Essay About Human Trafficking

What is human trafficking? Who is a victim and how does someone fall prey? What can be done to abolish this crime? Does human trafficking happen close to home? Human trafficking is a modern day form of slavery, consisting of not only sex trafficking, but also labor trafficking. Traffickers lure their victims in with false promises of a better life. Education and raising public awareness on this matter are steps to help put an end to this evilness. Atlanta could be the devils playground for human trafficking. Atlanta has become a major access point for victims to fall prey to this nefarious crime. Human trafficking is an underground, organized crime ring dealing in prostitution and forced labor. “It facilitates the illegal movement

The trafficker, a total manipulator, cases his victims, preys on their vulnerabilities, and exposes their weaknesses for his gain. Therefore, traffickers do not care who their victims are. Whether they are immigrants from another country, runaway teens, homeless persons, men, women, children, girlfriends, or even their own family members, anyone can succumb to being a victim of this heinous crime. Victims often seek better job opportunities or have dreams of a better life here in the United States. They are promised, by their predator, food, shelter, money, and an appealing life. After the victims have taken the bait, they find out their newly found freedom and redemption comes with a high price, their self-dignity. They are mentally and physically abused, raped, belittled, forced into prostitution, forced to work for a trivial amount to no pay at all. Traffickers hold their victims captive, exerting total control, and brainwashing them into believing they are paying off a debt. For instance, 600 Thai farm workers accepted job offers to come to the United States for a lofty pay and were promised work for at least three years. Once here, they discovered a harsh truth. Their passports were confiscated and some were forced to live in a shipping container without air conditioning or indoor plumbing. Work was minimal, hours were short and pay was virtually non-existent. Due to threats of violence, workers believed that there was no escaping without pauperizing their families. (fbi.gov). In another case, a man convinced his girlfriend, the mother of his children, to come with him to the United States for a higher paying job to support their family. Upon her arrival, he coerced her into becoming a prostitute by manipulating her trust for him. For seven years, she was at his mercy. (safehorizon.org). Two more cases include, but not related to one another, a man with dreams of