There are many aid projects across the world who claim to help millions of people, but because these aid projects claim to help millions of people, that does not always mean that is the case There are many different aid types, and there can be aid for almost anything an area needs help with. One aid project that not many people know about is called the Polaris Project. After being exposed to a story of six South Korean women being forced to work in a brothel, Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman were inspired to do something about modern-day slavery (“Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman: Fighting Human Trafficking" 3). Fast-forward 13 years and the Polaris Project is the world’s leading non-profit human trafficking aid organization in the country. The Polaris Project is the only aid organization to fight against all forms of human trafficking. Human trafficking occurs when a person is forced against his or her own will to engage in sexual acts. Human trafficking can happen to men, women and children; however, it mainly happens to women 18 years and older (“Sex Trafficking in the U.S.” 1). However, a deeper look needs to be taken into this organization to observe if Polaris Project is working effectively at what the organization claims to do.
Human trafficking is a growing problem that is showing up in our own back yards. Polaris Project is committed to fighting this problem of human trafficking; therefore, Polaris Project has many programs that help combat human trafficking in interesting ways. There are two offices for the Polaris Project industry, located in Washington, D.C. and the New Jersey area. According to Charity Navigator, a Charity Rater, Polaris Project received a 66.59 out of 70 for finances, transparency and accountabi...
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"Katherine Chon and Derek Ellerman: Fighting Human Trafficking." IIP Digital. U.S. Department of State, 01 Mar. 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
"Polaris Project and LexisNexis Form Public-Private Partnership to Fight Human Trafficking." LexisNexis. LexisNexis, 27 May 2009. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
"Polaris Project." Charity Navigator. Charity Navigator, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
"Senate Joint Resolution No. 232." Legislative Information System. Legislative Information System, 08 Mar. 2012. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
"Sex Trafficking in the U.S." Sex Trafficking in the U.S. | Polaris Project | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery. Polaris Project, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.
Thomas, Anna, Lacopo Viciani, Jonathan Tench, Rachel Sharpe, Melissa Hall, Matthew Martin, and Richard Watts. "ActionAid UK: End Poverty. Together." ActionAid UK. Action Aid, n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2013.
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,
Many organizations and programs are working to stop human trafficking and its insubordinate criminals. Organizations, such as the United Nations Conven...
Mohajerin, S. K. (2006). Human trafficking: Modern day slavery in the 21st century. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, 12(3), 125-132.
By successfully pushing for stronger federal and state laws against human trafficking, improving living conditions for victims, operating the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline, providing vital services to victims of trafficking, and changing the views and the acceptance of trafficking survivors in the United States, Polaris Project is committed to combating human trafficking and modern-day slavery, and to strengthening the anti-trafficking movement through determination and dedication. “We could eradicate slavery. The laws are in place. The multi-nationals, the world trade organizations, the United Nations, they could end slavery, but they're not going to do it until and unless we demand it.” -- Kevin Bales
Lerner, Sara. "Human Trafficking In The U.S.: One Woman's Story." NPR. NPR, 31 July 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.
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
Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation and provision of a person for the purpose of commercial sex. American trafficking victims are estimated to be between 100,000 and 300,000. Most of these are from the million are so children that are thrown out of their home or they have run away usually to escape abuse and/or sexual violence. (Shelley, pg. 230) The law says that a person under the age of 18 has to have been defrauded, forced or coerced into the sex trade against their will. Sex trafficking venues are wide and vast. Victims of sex trafficking can be found in brothels, strip clubs, esc...
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...
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
"Polaris Project | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery." Polaris Project | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014. .
The United States has one of the largest percentages of trafficked humans worldwide, however so many individual are unaware of this issue. As many as 17,500 individuals are thought to be trafficked into the United Stated annually, and some have estimated that 100,000 U.S. citizen children are victims of trafficking within the U.S. (Siskin & Wyler, 2010). Since many cases go unreported, these estimates may be fewer than the actual number of victims in the US. There is substantial evidence that supports the ideology that woman and children from low socio-economic status are most likely targeted (Okech, Morreau, & Benson, 2011), of all the people trafficked each year about 70 percent of women and 50 percent are children that are mainly forced into the sex trade (Human Trafficking Statistics). Among socio-economic problems, the trafficking business feeds on conditions of vulnerability, such as family conflicts, natural disasters, youth, ignorance, gender, social exclusion, political instabil...
With the growing number of countries with child exploitation and young girls and women selling their bodies unwillingly, there becomes an issue when crossing country boarders and the laws that those countries have established. There are serious definitional and methodological differences within the worldwide studies. There is no sure way to measure and document the actual extend of sexual exploitation of children because research only can go so far, many children and women go unnoticed or fly under the radar. Many countries have differences in defining what constitutes as a minor and what constitutes as an adult in the separating figures on children from figures on adults within the sex trade industry. “There is also the issue of illegal versus legal uses of children for purposes of sexual exploitation. For example, in some countries, child prostitution is technically legal, making it difficult to separate what is outlawed from what is tolerated.”(Flowers) Another major limitation in the measure of international child exploitation is the lack of cooperation between countries and the researchers in those countries gathering information. The big question is where do we go from here? “The Demand for prostitution, both in the United States and abroad, creates one of the most profitable markets for organized crime in the world: global demand for human trafficking generates $32 billion annually, $27.8 billion of which is generated by sex trafficking alone.”(Makatche, 2013) There obviously is no sign of slowing down for the sex trafficking industry but there are major corporations that are getting involved. “In December 2011, Google made several grants totaling $11.5 million to anti-trafficking organizations to support new initiatives utilizing technology to combat human trafficking. These technology-focused initiatives include projects with Polaris Project, Slavery
"Facts On Human Trafficking And Sex Slavery | Soroptimist." Soroptimist.org. N. p., 2017. Web. 14
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.
However, many agencies across the nation are not aware of the amount of human trafficking occurring around them. In a world of tolerance, many individuals are unaware of their surroundings. Kevin Bales of the nonprofit organization Free the Slaves estimates that 10,000 women a year are trafficked to America for the sex industry alone (Young n. pg). Those 10,000 women all past through security check points somewhere, and had many individuals they also interacted with on their journey. Security and Law Enforcement need to be aware of the signs of human trafficking, and be able to serve justice to those that are oppressing the rights of these women and children. Gary Haugen, worked as counsel in the civil rights division of the U.S. Justice Department, said “Sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation can be drastically reduced wherever a country has the political will and the operational capacity to send the perpetrators to jail and to treat the victims with compassion and dignity. This is a fight that can actually be won.” (McKelvey n.