Sex Trafficking Research Paper

As stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “No one has the right to treat you as a slave, nor should you make anyone your slave. No one has the right to hurt you. Everyone has the right to live in freedom and safety.” The world is in large agreement that human sex trafficking is wrong and is a violation of fundamental human rights, but the industry continues to flourish. There have been numerous global conferences, conventions, and international laws that have been created, and all of them have come to a unanimous consensus: human sex trafficking will not be condoned in any country; it is a practice that is illegal, immoral, and inhumane. The central question I seek to address in this study is whether or not international laws that

Despite the United States’ active role in supporting international laws banning sex trafficking, the domestic industry continues to thrive for several reasons. For some, the economic benefits are too hard to resist when the federal law is weak at best, and many state laws victimize young girls. Moreover, there is a lack of knowledge about the problem and training on how to best respond. In order to make progress, one needs to identify the reasons behind sex trafficking, propose policies and actions that treat this as a crime, and create conditions where there is more societal awareness to this

There needs to be a universal addition stating that a victim of child sex trafficking cannot and will not be charged with prostitution. With this change the victims of sex trafficking will be able to have access to health benefits, housing, or any other federal aid. Often times the girls who are trafficked come from a situation of poverty, so without the resources they are unable to build a new life and start over. Otherwise, the girls are going to be in juvenile detention for the majority of their productive lives. The non-governmental organization, the Polaris Project, has actually suggested a similar change, but it has not yet been considered by the US legislative branches.

The second change that needs to be made or added is to provide governmental housing for victims of child sex trafficking. In the unlikely case where the girl is not charged with prostitution, the judge will most probably not let her leave the juvenile detention housing for fear of the pimp. The girls still have to be in handcuffs and leg chains, and are treated more like prisoners than actual victims. There needs to be federal funding going towards building housing for these girls. Of course, the housing would have to have high-end security measure, but at least it will give a place for the girls to call