men are trafficked annually. People of all genders, races, and ages are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking. We can’t simply prosecute our way to social justice. Of course people who exploit people should be punished. But definitions of trafficking often cast a wide net, encompassing all sex workers. While law enforcement has the biggest role to play, the quest to end modern slavery must have other champions. Forced labor and sex trafficking is the second most profitable criminal enterprise, and the fastest growing. Yet the level of awareness within the United States is not commensurate. To truly confront this most egregious of crimes, civil society must be a lead proponent. Organizations already exist that help in a variety of ways, such as providing training to those who could identify victims. (Ergas, Y.; "Online Journal - JIA SIPA.")

Hepburn et al. (2010) noted that it is commonly believed that most victims of human trafficking are used for sexual exploitation however, many countries just recently began to include forced labor in ...

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...ide a safe house for girls trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation. For those hundreds of thousands of girls in need, there are as few as 50 beds in facilities capable of dealing with their complex and deeply entrenched problems. Retrieved from: http://www.justice.gov/archive/olp/human_trafficking.htm.

According to Stotts and Ramey (2009) regardless of citizenship or type of exploitation, survivors have many obstacles to overcome. The effects are both mental and physical. Medical attention is needed for most victims not only as a result of repeated rape or beatings, but also the lack of preventative care, dehydration and starvation. Many victims are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Minor illnesses are left untreated until they can no longer be ignored or the victim dies. The mental and emotional abuse victims deal with require extensive therapy (p.4).