Although the world is made up of a variety of people, every person is entitled to basic rights. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all human beings are born free and equal. These rights apply to everyone throughout the world regardless of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or age. However, although we are born with these rights, there have been many cases throughout the world where people’s human rights have been violated.
The analysis of this essay will focus on the sexual exploitation of women through trafficking and prostitution within Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United States of America. In 2006 it has been reported that out of the amount of people involved in global trafficking, 87 percent are sex trafficking victims (Farley, 2007). Back in 2002, the European Union finally addressed the trafficking of human beings as a main priority and concern (Askola, 2007). Majority of EU Member States have created some version of anti-trafficking policy. However, enforcing these policies are challenging.
Author Heli Askola (2007) explains that the discussion of human trafficking brings attention to other significant issues including prostitution, human rights, and globalization. Human trafficking is universal. It takes place in countless countries and affects the lives of many. Trafficking human beings is a violation of human rights. Human trafficking is also now being heavily related to prostitution. In CNN’s documentary “Selling the Girl Next Door” (2012), Amber Lyon examined the world of sex trafficking, specifically with minors. While interviewing employees at the Moonlight Bunny Ranch (Americas most well-known legal brothel) multiple women spoke out against their experiences of human trafficking w...
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Luddy, M. 1997. “abandoned women and bad characters”: prostitution in nineteenth-century Ireland. Women's History Review, 19 (4), pp. 485-504. Available at: http://www.tandfonline.com.libgate.library.nuigalway.ie/doi/pdf/10.1080/09612029700200157 [Accessed: 30 Nov 2013].
Lyon, A. 2012. Child Sex Trafficking on the Internet: "Selling the Girl Next Door" documentary. [video online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFRZ1NDR0Rc [Accessed: 30 Nov 2013].
Molly Malone Statue. 24 Nov 2013
Outshoorn, J. 2004. The Politics of Prostitution. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge
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Woodward, M. 2012. Sex Trafficking in America: A former Sex Slave's Story of Hope and Forgiveness. [video online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L5Ibg_aCd4 [Accessed: 30 Nov 2013].
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,
The significance of this publication is to promote awareness on the issue of sex trafficking.
In comparison, many other countries have geared towards adopting policies that deal with human sex trafficking. The European Union’s tactic to trafficking begins from a gender and human rights perspective and focuses on prevention, prosecution of criminals and protection of victims. These ideals can be reflected in Directive on trafficking in human beings adopted on March 21, 2011. Much like U.S foreign policies dealing with human trafficking, the Directive focus is committing to the prevention of and fights against trafficking in human beings, and to the protection of the rights of trafficked persons. Within the Asian continent twenty-three out of the twenty-seven countries opt to adopt specific legislative provisions to fight human trafficking
An estimated 20.9 million people are currently being trafficked worldwide (The Polaris Project, 2014). According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, reauthorized in 2013), sex trafficking is defined as, “A commercial sex act induced by force, fraud, or coercion, and/or in which the person induced to...
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
June 19, 1865 was the day that slavery ended in the south. However, slavery is not over for the 300,000 children under the age of 18 who may become victims of sex trafficking each year. Reports state that sex trafficking generates a profit of $32 billion every year. This is problem is an ever present struggle in today 's society. Many of these people, young and old, who are in the business of human trafficking today, are trapped in it against their will. However, legislative policies, and current courses of actions are working to eradicate the industry of selling humans. Consequently, the most efficient way of dissolving sex trafficking is by education and prevention. Therefore, the informative properties of this paper will help the reader
Leuchtag, Alice. "Human Rights Sex Trafficking And Prostitution." Humanist 63.1 (2003): 10. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.
“Human trafficking coerces and persuades their victims to cross national borders in search of new jobs and better opportunities and after that they are forced into some sort of labor bondage” (At Issue: Human Trafficking 1). Even though trafficking is a problem in almost every country; poorer countries have a bigger problem with it because they are more desperate for work. Just in 2000, the U.S. enacted their first federal anti-trafficking law, called the Victims of Trafficking Protection Act (At Issue: Human Trafficking 1). Trafficking has just begun to receive notice on how big of a problem it actually is. “Proponents of strict anti-trafficking initiatives say that laws and prevention against trafficking are necessary in order to stem the growing tide of large scale organized crime that profits off of smuggling and trafficking” (At Issue: Human Trafficking 1).
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
Frances, S. (2012). Sex work and the law: A critical analysis of four policy approaches to adult prostitution . Thinking about justice: a book of readings (pp. 190-220). Halifax, N.S.: Fernwood Pub..
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...
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.
The doctrine of human rights were created to protect every single human regardless of race, gender, sex, nationality, sexual orientation and other differences. It is based on human dignity and the belief that no one has the right to take this away from another human being. The doctrine states that every ‘man’ has inalienable rights of equality, but is this true? Are human rights universal? Whether human rights are universal has been debated for decades. There have been individuals and even countries that oppose the idea that human rights are for everybody. This argument shall be investigated in this essay, by: exploring definitions and history on human rights, debating on whether it is universal while providing examples and background information while supporting my hypothesis that human rights should be based on particular cultural values and finally drawing a conclusion.