There’s one key thing that affects many young girls and women across the U.S. and other countries, Human Trafficking. 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. This is all true for Holly Austin Smith, a survivor of human trafficking. The laws for punishment for the pimps that ruin the lives of these young girls is not severe. There’s also not a lot of help for the girls after they get rescued from this tragedy. Holly realized that soon on. She 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 …show more content…
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 the same thing. They’ve been hurt by their pimp and the pimp won’t get much punishment. A sad story repeated across America and is very prominent in other countries. In America, a lot of the times victims are the ones that usually serve time in jail since in some causes it’s considered prostitution, even if it was forced by the pimp. In most cases, the pimps aren’t found out and if the victims of human trafficking come forward as to who their pimp is, they could get killed after serving time in jail. The laws on Human Trafficking should be changed to something that helps the victims like stricter cross-border communication, making prostitution illegal, …show more content…
Some may say well what does Prostitution have to do with Human Trafficking? The two actually go closely hand in hand. Some of the Prostitution is discussed as Human Trafficking. That means Prostitution needs to be more closely regulated. Pimps will force these girls or women to perform the sexual acts taken place in Prostitution and then they take the money given. These pimps don’t tend to get much punishment because the women did the act of prostitution. Alex K. Rich expresses that prostitution needs to be more policed since there are so many loopholes. He goes further to say, “The bulk of the punishment, however, needs to be directed at those who have forced these women into prostitution and controlled them at every turn, namely the pimps and customers. One solution to the problem of prostitution is across-the-board enforcement of laws that prohibit or even criminalize the actions of pimps, customers, and prostitutes while providing rehabilitation opportunities and federal aid for former prostitutes”(Rich). Rich explains a solution that really needs to happen in the United States; laws that are more severe on the pimps and a solution for those affected by the harms of human trafficking. In some states o the U.S. , Prostitution is legal and “regulated”which is a bad thing because most cases of prostitution have a pimp involved. Pimps usually only get one to three years for
As victim count continues to rise, its difficult to see how such great numbers of men, women and children are bought and sold every year. Trafficking can be found in many forms, including: prostitution, slavery, or forced labor (Harf and Lombardi, 2014). It wasn’t until the 1980’s that international human trafficking became globally noticed. With the lack of government intervention and control in several nations, and the free trade market, slavery once again became a profitable industry (Harf and Lombardi, 2014). As previously mentioned, easier movement across nations borders is one of the outcomes of globalization. It is also what makes human trafficking so easy today. It is estimated that about 20.9 million people are victims across the entire globe (United Nations Publications, 2012); trafficking accounts for 32 billion dollars in generated profit globally (Brewer, n.d). 58 percent of all human trafficking was for the purpose of sexual exploitation, and of this 55-60 percent are women (United Nations Publications,
This study examines the research that initially began on October 28, 2000 and spanned through to October 31, 2009. If a human trafficking case occurred in the US, with the victim being under the age of 18, and at least one arrested, indicted or convicted felon, their case would be filed in the data analysis report. This research resulted in the finding of 115 separate incidents of human trafficking, involving at least 153 victims and 215 felons or perpetrators, 117 (53.4%) of them being convicted of their heinous actions. Each individual case consisted of anywhere between 1 to 9 victims of trafficking. 90% of these victims were females between the ages of 5 to 17 years who were held captive from less than 6 months to 5 years. 25 (16.3%) of these minors were exploited through some type of false promise and 15 (9.8%) were kidnapped. 34 (22.2%) of the victims were abused through com...
The documentary, Very Young Girls, was heart-wrenching, informative, and very hard to relate to these young girls. These girls are daughters, sisters, friends, family, and some are already mothers. However, these young women are treated and seen as criminals, not as victims. Prostitution and human-trafficking happens everywhere and every day, including in the United States. People have this perspective that human trafficking only happens in foreign countries. There’s a negative stigma on prostitution because we, as a society, only pay attention to the sexual acts and services that these women provide. Young women’s dignity, adolescences, and respect is taken away from them. Yet, this was not their choice, but they do not have positive influences
27 million people all over the world are currently being forced into human trafficking or modern day slavery, 161 countries including the US will be affected by human trafficking. 1 million children will be exploited by the commercial sex trade each year. Sex trafficking began in the 1700s in the United States. It hasn’t been stopped because it continues to increase over the years. Even though the law enforcement and people around the world could be strong enough to stop human trafficking, I believe this situation needs to be more focused on and stopped as soon as possible. Because Human Trafficking is increasing rapidly and Oklahoma is a cross-way for sex trafficking due to the interstates such as I-35, I-40 and I-44.
According to the Office for Victims of Crime, crimes committed against human trafficking victims can lead to the destruction of basic life assumptions; that one is safe from harm, one is a good and decent person, and the world is meaningful and just (Office for Victims of Crime, 1998). Working through the psychological trauma experienced by trafficking victims can require long-term, comprehensive mental health therapy (Briere & Scott, 2014). The health care response to trafficking victims in the United States differs greatly from efforts made by governments and health care entities. The health care response to trafficking victims in the United States differs greatly from efforts made by governments and health care entities in developing countries. In many developing countries, governments have allocated no financial support for programs to combat human trafficking, or for programs to provide medical care to victims. Lack of funding, trained medical staff and the stigmatization placed on many victims once back in their home countries can make access to appropriate health care virtually
Human trafficking is not just a problem in developing countries, but also a phenomenon in advanced countries such as The United States which happens to be one of the top three destinations for trafficked victims. A large factor that contributes to the high level of human trafficking is big airports. It provides easy access in and out of cities and countries without attracting unusual attention. According to figure three about human trafficking in the United States, eighty-three percent of trafficked victims are American born citizens and one in seven victims receive an online solicitation. Many of the victims in the United States are actually from what are considered to be “good” families, rather than runaways, just coerced by the traffickers
Prostitution To understand the relationship between sex trafficking, prostitution and drug use, it must first be understood how sex trafficking and prostitution are related. Although many people are familiar with what prostitution entails, Kubasek and Herrera define it as the engaging, agreeing to engage, or offering to engage in sexual acts or contacts with another person in return for a fee (2015). The authors define sex trafficking as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act (2015). Something that many do not realize is that individuals who may be victims of trafficking are commonly located while they are engaging in prostitution, and are then criminalized instead of offered the protection and support they often desperately need. Our current legal system does not handle trafficking cases as a means of prostitution.
“I’ve been held down like a piece of meat while monsters disguised as men violated me again & again.” (Gladys Lawson, Blood Borne Connections.) Human trafficking is the modern day slavery, it involves taking control over a person through force, fraud or coercion to exploit the victim for forced labor, sexual exploitation. or both (“What” par.1). This is become the sad reality for many, approximately three out of every 1,000 people worldwide are being forced into this such slavery. Victims of human trafficking are people of all backgrounds and ages, no one is safe from the dirty hands of human traffickers. Every year thousands of men, women, and children are forced into human trafficking the public needs to be informed, enhance penalties for violators, and raise awareness to finally put a stop to these horrible crimes that are happening right end our noses.
Thousands of women are currently held captive in America today. In 2006, it is estimated that over 300 thousand children are held in the sex trafficking business. Particularly, girls under the age of eighteen are forced into the sex trafficking trade. Sex trafficking is known as modern- day slavery. An estimate of 30 to 46 percent of juveniles in the trade attempt suicide. “Potterat et al., 2004 reports that women involved in prostitution have mortality rates 200 times higher than the national average) and are 18 times more likely to be murdered than their non-trafficked counterparts”, Cecchet (2014). Many girls will become abducted from their homes, schools, neighborhoods, and local shopping centers. Some of these young
“Teen Girls’ Stories of Sex Trafficking in U.S.” ABC News. 1-4, 2006. Web. 20 Jul 2010. .
Sex trafficking is a global issue that involves a form of coerced sexual exploitation, which is not limited to prostitution. Victims of sex trafficking are stripped of their basic human rights and forced to live a life of modern slavery. The U.S. State Department (Stop Child Trafficking Now, 2012) has stated that human trafficking is “one of the fastest growing crimes in the world.” It it hard to put a number on how on many people are living inside the sex trafficking industry for many reasons, one being that not all victims come forward. It is estimated by the U.S. State Department (Stop Child Trafficking Now, 2012) that every year “600,00-800,000 people will be trafficked across international borders, 80% being women and children.” This
In order to understand how sex trafficking affects its victims, one must first know the severity of sex trafficking and what it is. The issue of sex trafficking affects 2.5 million people at any given time (Abas et al., 2013). The form of sex slavery affects many women and children across the world. Even though both males and females are sexually trafficked and exploited, there is a deep emphasis on the sexual exploitation of women and children. This is due to gender discrimination (Miller, 2006). This is because women and children are more vulnerable and appeal to the larger populations of brothels and the so-called “clients” since the majority are men. Ecclestone (2013) stated that children as young as age three are trafficked. Sex trafficking has changed over time; “Today, the business of human sex trafficking is much more organized and violent. These women and young girls are sold to traffickers, locked up in rooms or brothels for weeks or months, drugged, terrorized, and raped repeatedly” (Walker-Rodriguez & Hill, 2011). It is found that many of the victims of sex trafficking are abducted, recruited, transported and forced into involuntary “sex work”. These sexual acts include prostitution, exotic dancing, pornography, and sexual escort services (McClain & Garrity, 2011). What happens to these sex trafficking victims is extremely traumatizing.
Sex trafficking is essentially systemic rape for profit. Force, fraud and coercion are used to control the victim’s behavior which may secure the appearance of consent to please the buyer (or john). Behind every transaction is violence or the threat of violence (Axtell par. 4). Just a decade ago, only a third of the countries studied by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had legislation against human trafficking. (Darker Side, par.1) Women, children, and even men are taken from their homes, and off of the streets and are brought into a life that is almost impossible to get out of. This life is not one of choice, it is in most times by force. UNODC estimates that the total international human trafficking is a $32-billion-per-year business, and that 79% of this activity comprises sexual exploitation. As many as 2 million children a year are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, according the the U.S. State Department.-- Cynthia G. Wagner. (Darker Side, par. 4) The words prostitute, pimp, escort, and stripper tend to be way too common in the American everyday vocabulary. People use these words in a joking manner, but sex trafficking is far from a joke. Everyday, from all different countries, people are bought and sold either by force or false promises. Some are kidnapped and others come to America with dreams of a dream life and job. The buyers involved in the trade will do anything to purchase an innocent life just to sell for their own selfish profit. Many people wouldn’t think of a human body to be something you can buy in the back room of a business or even online. But those plus the streets are where people are sold most often. There are many reasons and causes for sex trafficking. The factors behind sex traffic...
One reason why human trafficking is a serious crime that many people are unaware of is because it secretly takes place in the United States. Between 2007 and 2012, there were reports of 9,298 different cases of human trafficking (Polaris Project). An example of how unknown this topic is is that 41% of sex trafficking cases and 20% of labor trafficking cases were proven to have United States citizens as victims (Polaris Project). And this is only what we know so far. There are thousands of cases that we don’t know about. Many people also don’t know that men, women, and even children are also taken hostage by human traffickers. An example of this would be that out of those 9,298 cases that were reported, women were victims of sex trafficking in 85% of those cases. Men were victims of labor trafficking in 40% of those cases (Polaris Project). Approximately 300,000 children are at risk of being prostituted in the United States (U.S. Department of Justice). Children are even more under the radar than we know about. On average, one in three teenagers on the street will be lured toward prostitution within 48 hours of leaving their home (National Runaway Hotline). For example, two female friends who were minors ran away from home and were prom...
Prostitution is one of the root causes of human trafficking, especially sex traffic. Human trafficking is the illegal movement of people (such as: kidnapping), typically for the purposes of forced labor, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Human trafficking is one of the most barbaric crimes in society, because it is importantly violated to human rights. Human could not become a product to sell. In order to supply the labor for the prostitution industry, human trafficking becomes worse when it focus on women, and children. It transfers to sex trafficking. Many women are victims of human trafficking work in brothels, a part of them work as Streetwalker. Some countries give the idea that prostitution should be legalized to reduce the rate of human trafficking and sex trafficking, but they are wrong. Because, if we pass the law for prostitution, human trafficking and sex trafficking will increase in order to supply prostitutes for prostitution industry. Legalizing prostitution is a gift to pimps, traffickers because they will rely on a legal framework to bring