Human trafficking is one of the most heinous and overlooked crimes in our growing society today. There are more slaves in American homes today than there ever were during the American Civil War (Bales & Soodlater 2010). Human trafficking is the third most profitable illegal business behind the illicit trade of narcotics and weapons trading (Shelley 2010). Over 27 million people are ensnared in “modern day slavery” some of these people are used for sexual exploitation and others are used for slave labor. Most of these victims are simply tricked into this underground world and brainwashed into not leaving their enslavement. Sadly, out of these 27 million human trafficking victims around 50% of them are children under the age of 16 (Polaris 2012). …show more content…
This paper will be drawing on existing criminological theories to examine why human trafficking occurs in certain places, and why people commit these heinous human tracking acts. In order to understand these concepts we must first define what human trafficking actually is in regards to the literature. In both the international laws and most national laws they have defined human trafficking as, “trafficking is a process by which a person comes into a situation of slavery: the people concerned are controlled by force or by debt bondage, or are tricked into doing work they would not choose and for which they are not paid; and they are often subjected to some form of captivity or physical abuse” (Bales 2007). In other words, if an individual has been moved from one place to another, regardless of whether that individual believes that they are being moved legally or illegally, if that individual finds that they are not allowed to leave, and are being paid unfairly or treated unjustly then human trafficking has occurred. Surprisingly this is a very common occurrence, and in America alone we have an estimated 17,000 cases of human trafficking a year (Polaris Project 2012). The literature constantly reiterates that this number to still quite low given how hard this …show more content…
and to include a variety of different studies done over the last 20 years. Also, this paper will be examining the existing literature and discussing the contemporary trafficking themes they discuss within them. This paper also aims to discuss the current research that exists and to make note of the research gaps within them so we can better our human trafficking practices and policies in the U.S. Following a brief summary of the exact methods as to how the studies were selected, the rest of the review will be going over the ten quantitative studies selected and what they suggest in them. So within this paper the literature will show and discuss what possible factors in a country lead to human trafficking, how and why these offenders commit this specific crime, and what the research gaps within the literature are and how we can possibly fix this
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...
Summary: We see that there are many different aspects and types of human trafficking that everyone should be made aware of. As a whole human trafficking is a lucrative industry raking in $150 BILLION globally. The impact that this industry has on its victims is
Human trafficking is becoming more prevalent in all nations, whether it is for forced labor, organ distribution, or sexual exploitation and it is now time for us, as Americans, to step up our game and truly put forth effort into combating human trafficking, especially in our home country. Human trafficking has been on the rise for the last few years and is increasing rapidly due to various factors. Typically, when human trafficking is mentioned, the first thought is that only sex trafficking is being discussed, however, human trafficking is a broad term that can include labor, organ, or sex trafficking. The common thread in each type of trafficking is that the victims in each category are lured into the work through force, fraud, or coercion.
Many people in the United States of America believe that human trafficking only happens in foreign countries, but in reality this crime is frequently happening in our own communities. Human trafficking is a widespread phenomenon even in developed countries. For instance, in the United States, more than 800,000 people are forced into modern day slavery against their will. Even though this horrific crime has its roots in developing countries, its branches reach out to the developed countries as well.
Human trafficking is a nefarious crime-ran industry accumulating $32 billion annually. It is an act that violates basic human rights in which all people should be free to exercise. The UN outlines trafficking having three inherent components; the act, means and purpose. Acts that entail harbouring, recruiting and transferring of people by means of coercion, abduction, fraud or deception for the purposes of exploitation including prostitution, forced labour, slavery, and organ removal constitutes trafficking. This definition is universally recognized providing uniformity across all nations that must control the trafficking epidemic. However, it is important to note that human trafficking and smuggling are two completely separate definitions where human smuggling is primarily a way for people to pay a fee to escape their home country while simultaneously crossing boarders illegally but remain free and unviolated. Human trafficking is a critical example of violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which stands to “fight against oppression, impunity and affronts to human
Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery, in which individuals are being exploited for profit. When most of us hear human trafficking, we instantly conclude that a person is being held against their will to perform sexual acts and someone is profiting. In reality, there is also labor trafficking, where an individual is forced and threatened by employers to work against their will. There is an immense amount of victims of human trafficking not only in the United States, but also globally. Bringing awareness to communities is vital to help individuals who are victims of human trafficking to seek help, but also allow those to help rescue victims. By doing so, it is key to provide information on the rates of human trafficking, recruitment,
According to estimates, more than 700,000 people are trafficked every year for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labour. They are transported across borders and sold into modern-day slavery. Over the past decade, trafficking in human beings has reached epidemic proportions. No country is immune. Clawson (2009) discusses how the search for work abroad has been fueled by economic disparity, high unemployment and disruption of traditional livelihoods. It recognizes neither boundaries nor borders. Consequently profits from trafficking feed into the casket of organized crime. Trafficking is fueled by other criminal activities such as document fraud, money laundering and migrant smuggling. Because trafficking cases are expansive in reach, they are among the most important matters. (Clawson 2009)
The “Land of the free” is not so free after all. Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry after illegal drugs and arms trafficking . Human trafficking is like modern day slavery; it is defined as the loss of freedom to another 's control by force, fraud or coercion. The United States turns out to be the #1 destination for child sex trafficking. I chose this topic because it interested me the most out of all other topics. When finding a topic to do research on, none of the topics left me asking myself so many questions. The fact that i barely knew anything about human trafficking, made me realize that there might be many people out there that are like me. People who probably think that human trafficking rarely happens,
It has been centuries after the 13th Amendment ensured the abolishment of owning a person as property in the United States, but slavery today and 200 years ago share the same notion. Throughout this essay, the classic term human trafficking will refer specifically to an individual that is obtained or held by force, fraud, or coercion for compelled services. Slavery happens more today than ever in human history. Human beings are largely traded for labor, sexual exploitation or similar practices. The exploitation and trade of human beings is a highly profitable criminal business and is the modern day equivalent of slavery.
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...
Did you know human trafficking has inclined amongst the world ever than before? As you look to person to your left, there’s a possibility that either one of you can be the next victim. Although no one take inconsideration of that suspicious white van parked nearby your house, you should think twice about that skeptical scenery. As people, we enjoy wandering around accommodations. But knowing there’s a possibility that someone is spying on us, alters my reasons to step a foot outside. Personally, being supervised isn’t pleasant. With my lack of knowledge on this serious matter, I decided to go more in depth with some research. According to the National Human Trafficking Recourse Center from 2012 to present day human
Human trafficking, or the selling and buying of people, is a well-hidden yet prominent issue within today’s society. It is both an immoral and horrific topic that needs brought to attention and dealt with. When human beings are manipulated into work, sexual servitude, or economic hardship, human trafficking is occurring. In the year of 2006, only one individual is convicted of human trafficking per 800 victims (UNGIFT). By looking at straight statistics, reasons human trafficking happens, and the toll it has on people, it is very clear that this is a major issue that is happening in our world.
It is alarming to think human trafficking is rampant across the United States and other countries around the world. Who would have thought that this would be an issue in the 21st century? The objective of this paper is to define human trafficking, discuss the different forms of trafficking, list statistics, facts, and discuss ways to combat human trafficking and recognize red flags. We will also discuss two human trafficking cases. This paper should give you a deeper understanding of human trafficking and what we can do to help stop this not only in our communities but across the world.
Human Trafficking is a growing phenomenon. It is one of the fastest growing types of transnational crime worldwide. According to the US State department’s 2009 “Trafficking in Persons Report,” at least 12.3 million adults and children fall victim to human traffickers every year (qtd in Haerens 17). Human Trafficking occurs on every continent and has been booming. One reason for the increase in human trafficking is because of globalization. When competing in the global marketplace companies and corporations need cheap labor, and they don’t care where it comes from. This in turn, causes the employment recruiters (the traffickers) to go after their prey (the trafficked).