Although slavery, as we known, may have been abolished throughout most of the world, a different form of slavery is lurking in the shadows. There is an estimated 27 million people currently in modern day slavery around the world. There are currently more people in slavery today than in any given time in history. (Free the Slaves, 2013) These are men, women, and children living under horrid conditions, stripped of all human rights. Included in that number are one million children that are exploited by the global sex trade every year. In the United States there is an estimated number of 50,000 foreign nationals being trafficked in every year and 400,000 domestic minors involved in this trafficking. (Dovydaitis, 2009) These are alarming numbers and something must be done to fight this modern day slavery. Those in healthcare are really in a position to help fight these atrocities. Our job as healthcare providers should be to raise the awareness of these crimes, develop tools to identify those who might be victims of trafficking, and to push for policy that will help fight modern day slavery.
The Extent of the Problem
Human trafficking is a global health issue. There are currently twenty seven million people living in slavery around the world. There is a booming underground market for human trafficking that crosses all international borders. Although it may not be as evident in the United States, it is “the largest he United States is one of the largest market/destinations for trafficking in the world, second only to Germany. (Dovydaitis, 2009) Currently there is an estimated 400,000 domestic minors involved in trafficking, while 244,000 are considered at risk for exploitation. (Polaris Project, 2010) These children are forced...
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...fficking in Per
sons Program provides resources that help identify victims and assist them in getting help. This includes fact sheets, campaign tool kits for law enforcement, health care and social service providers, educational brochures and posters, and pocket assessment cards. These types of organization allow healthcare workers to initiate public awareness campaigns and public awareness is the first step to action. Healthcare workers should feel the responsibility to help those who are in need, and raising awareness of human trafficking is a step forward in addressing the issue.
Works Cited
2013 State Ratings on Human Trafficking Laws. (2014). Retrieved from Polaris Project
Dovydaitis, T. (2010). Human Trafficking: The Role of the Health Care Provider. J Midwifery Womens Health, 462-467.
Free the Slaves. (2013). Retrieved from Slavery Today.
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,
Human trafficking is a health care issue in that health care is often central to restoring the life and well-being of the trafficking survivor. The Family Violence Prevention Fund (2005) surveyed trafficking victims and health care providers and found that medical needs ranked second after housing and before advocacy and legal help in trafficking victims' needs (ibid.) (Kempadoo, Sanghera & Pattanaik, 2015). Regardless of the form of their exploitation, people who are trafficked suffer severe abuse that often results in outward physical injuries. Victims may suffer malnutrition, broken bones and teeth, facial injuries, and infected open wounds in addition to infectious diseases. Many victims are of childbearing age and have no access to birth
According to Rijken (2009) any activity that involves the recruitment, transportation, or receipt of a person using coercive or deceptive means with the intent of exploitation is defined as Human Trafficking. If the victim is under 18 the coercive or deceptive means in unnecessary to call such conduct trafficking (p. 212). There are 12.3 million victims of human trafficking worldwide at any given moment (Hepburn & Simon, 2010; Nack, 2009). Statistics show that 43% are forced into the sex trade, 32% are used in forced labor, and the remaining 25% are trafficked for mixed or undetermined reasons (Hepburn & Simon, 2010). In the United States alone, 15-18,000 women, children, and men are trafficked annually. People of all genders, races, and ages are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking. We can’t simply prosecute our way to social justice. Of course people who exploit people should be punished. But definitions of trafficking often cast a wide net, encompassing all sex workers. While law enforcement has the biggest role to play, the quest to end modern slavery must have other champions. Forced labor and sex trafficking is the second most profitable criminal enterprise, and the fastest growing. Yet the level of awareness within the United States is not commensurate. To truly confront this most egregious of crimes, civil society must be a lead proponent. Organizations already exist that help in a variety of ways, such as providing training to those who could identify victims. (Ergas, Y.; "Online Journal - JIA SIPA.")
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.
Hodge, D. R. (2008). Sexual trafficking in the United States: A domestic problem with transnational dimensions. Social Work, 53(2), 143-152.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness (Declaration of Independence, ).” In the media there have been many movies, documentaries, articles, television broadcasts that centered on raising awareness for human trafficking. It has been going on for far too long and many don’t realize or recognize that is going on strongly in America and to Americans; as well as, surrounding countries. Human Trafficking by definition is the trade in humans, most commonly for the purpose of sexual slavery, forced labor or for the extraction of organs or tissues, including surrogacy and ova removal. It is modern form of slavery that strips victims of their freedom and violates our nation’s promise that every person in the United States is guaranteed basic human rights. It is also a crime. Approximately three out of every 1,000 persons worldwide were in forced labor at any given point in time between 2002 and 2011. Victims of human trafficking include not only men and women lured into forced labor by the promise of a better life in the United States, but also boys and girls who were born and raised in here in the United States. Human trafficking and its relationship with the media/news will be discussed throughout the remainder of this paper, focus will be placed on how they present the topic, whether or not enough awareness is being raised toward the topic and is it making a difference. The news job is to inform the public of events that occurring around them. The paper will be focusing on new...
Resources: Common health issues seen in victims of human trafficking (n.d.). The United States Department of Justice (n.d.). Retrieved from
Country to country, person-to-person, human trafficking is becoming a bigger and bigger issue all across the globe, including right here in the United States. Human trafficking is said to be a form of modern-day slavery, subjecting its victims to commercial sex, debt bondage, and forced labor through force, fraud, or coercion. There are often no easily identifiable victims as they come in all ages, genders, and races. There are said to be at least 2.4 million victims of human trafficking across the globe at any given time, leading to profits of $32 billion for the criminal masterminds behind such trafficking operations, making it the second most lucrative criminal industry behind narcotics. Despite the abundance of victims, it is estimated that fewer than 30% of all countries report at least 10 trafficking convictions a year, and 20% of countries do not even have an offense for trafficking. An additional 20% of countries have an offense for trafficking but still report no convictions of the offense. Without an organized coalition to help prevent such atrocities, it is left up to national governments to come up with solutions for their respective nations, and many governments do not possess the know-how or effort needed to combat these crimes.
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
There is an extensive variety of crimes occurring internationally, and human trafficking is one of many severe crimes that cannot be stopped. Human trafficking is the form of modern day slavery, and is one of the largest and most crucial crimes on the globe. Without having an actual date of when it started, human trafficking has been going on for centuries. This crime involves sex exploitation, which exposes the victim to diseases such as HIV or STD’s, and in some cases unwanted pregnancies. Human trafficking also entails forced labor such as work in factories, agriculture, and at restaurants. The forced labor that is being involved in this crime is one of the main concept that ties in with slavery. Human trafficking also includes the
Walker-Rodriguez, Amanda, J.D., and Rodney Hill, J.D. "Human Sex Trafficking." Glendale Community College. N.p., Mar. 2011. Web. 2 Apr. 2014. .
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 a worldwide issue affecting many individuals; the Department of States estimated that about 600,000 to 800,000 people are taken across borders each year and two to four millions of people being victimized within their own country (Siskin & Wyler, 2010). The majority of trafficking victims are forced into sexual exploitation, however many are also used for labor. Although there is a current US policy that addresses anti-trafficking legislation, the problem of victim identification still persists. The failure to adequately tackle this phenomenon, paired with a concern over human rights, has prompted debates over who is considered a victim. There needs to be a more effective way to eradicate the dangers of human trafficking.
Human trafficking is a form of slavery, forcing victims to engage in sexual activities and labors against their will. These activities can be taken place through force, fraud, or constraint. Human trafficking is not just affecting one group of people, it is a worldwide issue, affecting all different ages, genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds. Human trafficking is such an immense problem, apprehending the true size, knowing how to help, and how to keep the issue from reoccurring. Human trafficking is and is still becoming such a serious issue that something needs to be done about.
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.