Human trafficking is the illegal trade of humans for forced labor and sex labor. Innocent victims are trafficked through lies, fraudulence, and threats. Traffickers deceive them by promises of a better life; they abduct them through fraudulent methods; and they threaten their families to get them to go with them. Human trafficking not only occurs in foreign countries but also in the United States. Oklahoma is also a location where trafficking occurs. Many Oklahomans have personally experienced the negative and terrible effects of human trafficking.
Different things occur to victims of human trafficking. Many victims are forced into prostitution or forced into labor. “A trafficker may offer to smuggle someone into a nation for legitimate work, such as becoming a waitress or a nanny. Later, the unsuspecting target discovers the evil bait-and-switch: The actual labor is sinister and exploitive, with no pay, insane hours, and physical brutality.” (Alford32) So a victim is told they are going to be given an opportunity for a better life by being smuggled into a country where they can get work. When they agree to go with the trafficker they find out that they are no longer free, but are now a victim of slave labor or something worse.
Forced labor that can occur from human trafficking can be in the form of farming, rolling cigarettes, activities of war, seamstress work, and other domestic service activities. These are just a few examples of types of forced labor. According to Lieutenant Doug Kimberlin, a member of the Vice Enforcement Unit of the Oklahoma City Police Department, most human trafficking cases in Oklahoma are prostitution cases or sex labor. However, some labor trafficking has occurred in western Oklahoma.
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Defining human trafficking can be difficult due to the fact that it can be confused with other illegal activities such as smuggling and consented prostitution. In the essay Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery In The 21st Century , Shaden Mohajerin states that human trafficking can be defined as the transferring, harboring, and transportation of persons which is accomplished through force, coercion, kidnapping, and deception (...
There are many aid projects across the world who claim to help millions of people, but because these aid projects claim to help millions of people, that does not always mean that is the case There are many different aid types, and there can be aid for almost anything an area needs help with. One aid project that not many people know about is called the Polaris Project. After being exposed to a story of six South Korean women being forced to work in a brothel, Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman were inspired to do something about modern-day slavery (“Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman: Fighting Human Trafficking" 3). Fast-forward 13 years and the Polaris Project is the world’s leading non-profit human trafficking aid organization in the country. The Polaris Project is the only aid organization to fight against all forms of human trafficking. Human trafficking occurs when a person is forced against his or her own will to engage in sexual acts. Human trafficking can happen to men, women and children; however, it mainly happens to women 18 years and older (“Sex Trafficking in the U.S.” 1). However, a deeper look needs to be taken into this organization to observe if Polaris Project is working effectively at what the organization claims to do.
Human trafficking can be described as the act of taking people against their will, threatening them into submission, or coercing them into making a deal, and forcing
Traffickers are known to tell the people who fall into their hands a high-paying job, a loving relationship, or even new opportunities. What ends up happening is that they are tricked into becoming part of an evil organization that uses physical and psychological violence to control them. Traffickers can work alone also or work as part of a powerful criminal network, with the idea of trafficking people for large sums of money that the victims don’t even really get to collect.
Social service professionals work to address the problem of human trafficking in a number of ways. Social workers are unique in their approach to this issue because they can address it from a number of angles. For example, social workers concentrate on both the individual victim as well as their social and economic situation which distinguishes it from other professions such as counseling (Palmer, 2010). Social workers meet the needs of human trafficking victims according to the principles outlined in the National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics. (Palmer 2010). Nancy Palmer (2010) notes, that despite some similarities, human trafficking victims have “more complex and wide-ranging service needs” than those who suffer from related criminal acts. (p.48). Education is an important aspect of a social workers job not only to be aware of the problem and of the appropriate standards of action but also to recognize potential victims. Stotts & Ramey’s (2009) research shows, “it is entirely possible for a counselor to come in contact with a victim of trafficking without knowing it. Situations in which counselors are most likely to come into contact with a potential victim include homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, or crisis hotlines” (p.44). Social workers who suspect a possible victim can confirm through the National Trafficking Resource Center as well locating local services available to sufferers. If the victim is in immediate danger then social service workers notify local law enforcement (Stotts & Ramey, 2009). Once victims are identified, then social workers turn to meeting their physical and psychological needs by providing mental and health care to individuals and groups. Studies indicate that victims e...
Hessler, Carl. "Warning signs of human trafficking." Mainline media news. 22 Feb. 2014. Web. 23 Mar 2014.
Trafficking victims are recruited by force, coercion or deception and most often suffer from high levels of physical, sexual and psychological abuse (Siân Oram, et all., 2012). Women w...
“Modern-day slavery and the sex trade in the United States has become a $28 billion dollar industry, rivaling drug trafficking” (Tomas 1). “Human trafficking is the fastest growing crime and the third largest organized crime in the world after the drug and arms trade. UNICEF estimates that 5.5 million children are trafficked globally every year”(Ezeobi 2). “Dec. 6 of this year marks 150 years since the ratification of the 13th Amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States”(Krulak 1). “In spite of more than a decade of efforts to rescue victims and raise awareness, the overall problem of modern-day slavery is actually getting worse” (Krulak 2). “Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the world”(Krulak 2). “We’ve seen increases in trafficking case filed, prosecuted and convicted”(Perez 1). “The NHTRC received reports of 9,298 unique cases of human trafficking”(Lee 2). “Of those cases, 64% involved sex trafficking, 22% involved labor trafficking, nearly 3% involved both sex and labor trafficking”(Lee 2). An additional 12% were unspecified”(Lee 2). “The National Center for missing and Exploited Children says at least 100,000 children across the country ate trafficked each year”(Alcindor 1). “Polaris project, a non-profit that runs the national human trafficking hotline, has received 58, 911 calls since December 2007”(Alcindor 3). At least 2,081 callers have identified themselves as a
What is human trafficking? Human trafficking, according the dictionary.com’s definition, is the illegal movement of people, typically for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. However there are many different forms of human trafficking and one that has caught my eye is the form called sex trafficking. This is very important because many young teenage girls around my age are affected by it the most and they grow up being a sex slave. Although majority of the victims are young girls, human trafficking affects everyone: male, female, young, and old. There are very few people out here hearing their cry. We are very blind to this topic in the United States because its not very well-known and also because it’s such a big
This crime is committed by individual criminals and criminal organizations who target male and female victims of different nationalities, socioeconomic classes and ages. There are three types of human trafficking, forced labor, debt bondage and sex trafficking. Among the three, sex trafficking is the most common in the state of Texas. The city of Houston, Texas is known as one of the leading sex trafficking sites, due to Houston being located in the center of a major highway that leads to other major cities. Houston is also a “hot spot” for human trafficking due to the large international airport George Bush Intercontinental and the Port of Houston. Many people believe that human trafficking only happens in third war countries, but in reality it is happening in our own communities. According to the Department of Public Safety, “one of every five human trafficking victims has been found enslaved in Texas” (Texas Advisory Committee, pg. 11,
Walker-Rodriguez, Amanda, J.D., and Rodney Hill, J.D. "Human Sex Trafficking." Glendale Community College. N.p., Mar. 2011. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. .
Human trafficking is a violation of Human Rights in many ways. It occurs every waking minute in today’s world, from third world countries to the United States. This form of modern slavery happens when one person or group of people sells another to be used for labor or sex against their will. Stereotypically, most people believe human trafficking only involves young females, however it includes people of all ages, from both genders.
"Facts On Human Trafficking And Sex Slavery | Soroptimist." Soroptimist.org. N. p., 2017. Web. 14
“Human Trafficking is the recruiting, harboring,moving or obtaining a person by force, fraud or coercion, for the purposes of involuntary servitude, debt bondage or sexual exploitation(¨Human Trafficking in Illinois¨).” Human Trafficking is one of the largest and is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Annually 9.5billion dollars of profits are generated from trafficking humans world wide. “Persons do not have to have been transported internationally to be considered victims of trafficking(Facts about Human Trafficking). Men and women are often times tricked into servitude by “johns” a term used for traffickers and pimps. “Johns” use fraud, deception, coercion, and threats to the victim and or loved ones of the victim, to transport, harbor and or obtain people for sexual exploitation, or labor and slavery(¨Human Trafficking¨).