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Feminist perspectives on gender inequality
Feminist theory of gender inequality
Feminist theory of gender inequality
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Mexico is one of many countries where women and children are exposed to the horrors of human and sex trafficking, particularly those from Central or South America who are forced to seek work abroad due to economic and/or political instability in their home countries. Unfortunately, Mexican women also face similar challenges, with significant numbers of women and children in states such as Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas falling prey to human and sex trafficking. These states are located near the U.S.-Mexican border. This paper will explore the reasons why these vulnerable populations are targeted by traffickers, utilizing theories such as transnational feminist theory. consent and are forced to work in inhumane conditions.
Out of that number, one-fifth is trafficked. Among the total, 98 percent of victims are female, and within that number, 42 percent are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation, 32 percent for non-sexual economic exploitation, and 25 percent for other purposes. One in five women experiences rape or is almost raped in her life. Sex trafficking involves death, rape, and torture of women or using them as slaves. Women and children are usually manipulated into sex or human trafficking. They can be talked into doing so or promised things such as money and power. Some are used to obtain ransom from their family. The targeted families that are usually asked for ransom are lower-class families who do not have much, meaning that the women (or child) would have to “work” to pay off her debt. The women who end up “working” for their kidnappers have to have certain qualities. These women are trafficked without their consent and are forced to work in inhumane conditions.
These cities are known for tourism, location, and drug trafficking. The United States' intervention in Central and South American countries has caused countless problems, including political, economic, and family issues that have affected people. As a result, many have migrated to other countries, such as Mexico, in search of new opportunities. However, what many do not realize are the dangers they will face once they step into Mexican territory. Women are often forced into the world of human and sex trafficking, where they are compelled to perform sexual acts on tourists. Mexico is currently facing an economic crisis, and the Mexican peso is not performing well, leading to an increase in human and sex trafficking rates.
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.
“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).
Criminal penalties for human trafficking include prison sentences up to 15-years-to-life and fines up to $1,500,000. There is a much higher risk than reward. Therefore the average American willing to do this is usually not too bright. The trafficking of women and adolescents is increasingly recognized as one of the world’s fastest growing crimes and a significant violation of human rights. Despite the need for evidence on the physical and psychological health consequences to inform rapidly emerging policies and services for trafficked persons, there is limited evidence about the needs of women who have been trafficked. The health of women and adolescent girls trafficked for sexual exploitation in Mexico have been
Sex trafficking is when women, young girls, and young boys are held in slavery and forced into prostitution for the financial gain of others in brothels in the United States, Europe, and other developing countries such as Thailand and the Philippines (Sexual Slavery). It’s happened to many women and children throughout many years in many of these countries for money and more power. Often purchased or kidnapped off the street, women, girls, and boys are trafficked across international
Human trafficking victims can be forced to do different things such as physical labor and prostitution. The things that usually are key to trafficking are that the victims are vulnerable to anything that involves a better life or involving moving into the U.S. The main reason is that they suffer from poverty; the victims want to help their family with money and are open to whatever way there is to get money. In addition, many in Mexico risk their lives to come to the U.S. hoping that they can find work. They go through parts of Mexico that are considered to have the most violence with drugs, cartels and trafficking are then most often caught by the cartels and have no other choice but to be a slave working to pay off their “debt” that they have to the cartels. Also the traffickers use everything because the victims are vulnerable, to control the victims often the victims are being belittled by their traffickers, many people that suffered sometimes tell...
In Mexico men, women, and children are exploited in sex trafficking within Mexico and the United States. According to State.gov “they are lured by fraudulent employment opportunities, deceptive offers of romantic relationships, or extortion, including through the retention of identification documents or threats to notify immigration officials of victims’ immigration status.” They are known to be captured and transported along the southern border of Mexico. When caught in human trafficking, people usually think of them as sex slaves, but it comes with so much more. These organizations force the captured civilians to be involved in very illegal crimes. For example, lookouts work as hit men, sale of drugs, and transportation. Majority of foreign victims in human trafficking in Mexico are from Central and South America, Guatemala, and El Salvador. These organized criminal groups gain interest
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.
The United States is a major port for human trafficking and, “Due to the covert nature of human trafficking, it is difficult to ascertain which countries are the primary source nations for trafficking into the US” (Hepburn). People of all ages and genders are at risk to human trafficking (Hepburn). Women and girls make up about fifty-six percent of the people trafficked for forced labor, while men and boys make up the other forty-four percent; children make up forty to fifty percent of those numbers (Hepburn). Ninety-eight percent of the people trafficked for sexual explorations are women and girls (Hepburn). Children tend to be targeted more than adults because they are much more vulnerable. Human trafficking has different forms, and “While trafficking for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation is more publicized in the media, it is not the only form of trafficking that takes place in the US” (Hepburn). Trafficking for the purposes of forced labor is just as likely to occur as trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation (Hepburn). Many citizens have never heard of human trafficking for something other than sexual exploitation. Hepburn shows that, “Forty-three percent are trafficked for purposes of...
... middle of paper ... ... Underprivileged and depressed children are victims that are usually targeted and because of that, governments and human rights organizations have created laws that protect victims and prosecute traffickers. The act of luring victims into sex trafficking takes a form where the trafficker has to find ways to please the target and get victims to rely on them. Physical and psychological pain are inflicted on victims in order for them to stay in the Life which causes later effects felt by the victims when freed.
Sex trafficking is a form of contemporary slavery that induces and forces people into a commercial sex trade against their will. Many factors contribute to the sex trade and the exploitation occurs mostly to women and children. 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 2016 51% of women were trafficked, since then the number has increased to 80%. 40% is women and the other 40% is young girls. From 2016 to 2018 the rate of women who have been trafficked has increased by 29%. It has been said that nearly all of these women have been diagnosed with some form of Stockholm syndrome.
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...
It is the world’s fastest growing global crime. It is also the world’s second largest source of illegal income after drug trafficking. According to the United Nations Office on drugs and crime (2012),”Women account for 55-60 per cent of all trafficking victims detected globally; women and girls together account for about 75% and as many as 161 countries are affected by human trafficking.” It is also believed that the victims arguably come from the poorest countries in the world. One of the main causes of human trafficking is vulnerability. For example, children are more vulnerable to trafficking because of their lack of understanding and experience. Additionally, in certain societies, women are less empowered than men thus resulting in gender inequality both at home and in the workplace. Gender inequality then leads to easy exploitation through the use of force or