“They forced me to sleep with as many as 50 customers a day. I had to give [the pimp] all my money. If I did not [earn a set amount] they punished me by removing my clothes and beating me with a stick until I fainted, electrocuting me, cutting me” (Global Sex Trafficking 1). This is the real-life testimony of a woman named Kolab, a sex trafficking survivor from Cambodia who shares her story with Equality Now, a female human rights advocate organization. Sucked into a world of fear, subjugation, and danger, Kolab demonstrates a lifestyle that no female would ever want to imagine-yet which for many women is their everyday reality. Often times, when we hear the term “sex trafficking” we think of an illegal form of sexual exploitation, but what is little known to most people, is that “sex trafficking is the third largest international crime industry, reportedly generating a profit of $32 billion dollars every year,” a form of lifestyle that over “20.9 million female adults and children” can relate to because it is the norm in their countries, cities, or towns (Sabyan 1). Due to economic downfall, many countries fell into poverty. Forced to make ends meet and pay off debts, many families looked to selling their daughters into sex industries as a away to become free from their burdens. Not only are victims of sex trafficking sold into the industry, but can also be kidnapped and forced into this lifestyle by their “pimp.” The economic aspect, mainly in the United States, is the underlying factor that enables the sex industry to continue to exist and expand today. Evidence shows that the U.S generates the majority of the profits for the sex trafficking industry. Although, Asia is reported to have more sex slaves than any other country, t...
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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,
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.
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21 Nov. 2013. Unknown. The. " Human Sex Trafficking in the U.S. Minors.
The trafficking of young women and children for prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation is one of the most significant human rights abuses in contemporary society. A common misconception about human trafficking is that it only happens abroad, in reality it is happening here, in the United States and in states such as New York, Florida and California. The United States plays a major role in the human trafficking crisis, which offers those who wish to eliminate the occurrence of sexual trafficking with an opportunity to consider solutions that can decrease the appalling rates of victimization that happen right here in America. It is proposed that in cities such as Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles there is a relationship between prostitution, sex trafficking, and drug use.
"SEX TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES." SEX TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2014. .
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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.
U.S. Department of State Publication (2007) Trafficking in Persons Report,11407, United States of America: Office of Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs and bureau of public affairs.
Sex trafficking is a world wide epidemic. It targets unknowing victims such as women and children enslaving them and exploiting their innocence. Human trafficking is becoming one of the biggest money making organized crimes in the world. The sex trade is one of the most profitable of all current slave trades. Through the age, gender, class, and race many are trapped in a never-ending cycle of coercion and abuse in order to survive in the corrupt society around them. In order to stop this monstrosity in the world, we need to start at the root of the problem. We must bridge the barriers between gender, class, and race in order to respect one another and live in harmony
"Facts On Human Trafficking And Sex Slavery | Soroptimist." Soroptimist.org. N. p., 2017. Web. 14
Trafficking in humans is a massive underground industry throughout the United States as well as close to home, mainly Chicago and it’s suburbs. “Human Trafficking is the recruiting, harboring,moving or obtaining a person by force, fraud or coercion, for the purposes of involuntary servitude, debt bondage or sexual exploitation( Human Trafficking in Illinois ).” Human Trafficking is one of the largest and is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. Annually, 9.5 billion dollars of profits are generated from trafficking humans worldwide. “Persons do not have to have been transported internationally to be considered victims of trafficking” (Facts about Human Trafficking).
An article released by the BBC entitled “Horrors of India’s Brothels Documented” brought this shocking global issue to my attention. The article provides information about a young Indian girl who was only 11 when she was sold into sex slavery by her neighbor (who had persuaded her family to let her go with him to Mumbai); she was taken from her impoverished village in West Bangel. Brutally raped the first night she arrived in a brothel, Guddi is only one of 20,000 sex workers in that specific area [Kamathipura] (2013). The article elaborates on the history of sex slavery in India. It points out that laws have recently been put into place against human trafficking. However, the laws are not being strongly enforced due to the sheer number of the cases. Human trafficking is like a plague that is spread throughout the world, and India is one of the hardest hit places. This paper will elaborate on the reasons this condition exists in India, and explain the connections that India has with the rest of the world that stem from this issue.
"SEX TRAFFICKING IN THE U.S." Sex Trafficking in the U.S. – July 2012 – CharitySub. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.