The historic novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo tells the story of several characters who fall victim to 19th-century French society. Fantine, a struggling single mother, is forced into circumstances that parallel what countless women face today. Unable to find work and falling behind on her debts to her child’s caretakers, Fantine is forced to sell all of her belongings, hair, teeth, and eventually her body. She did not choose to enter into prostitution, as many women today do not; they are forced into sexual slavery as a means to survive. They are treated as mere sex objects in this exploitative and demeaning industry. They become vulnerable to rape and sexual abuse, and are forced to ignore it out of fear and social stigmas. Fantine is but a fictional representation of countless women throughout the world today who must face the hardships of sex trafficking and rape culture. However, society has taught us that this is the norm and these women are to blame for their circumstances. Rape culture in today’s society has created a negative perception of sex trafficking victims leading to the oppression of women.
People do not think that sex trafficking is a current problem because it takes a different form in the United States than it does in most other countries. This type of modern-day slavery disguises itself through prostitution and pimping, which are both seen as normal, harmless institutions. The media tells us that women who participate in either activity live high-end lifestyles, that prostitution is a “glamorous and wealth-producing ‘job’ for girls” when in reality they lack emotional support, education, and employment opportunities (Shelley 241). Les Misérables sheds light on the true circumstances these women are in; Fan...
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...through thinking critically about the message society sends about these subjects and not conforming to the norms that they set. Hopefully one day those who follow in the path of Fantine will receive the respect and justice they deserve.
Works Cited
Hugo, Victor. Les Misérables. New York : Signet Classics, 1987. Print.
Navarro, Mireya and Janon Fisher. “Long Silent, Oldest Profession Gets Vocal and Organized.” Women’s Rights. Ed. Jennifer Curry. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 2005. 95-98. Print.
“Rape Culture.” Marshall University. Marshall University, n.d. Web. 27 February 2014.
Shelley, Louise. Human Trafficking. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Print.
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs. “The Link Between Prostitution and Sex Trafficking.” Women’s Rights. Ed. Jennifery Curry. New York: The H.W. Wilson Company, 2005. 99-101. Print.
Kotrla, K., & Wommack, B. A. (2011). Sex Trafficking of Minors in the U.S.: Implications for Policy, Prevention and Research. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk: Vol. 2 (Iss. 1), article 5.
The value of a woman as a mother, wife, sister, daughter or aunt has been replaced for sexual please. Greed and perversion disguised as men chose to debase America’s women and children for their own selfish gain. Child sexual exploitation is the most hidden form of child abuse in the U.S. and North America today. It is the nation’s least recognized epidemic. The overwhelming majority of children forced to sell their bodies on the street are girls. Young boys face hardship and abuse as well, but they often fend for themselves to survive. The girls, on the other hand, inevitably fall victim to pimps and organized trafficking networks. (Sher, pg. V)
Prostitution To understand the relationship between sex trafficking, prostitution and drug use, it must first be understood how sex trafficking and prostitution are related. Although many people are familiar with what prostitution entails, Kubasek and Herrera define it as the engaging, agreeing to engage, or offering to engage in sexual acts or contacts with another person in return for a fee (2015). The authors define sex trafficking as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act (2015). Something that many do not realize is that individuals who may be victims of trafficking are commonly located while they are engaging in prostitution, and are then criminalized instead of offered the protection and support they often desperately need. Our current legal system does not handle trafficking cases as a means of prostitution.
In the scholarly article, “Pimps Down: A Prosecutorial Perspective on Domestic Sex Trafficking”, the authors Stephen Parker and Jonathan Skrmetti focus their article on domestic sex trafficking and the distinct means and methods employed by domestic sex traffickers to exploit their victims. Both authors, Stephen Parker and Jonathan Skrmetti are Assistant United States Attorneys. Through their observations of cases they prosecuted on sex trafficking authors Stephen Parker and Jonathan Skrmetti (2013), “observed three broad categories of techniques used by domestic sex traffickers to exploit their victims”(p. 1018). The three categories are kidnapping, fraud and grooming. Kidnapping, althoug...
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...
... 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.
Frye opened the introduction with argument how the women that are oppressed as they are in the male-dominated society demands, which they cannot acquire. So many women are promoted that way that they did not realize in fact that they are oppressed, which she used the Birdcage metaphor as to show the bigger picture of the oppression. By picking only one wire, you merely see one wire in one setting, but when you move your eyes up or down, you start to see more wires, thus making the conclusion that the bird cannot fly away without being harmed. “No humans free of social structures, nor (perhaps) would happiness consist in such freedom.” [10]. The women are oppressed to their own roles that it hinders their realization that males are controlling
Seventy-seven countries have made prostitution legal thus far and some believe the United States should allow the legalization of prostitution. One reason why is because prostitutes are not protected against violence and crime. Prostitution is unregulated therefore when prostitutes turn to the authorities for help when exposed to violence they are often arrested (“Prostitution” 1). The death rate for prostitutes in the US is two-hundred and four out of every hundred thousand. Additionally, the average prostitute gets physically attacked at least once a month (“Prostitution” 2). Due to the lack of law enforcement protecting them, prostitutes are easy targets for violence because of their vulnerability. Many human-rights groups argue that “criminalization makes it more likely that the rights of sex workers will be violated” (Picard 1). Furthermore, advocates believe abolishing prostitution would lead to the expansion of human and trafficking, which defeats the purpose of criminalizing prostitution (Picard 1).
When asked what they think of when they hear the phrase “traditional gender roles,” most people would immediately say something along the lines of “boys don’t cry, play sports, and play with action figures, and girls are more sensitive, play house, and play with dolls” (“Gender Roles”). When asked the same question, most feminists would say something along the lines of “the oppression of women and propagation of a male-run society” (Anne). These responses to the idea of traditional gender roles are clearly neither flattering nor very adaptable to a modern society. I would like to call to mind a different image. Imagine a man coming home from work after a long day of work and being greeted at the door by his wife and children, all of whom are
Despite the United States’ active role in supporting international laws banning sex trafficking, the domestic industry continues to thrive for several reasons. For some, the economic benefits are too hard to resist when the federal law is weak at best, and many state laws victimize young girls. Moreover, there is a lack of knowledge about the problem and training on how to best respond. In order to make progress, one needs to identify the reasons behind sex trafficking, propose policies and actions that treat this as a crime, and create conditions where there is more societal awareness to this
Brenda Myers of Chicago was nine years old when she first learned that prostitution existed. Surprisingly, despite her young age, the idea was not foreign. Myers had been molested for years by a family member. “...well, they’re already taking my panties off…” Myers said. “So, I’ll make them pay for it” (Lydersen). Now picture yourself in fourth grade. Nikki Williams, a case worker from a Portland, Oregon based organization met a jailed twenty year old woman, who at the age of ten, at the end of her fourth grade year, was a drug-addicted prostitute (Lydersen). Both of these stories highlight two prevalent causes of prostitution: sexual abuse and drugs. Prostitution should not be legalized in America because it is built on the very foundation
Sex slave trafficking is one of the largest, fastest-growing, and most profitable illegal industries in the world. Most sex slaves are minors and women who are trafficked from different parts of the world to the U.S. For pimps, women are like merchandise to be purchased and sold by men. Despite a war fought over a hundred years ago to abolish slavery in the United States, such modern-day enslavement of minors and women secretly forces them to serve as men’s pleasure in America. This is not something that can be tolerated. I’ll also focus on explaining how the sex trafficking system works, how the system is so corrupt that it has become part of the current social issue across America, and explore different cases to include Korean and Mexican
“When men are oppressed, it's a tragedy. When women are oppressed, it's a tradition”~ Letty Cottin Pogrebin.
Acting as if the oppression directed at women is something that can be dealt with by simply politely asking for equality is what fragile women are expected to do. As if the misogyny embedded in our culture is an uncontrollable inconvenience rather than systematic oppression. After decades of fighting for womens rights, we are supposed to be satisfied that our country has reluctantly given women the most basic rights of representation, that we have finally been deigned to be considered fully human. Unfortunately, we still must fight for equality against the oppression of men. Although we have gotten basic human rights, we have yet to gain recognition for the attributes we have given this country. This is because we are still restricted by
The increased globalization of the world has had a profound effect on human rights, and has further muddied the unclear distinction between sex trafficking and prostitution. Prostitution has been a moral quandary for society for centuries, and the debate regarding it has risen into the political arena as legislators discuss legalizing prostitution. As there is a societal debate, there is also a political and academic debate regarding the merits of legalization and prohibition of prostitution. Current scholars discuss the implications of legalizing prostitution and its effects on sex trafficking, while also considering the current limits within legislation.