Human Trafficking in the United States Essays

In 2010, there were almost 30,000 Latino immigrants in Durham, ninety percent of which were undocumented immigrants (Johnson). Initially, most Latino immigrants arrived in the southwest, but since the turn of the century, more have settled in new destinations, such as Durham, and other parts of the Southeast, due to opportunities to work in low-skilled jobs.

Human Trafficking is in America, it’s in backyard and most don’t even know it. Many Americans believe that this horrible action only takes place in countries such as China, Japan, India, and Ghana but no; it happens in the United States also. The definition of human trafficking is the “illegal practice of procuring or trading in human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation” (dictionary.com). Slavery was abolished in 1865 in the 13th amendment in the constitution but it sad to say, it still exist. “60,000 people in America in November 2013 could safely be called modern day slaves” (Slavery isn’t a thing of the past). Today human trafficking is counted as immigrant workers who are smuggled into the country and forced to work under the threat of violence. And also men and women, forced to sell their bodies for sex and give all their money to their pimps (Slavery isn’t a thing of the past). Pimps are the ones who usually run the human trafficking business. Approximately75-80% of human trafficking is for sex (55 little known facts about human trafficking). Many believe that only adults are being worked but children and teens are too, matter of fact the average age is between12 and 14. The number of human trafficking in the United States will continue to increase because it is too difficult to find and prevent.

Each year about 17,500 individuals are brought into the United States and become victims of human trafficking. Every country has this problem and it has become the 3rd largest illegal industry worldwide.

The United States has always been known for sticking their nose in places where it does not belong. America has been part of wars that could have been avoided, scandals that had nothing to do with the United States. Millions of lives over the years could have been spared if America would have just simply stayed where they belong. What if though, America feels like they have to get involved in forging affairs if they think it can cause or is causing a problem on American soil or with the Americans themselves? Human trafficking is issues that most people do not necessarily knows about or even really think about. There are several different types of human trafficking and smuggling crimes that are in today's society. The number one kind of human trafficking is sex trafficking. The handlers usually kidnap someone, ninety percent of the time, a girl under the age of eighteen, and sell them to different people all over the world for sexual reasons. The girls they kidnap and sell can be from the area or just passing through and get in the wrong place at the wrong time. Forced labor is the second most common type of human trafficking in the world. This is where a person takes advantage of a worker and changes labor laws to make them work longer hours or harder, more tiring jobs with very little pay. Victims of forced labor most of the time do not even know what is happening to them. Most of the people that get sucked into the forced labor trade are very vulnerable;

Human trafficking is an issue that no one really wants to talk about. The media portrays this horrible crime as something that only happens in foreign lands. Americans do not want to believe that something so heinous could happen on our own soil. However when survivors of human trafficking come forward, people are forced to confront the reality that this issue is not that far from home. Some individuals still choose to deny that this is a real issue. However the facts make it extremely hard to deny that human trafficking happens on American soil.

What exactly is human trafficking? We have all heard of it, but what actually is it. It’s a modern form of slavery. It involves controlling a person through force, fraud, or coercion to exploit the victim for forced labor, sexual exploitation, or both. It strips victims of their freedom and violates our nation’s promise that every person in the U.S. is guaranteed basic human rights. This is a crime (Beccera). Sadly, the United States is widely regarded as a destination country for human trafficking. According to the federal reports, nearly 14,500 to 17,500 victims are trafficked in the United States annually. That doesn’t even include the number of victims that are trafficked WITHIN the United States. If you are looking for a defined definition of human trafficking, California legislatures states it as being “ALL acts involved in the recruitment, abduction, transport, harboring, transfer, sale or receipt of persons, within national or across international borders, through force, coercion, fraud or deception, to place persons in situations of slavery or slavery like conditions, forced labor or services, such as forced prostitution or sexual services, domestic servitude, bonded sweatshop labor, or other debt bondage.” (Beccera) This is a crime that needs to come to an end.

Human trafficking doesn’t happen in third world countries only. It doesn’t just happen to poor people and it certainly doesn’t solely happen to women. It is present here in the USA but it is hidden, and even worse, so are their victims. They are everywhere yet invisible. They are silently crying for our help through their eyes and smiles. According to Polaris, “…the prevalence of sex trafficking in the United States is still unknown, we do know that women, children, and men are being sold for sex against their will in cities and towns in all 50 states”. Human trafficking can happen to anyone even to Theresa Flores, the author of “The slave across the street”(“Sex trafficking” 2015). An average 15 year old American girl, coming from a privileged background and a respected family became a victim of sex trafficking and through her book, she convinces us that human trafficking doesn’t have a specific demographic.

Freedom is an undeniable right that this Country was founded upon. Yet even today, the ongoing practice of human trafficking continues on a disturbingly large scale. Well said by the President, “It ought to concern every person, because it’s a debasement of our common humanity. It ought to concern every community, because it tears at the social fabric. It ought to concern every business, because it distorts markets. It ought to concern every nation, because it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime. I’m talking about the injustice, the outrage, of

Many believe that the Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, but on the other hand, human trafficking is now the modern day slavery and is a serious problem in the world. Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking, generating a profit of $32 billion every year in countries from The United States to Thailand (“11 facts”). In today's world, there are many types of human trafficking. Victims may be held against their will as hard labor workers, working for free with no pay, and with no other way to find other employment because of the status of their citizenship. Other victims may be forced into prostitution and are isolated from people who could provide a means of escape.

As we separated our pubescent selves from the clutches of overbearing Britain we promised our civilians liberty in apparent abundance. We went so far as to build our country off of the foundation of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unfortunately, the constant question remains, are we actually granted these three rights? Are all Americans subject to complete freedom? If one answered yes they would be sadly mistaken. Underground in our united land we face a severe issue that questions one’s liberties. We have slavery in this country, the most prominent type being sexual slavery, enforced through prostitution and human trafficking. Human trafficking and prostitution are severe undercurrents that surge rapidly in the United States despite common belief.

I echo the words of President Obama and say to them: We hear you, and we will do all we can to make that dream come true. In recent decades, we have learned a great deal about how to break up human trafficking networks and help victims recover in safety and dignity. In years to come, we will apply those lessons relentlessly, and we will not rest until modern slavery is ended. Obama created President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (PITF) – have brought together leaders from government, the private sector, advocates, survivors, communities of faith, civil society, law enforcement, and academia to strengthen our nation’s collective efforts to combat human trafficking. In implementing this ambitious agenda, the Obama Administration has focused on four priority areas: rule of law, victim services, procurement and supply chains, and public awareness and outreach.Where as Bush continues to advance the fight against trafficking in persons, which is a modern day form of

Coupled with the efforts being put forth to help recovery of those that have already been victimized, the war against human trafficking has had a large impact all around. So what about years to come? The March 2011 FBI report indicates that about 293,000 U.S. children the majority being girls ages 12 to 14 have a higher chance of being taken advantage of. The punishment for trafficking children under the age of 18 is further being increased to cut numbers in this area. There are new laws being put into place, as well as older laws being revamped to be more effective. Human trafficking impacts millions of people globally. Let's stop these victims from being sold and let’s fight against this

Slavery is a practice many believe to have been left behind in the 19th century with morale beliefs leaving behind this. However few don’t know that to this day, in the 21st century we still have slavery and the trading of humans as though they are property. This is Human Trafficking, and it is not a small issue, it is everywhere, and it holds its influence over our society globally. With a large number of people being trafficked, the United States alone having a 244,000 to 325,000 victims exported and imported for trafficking and to be sold. Worldwide this number is unfortunately far higher but looking alone at the United States can give an idea of how bad it must be worldwide and especially in 2nd to 3rd world countries where the governments

Human Trafficking is a horrendous crime that takes advantage of people through the illegal trading of human beings for purposes of forced labor, and commercial sexual/child exploitation. Traffickers tend to prey on the vulnerable, those who want a better life, have little or no employment opportunities, very unstable, and have a history of sexual abuse. With this being popular in society, anyone can easily become a victim. By being an undocumented immigrant, runaway and homeless youth, and a victim of trauma and abuse, you have already put a target on your back. The most popular victims are the undocumented immigrants due to the lack of legal status, language barriers, limited employment options, and social isolation. ("The Victims.")

Slavery is a modern, pervasive problem. Human trafficking has been found in every state in America (humantrafficking.org). It seems that most Americans likely live within a comfortable drive of someone who is being exploited through human trafficking. There is a growing trend in human trafficking toward sexual exploitation (Bennetts, 2011). The Information Age has helped to create new opportunities for sex trafficking to flourish.