D'Andre Lampkin once said, “When you are treated as less than important, you are still a human. When you are treated as less than worthy, you are still a human. When you are treated less than your title, you are still a human. But when you are treated less than the very thing you are born to be, you perish.” Polaris Project is an organization devoted to stopping human trafficking in the U.S. and across the world. Polaris Project was founded in 2002 by Derek Ellerman and Katherine Chon. This organization is based in Washington DC and was started after Derek and Katherine discovered a group of women being trafficked in the U.S . Polaris Project is a world renowned organization working to end modern-day slavery. They are transforming the way that individuals and communities respond to human trafficking globally. Polaris Project has an immense impact on human trafficking today because they have passed laws to protect the rights of trafficked people, restored hope by donating to victims, and change peoples views and beliefs on trafficking. They have used their nonprofit nongovernmental organization to make a substantial impact.
With their locations in Newark, New Jersey, Denver, Colorado, Tokyo, and Japan they have help pass many laws. Some being the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and anti trafficking laws in 39 states and have 32 states in the top tier 1. These laws have began to protect the victims in court by labeling them as victim and not part of the crime and have cracked down on the traffickers themselves by having, harder punishments, longer sentences, etc. The Polaris Project established a policy program in 2004 and since then they have worked across the country and contributed to passing over 100 anti trafficking laws at...
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...ference in the human trafficking industry. Polaris Project creates long-term solutions that move our society closer to a world without slavery.
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
In the words of Wayne Dyer “Freedom means you are unobstructed in living your life as you choose. Anything less is a form of slavery” (Brainy Quote). Today there are millions of modern day slaves all around the world of human trafficking. Some countries are more troubled with this problem than others, and it’s often accompanied with other crimes. There have been undertakings done to prevent and stop human trafficking, but 20 million men, women, and children all over the world still suffer from being sex slaves (Joseph 1). Programs do exist to prevent and put an end to human trafficking, but their actions alone are simply not enough. Therefore, anti-trafficking initiatives are failing to identify and help their victims.
Most American citizens, if asked, would say that sex trafficking is an issue that happens on foreign land, not here in America. Many American’s believe that slavery was abolished years ago, but modern day slavery is happening in this country and internationally every day right under our noses. The startling fact, is that sex trafficking happens within our borders, and in our very own towns at a much higher rate than anyone would imagine. Sex trafficking occurs when people, usually women and children, are coerced into the sex trade against their will (TVPA, 2013). Many traffickers target weak, vulnerable people who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and have a history of abuse; however anyone can potentially be trafficked (The Polaris Project, 2014). Many traffickers lure their prey in with false promises of love, money, or security, and then the victims are instead faced with lies, debt bondage, violence, physical and mental manipulation, and abuse (The Polaris Project, 2014). In today’s world many of our social issues, such as human trafficking, are made worse by the general lack of education, resources, and information available to the public and to victims. I propose a policy that will help 180 Turning Lives Around provide comprehensive and much needed services to victims of sex trafficking, as well as educate the community and law enforcement officials in order to help end modern day slavery in America.
I was in complete and utter shock when I began to read Disposable People. The heart-wrenching tale of Seba, a newly freed slave, shook my understanding of people in today’s society, as well as their interactions between each other. I sat in silence as I read Seba’s story. “There they [Seba’s French mistress and husband] stripped me naked, tied my hands behind my back, and began to whip me with a wire attached to a broomstick (Bales 2).” I tried to grasp the magnitude of the situation. I tried unsuccessfully to tell myself that this couldn’t happen in modern times, especially in a city such as Paris. How could this be happening? In the following pages of Kevin Bale’s shocking account of the rampant problem of modern day slavery, I learned of more gruesome details of this horrific crime against humanity, such as the different types of slavery, as well as his best estimate of the number of people still enslaved throughout the world, an appalling 27 million.
For most American’s especially African Americans, the abolition of slavery in 1865 was a significant point in history, but for African Americans, although slavery was abolished it gave root for a new form of slavery that showed to be equally as terrorizing for blacks. In the novel Slavery by Another Name, by Douglas Blackmon he examines the reconstruction era, which provided a form of coerced labor in a convict leasing system, where many African Americans were convicted on triumphed up charges for decades.
The slave system “is pronounced to be sinful and odious, in the sight of God and man” (Slavery as a Positive Good). I am here to tell you today why this is such a false statement. I cannot sit here in silence as the people of this nation destroy the Union under which we live. I will not allow for the abolitionists to win this fight, because if they do our nation will fall apart. “Abolition and the Union cannot coexist. As the friend of the Union I openly proclaim it – and the sooner it is known the better” (Slavery as a Positive Good). The Union and Abolition cannot coexist, it’s as simple as that, one will fail if the other exists.
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...
These issues must be brought to light so that more efforts can be made to put an end to this terrible trade. Works Cited Kara, Siddharth. A.P.S. & C.P.S. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery. New York: Columbia UP, 2009. 5.
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 dichotomy between those that are enslaved and those that are free is a very narrow one indeed. Arguably, the distance between the two is spanned only by an individual’s capacity to realize his innate humanity. For example, a slave that has only known the taste of the whip and the bite of shackles may be more in touch with his humanity than a poor, free man who has reached the pit of human degradation. Likewise an enterprising individual never encumbered by woes of abolition could possibly have a greater understanding of the value of life than a lowly slave. In 1859, Harriet E. Wilson attempts to explore this concept in her work entitled, Our Nig, or the Sketches from the Life of a Free Black. As the title proclaims, Our Nig is an account of the life of Frado, a free-born mulatto girl, who is abandoned by her mother and left to a life of servitude. The irony that is Frado’s life lies in the reality that while she is a free black living in the North, her lifestyle seems to closely resemble that of her enslaved counterparts in the South. In retrospect, however, many Southern slaves were able to appreciate elements of freedom, both mental and physical, that Frado, a free black, was never allotted.
... not stopped will shake the foundation of our future. This 'market' has forced men, women and children from all around the world into sexual exploitation as well as physical exploitation. Although certain countries and international organizations are putting in effort, for public awareness and are trying to stop human trafficking from progressing, a lot more can and needs to be done. Strict international laws and tougher sentences for these offences need to be put in place, with harsher punishments for individuals and groups who violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to estimates, human trafficking is the fastest-growing area of organized crime (United Nations, 2002). It continues to be overlooked by international authorities to this date and international organizations need to step up and handle this issue before it continues to rapidly grow.
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.
The violators prey on the vulnerable such as children, immigrants, and the poor. For the promise of a better life these people are being forced into taking jobs with little to no pay, prostitution, even forced marriages and organ extraction are not unheard of. Victims are robbed of humanity and treated as property or a piece of merchandise, easily used repeatedly for profit. It really is a worldwide issue but the United States is one of the hotspots it seems in recent years. “Here in the United States, between 100,000 to 300,000 American children are at risk of being trafficked each year, according to the Department of Homeland Security, with the average age of a child first being trafficked just 13.”(McCain, 2014) Polaris has helped thousands with their efforts, the work they do is imperative to the fight and does not go unnoticed. The statistics and information gathered by the programs have progressed other organizations in achieving goals in the same
According to Kevin Bales video “How to combat Modern slavery” there are many reasons why slavery continues to exist today Slavery is an economic crime, commerce has value, but slaves are disposable as long as there are buyers there will continue to use slaves . Another reason why slavery is continues today is “The absence of Rule of Law” The poor and vulnerable need the protection of the government and police but if they are corrupt, they have no protection to keep them safe from the vultures that prey on them. In addition to no law to protect them other factors that increase vulnerability are. The Population explosion that has occurred in developing countries that already suffers from overpopulation. Countries that have extreme poverty,
The word “slavery” brings back horrific memories of human beings. Bought and sold as property, and dehumanized with the risk and implementation of violence, at times nearly inhumane. The majority of people in the United States assumes and assures that slavery was eliminated during the nineteenth century with the Emancipation Proclamation. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth; rather, slavery and the global slave trade continue to thrive till this day. In fact, it is likely that more individuals are becoming victims of human trafficking across borders against their will compared to the vast number of slaves that we know in earlier times. Slavery is no longer about legal ownership asserted, but instead legal ownership avoided, the thought provoking idea that with old slavery, slaves were maintained, compared to modern day slavery in which slaves are nearly disposable, under the same institutionalized systems in which violence and economic control over the disadvantaged is the common way of life. Modern day slavery is insidious to the public but still detrimental if not more than old American slavery.