Human trafficking is an issue that no one really wants to talk about. The media portrays this horrible crime as something that only happens in foreign lands. Americans do not want to believe that something so heinous could happen on our own soil. However when survivors of human trafficking come forward, people are forced to confront the reality that this issue is not that far from home. Some individuals still choose to deny that this is a real issue. However the facts make it extremely hard to deny that human trafficking happens on American soil. The Super Bowl is one of the most exciting events of the entire year. Each year, fans spend hundreds of dollars to be able to travel to the city is hosting the Super Bowl and even more money to purchase any available seats. Companies spend millions of dollars to try to buy the best advertising slots available during this game. Yet, no one talks about the dark secret of what is happening behind the scenes, and what is happening at the Super Bowl after the parties. According to reporter Jideobi Ezeonu (2014), “girls and women from all over the country have been stripped away from their families, and taken to completely foreign places so that they can make a profit for their “bosses,” (para. 3). Ezeonu (2014) also makes a statement about the women kidnapped and forced to work as sex slaves, saying, “these girls who are kidnapped are forced to go to cities hosting these events and from that point, the simple idea of supply and demand comes into play,” (para. 7). There have been several women who have been able to escape from their captors and get help to recover from the traumas they endured. According to reporter, Naomi Martin (2013), “Clemmie Greenlee, a former victim of sex tr... ... middle of paper ... ...Ezeonu, Jideobi (2014, February 13). Media ignore important issues for trivial amusement. Retrieved from www.edinborospectator.com/?p=1927 Martin, Naomi (2013, February 1). Former Sex Trafficking Victim Shines Light on Dark Underworld of Super Bowl. Retrieved from www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2013/02/former_sex_trafficking_victim.html Merlan, Anna (2014, January 30). Just in Time for February, the Myth of Sex Trafficking and the `Super Bowl Returns. Retrieved from bogs.williagevoice.com/runninscared/201/just_in_time_fo.php The National Center for Victims of Crime (2012). Human Trafficking. Retrieved from http://www.victimsofcrime.org/library/crimeinformation-and-statistics/human-trafficking United nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2014). Human Trafficking. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html?
The book Renting Lacy: A Story of America’s Prostituted Children by Linda Smith addresses the topic of the underground world of child sex trafficking. Unfortunately, it is a topic that has been purposefully neglected in our society for many years. The author presents every chapter with a real story of a sexually exploited child. The stories are intense, powerful but especially touching which makes the reader feel frustrated, desperate, and vexed. After every chapter, Smith tries to include commentaries that presents a deeper understating about human trafficking. It seems that the purpose of her commentaries is to make the reader think deeper about the problem of sex trafficking and accumulate desires to act towards this issue as they continue
According to Van Wormer & Bartollas (2014), sex trafficking, “encompasses the organized movement of people, usually women, between countries and within countries for sex work” (p. 289). Sex trafficking is also a very lucrative business, it is estimated to make $31. 6 billion annually. This amount is estimated from the 2.5 million people who a trafficked each year. The exact number of people who are victims of the sex industry cannot be predicted accurately for all over the world. In the United States alone there is about 14,500-17,500 people trafficked each year. Human trafficking it the third biggest organized crime after drug and arms trafficking (Hodge, 2014). Young men make up about 44% of people being trafficked, while women and girls
In 1865 the United States passed the thirteenth amendment of the constitution which formally abolished the practice of slavery in the United States. Over a century has went by since this day, and yet somewhere behind the mask of freedom that our country holds with such pride lingers a hidden trade. This is the trade of modern day slavery that remains prevalent in our country. Despite the freedoms we are granted as a citizen of the United States,- human trafficking is an enormous issue that is often overlooked. In fact very little light is shown on this topic, but the awful reality is there. Every day women, children, and even men are kidnapped, taken from their families, and forced into free labor and sexual exploitation.
Domestic sex trafficking is the vile new innovative business model used in the sex industry to promote prostitution. The myth about sex trafficking is that it is a foreign not a domestic problem. Sex trafficking is a very lucrative business. The “John’s” create a demand and the “pimps” provide the supply. Child abuse, child neglect, pornography, pedophilia and prostitution are all links in the chains that enslaves America’s children for the pleasure of adults.
Sexual exploitation exploits women and provides a vehicle for racism in a “first world” country like America, where victimization rates are disproportionately higher with “third world” women (O'Connor & Healy, 2007). Goodson is an anti-trafficking activist, is director of international programs for Shared Hope International which is an organization who works with victims of sex trafficking. From her experience, many victims are poor and are sexually abused children and young adults who are swayed by the promises of a better life. Once they reach the United States, the victims are psychologically and physically abused. In the United States, victims of international sex trafficking come primarily from South and Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa through states such as Florida, California and New York (Goodson, 2006). The U.S. Department of State estimates that about 600,000 to 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked across national borders annually. Furthermore, it is estimated that 17,500 to 20,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S. annually, with Florida receiving a high percentage of those victims. Although the people who enter the United States are often not legally permitted to enter the United States, Lagon asserts that it is important to note the difference between human
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.
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,
Thousands of women are currently held captive in America today. In 2006, it is estimated that over 300 thousand children are held in the sex trafficking business. Particularly, girls under the age of eighteen are forced into the sex trafficking trade. Sex trafficking is known as modern- day slavery. An estimate of 30 to 46 percent of juveniles in the trade attempt suicide. “Potterat et al., 2004 reports that women involved in prostitution have mortality rates 200 times higher than the national average) and are 18 times more likely to be murdered than their non-trafficked counterparts”, Cecchet (2014). Many girls will become abducted from their homes, schools, neighborhoods, and local shopping centers. Some of these young
Many American citizens know of the criminal act of sex trafficking in third world countries, but very few know how much it takes place in the United States. In America prostitution, pornography, and stripping are all considered acts of sex trafficking when they are forced on the victim. This increased crime has led to victimization, physical and psychological effects and after-effects of American and international victims. The government is aware of the slavery of humans taking place in this country and it has to release funds in creating programs for sex trafficking survivors and re-authorize the act that protects sex trafficking victims, in order to support the equal rights for every citizen.
Parrot, A., & Cummings, N. (2008).The Sexual Enslavement of Girls and Women Worldwide. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers
First, Kristof, Nicolas D. author of “What about human trafficking in US?” mentions a question we all might have thought about which is: Why don’t human trafficking victims escape?...
... in Journal of International Affaires, networks that are engaged in women trafficking are contemporary slave traders. There are aspects of auctions that are reminiscent of the 18th and 19th century African slave trade. Extreme levels of prostitution and violence are used against women that have been trafficked into prostitution. These women are considered outsiders and do not get any sympathy or assistance from social and public services. Mostly they are treated as criminals and prostitutes, and once discovered, they are arrested with further deportation. The study by Donna Hughes reveals that almost no services of any kind exist to address the needs of victims of sex trafficking who suffer from trauma, poor health, and physical injuries. The lack of assistance to victims can be explained by the fact that harm to forced sex slaves is not recognized by the society.
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...
Barry, Kathleen. The Prostitution of Sexuality: The Global Exploitation of Women. New York: New York University Press, 1996. Print.