Sex trafficking is a form of modern slavery that exists throughout the United States and globally. Sex traffickers use violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, and other forms of coercion to compel adults and children to engage in commercial sex acts against their will. Under U.S. federal law, any minor under the age of 18 years induced into commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking.The situations that sex trafficking victims face vary. Many victims become romantically involved with someone who then forces or manipulates them into prostitution. Others are taken in with false promises of a job, such as modeling or dancing. Some are forced to sell sex by their parents or other family members. They may be involved in a trafficking situation …show more content…
From the ancient Greek and Romans to the medieval times, and up until today, humans have been subject to various forms of physical and sexual slavery (Rutgers University Campus Coalition Against Trafficking). Victims are often beaten, raped, limited in movement, denied food or water, tortured or drugged, in order to provide absolute obedience. These methods may be a form of punishment for disobedience, but may also serve as prevention to warn the victims of the potential consequences in case of breaching the established rules (Banović and Bjelajac). These inhuman treatments cause mental and physical scarring that is almost always permanent to a severe level. The majority of genders taken into sex trafficking are women. Out of 3,646 cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center in 2016 so far, 2,678 of those cases are sex trafficking and 3,058 of the victims are female (Trafficking Resource Center). The victims that are able to leave the industry require special extensive after care. Victims are people who have been traumatized from the experience. Survivors are those who have overcome the horrors. Can all the victims be survivors? The purpose of aftercare is to bring practical help, hope, and healing, to those devastated by trauma …show more content…
Not all of them can return to a satisfactory level of health and the ones that do still have scars. The diversified needs of human trafficking victims may be satisfied only through coordinated actions of state institutions, non-governmental organization (NGOs) and international organizations. For victims to even have a possibility of normalcy, society and the law must take actions. Society had classified victims of human trafficking to be damaged and unworthy. The victims are afraid to go for help so most can't return to normal. Also laws that are in place at this time restrict victims from getting help out of fear of being prosecuted. Most people categorize victims of sex trafficking as prostitutes which causes them to be prosecuted for breaking federal laws that prohibit prostitution. Prostitution is illegal across the United States with exception of Nevada (US Federal and State Prostitution and Related Punishments). Prostitution is the practice or occupation of engaging in sexial activity with someone for payement. Human sex trafficking is NOT prostitution.There are many laws however that do help victims for example The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. This law establishes human trafficking and related offenses as federal crimes (Polaris Project). If society and the government actually took action to help instead of hinder
The problem with sex trafficking is that it is not only illegal, but the lasting effects it has on the victim are detrimental. Sex trafficking has been shown to increase the chance of sexually transmitted infections, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, unsafe abortions, malnutrition, and sexual violence (Konstantopoulos et al., 2013). There is an estimated 4.5 million people that become victims of sex trafficking; 98% of those are women and young girls (Konstantopoulos et al., 2013).
In chapter 6, the main focus is on services and the necessary care for survivors and victims of sex trafficking. These services are very specific to adequately insure the rehabilitation of sex trafficked victims. There are many problems when it comes to theses services and there are also things that work for victims. For example, many of them lack funding and availability forcing some survivors to go to alternative services which is problematic in itself. It is problematic because it allows untreated survivors who are unsure or unable to come to grasp with their suffering to a plethora of at-risk individuals. The “unique trauma” caused by sex trafficking was also discussed in this chapter. The trauma of sex trafficking is distinctive because
Those who have been trafficked may suffer from serious physical and mental abuse, physical exhaustion and starvation that may occur out of the whole process. Trafficking victims often suffer from serious physical abuse and. Typical injuries can include broken bones, concussion, bruising or burns, as well as other injuries consistent with assault. Some of these serious injuries can cause lasting health problems and may require long-term treatment as trafficked women are prone to multiple abuses over a broad period of time, similar to those who suffer health consequences of prolonged torment. Secondly, the women who are addicted to illicit drugs are more likely to be pushed into prostitution and human trafficking (Goldstein, 1979). The Bill did not clearly mention any health consequences that service providers may face during their operation. Service providers who work with victims should be aware of the severe and interrelated health consequences that result from
Human Trafficking is the trade of humans mainly for sexual slavery, but also forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker and sometimes others who take part in this act. Human trafficking is also used for organs or tissues, including surrogacy, ova removal, or making these victims spouses for traffickers or their customers. Human trafficking is defined as a sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act induced by force (isolation and confinement to the brothel: transportation to multiple locations for the trafficking network and occasional physical and sexual abuse), fraud (false promises of a better life), or coercion (the practice of persuading someone to do something by using force or threats), or someone performing commercial sex under the age of 18. This is a crime that has newly risen to the public over the last decade and has been labeled as one of the most serious humanitarian crisis. Human trafficking is about profit. In 2004 the total annual income for trafficking in persons was estimated to be between $5 billion to $9 billion.
Sex Trafficking has been a key component in “ degradation of human and women's rights” because they believe that these people are only good for sex (Deshpande Para 1). Often victims who come back, if they ever can, have a hard time adjusting back to normal life. These girls have trust issues towards men, and sometimes even women. They also could have numerous health problems ranging from STD’s to unplanned pregnancy or even worse “ broken bones, concussions, bruises and burns” can all be found on these victims of sexual assault. These girls could also have mental issues, such as anxiety toward older men and women, fear of going outside ever again and social issues. The saddest thing about this is not only are these victims going through a horrible amount of sexual abuse, they also have been ripped away from what they know and may love. Some people believe that women and some men are just objects and they are the ones that are often pimps in the sex trafficking, but this is a completely skewed way of thinking of people.
Out of the thousands of people that have been human trafficking victims each year, only an insignificant amount of them is actually reported. Imagine being in 8th grade. Having all sorts of hopes and dreams. Now flash forward to dreams being taken away by a pimp that lures people into human trafficking. In short, this is true for Holly Austin Smith, a survivor of human trafficking. The punishment for the pimps that ruin the lives of these young girls is not severe. Therefore, there is not much help for the girls after they get rescued from this tragedy. A realization Holly had soon on and explains, “...Although I was soon recognized to be a victim, the specialized aftercare needed for a trafficking victim did not yet exist... Twenty years ago, there were no anti-trafficking laws in place. This pimp, who raped and lured a child into prostitution, served only 365 days in jail” (Smith). This young girl had recovered from this horrible incident all by herself. Many other girls in her position have gone through similar experiences and have been hurt by their pimp. In addition, the pimp will not receive much punishment. A sad story repeated across America and is very prominent in other countries. In America, most of the time victims are the ones that usually serve time in jail since in some cases it’s considered prostitution, even if it was forced by the pimp. In most cases, the pimps stay uncovered and if the victims of trafficking come forward as to who their pimp is, they
Rehabilitation for victims is available such as Freedom Place and Dream Center. Joy Friedman, a survivor of 27 years of sex trafficking in the United States, now serves as women’s program manager at Breaking Free, a Minnesota nonprofit group that helps women and children escape that world. On average, sex trafficking victims are between 12 and 14. It is estimated that between 100,000 and 300,000 U.S. children are sex slaves. Providing care for these victims is very important, their self-esteem is completely demolished and don’t know where to begin to fix themselves.
Human trafficking is not just a part of our history; it is continuously growing around the world today because of traffickers who are using it as an easy way to make a profit. Victims of human trafficking feel as if they have no way to escape because they have limited ways to survive or make a good enough living to support themselves along with their families outside of the sex industry. Women, children and even men from time to time are taken before they get the opportunity to receive little if any education, at all. Therefore, many who could’ve gotten out of the sex industry chose to stay out of fear to return back home after years to be discriminated against by their own families and communities, knowing getting a job would be nearly
Sex Trafficking is the act of forcing someone into performing any sexual act. Anyone under the age of 18 who is selling or being sold to perform a sex act is a victim to sex
The mental and physical health issues surrounding survivors of human trafficking (HT) are as complex as their trauma. With a disturbingly high occurrence of exaggerated levels of post-traumatic stress (PTSD) and other coexisting mental and physical disorders, past research illustrates how many professionals fear their training may be inadequate to treat the complexities of trauma present in adult and youth survivors. The authors also highlighted the fact that “trafficked survivors are seeking and receiving mental health services (Domoney et al., [2,4]). A lack of established, system-wide, Trauma-Informed Approach resources and training to provide survivors with the consistency in care required to heal has been recorded through two different research papers. Researchers have found assessment and treatment measures for complex trauma problems,
Almost half of all participants said that they had been sexually or physically abused or both. Methods of violence were often extreme. Many of the participants reported being beaten up, dragged around, cut with a knife and shot at”{Poon} numerous people could be mental scared by this for the reason of thinking back to how scared they were, or if it would ever happen again, or just the fact that it happened at all. “In terms of mental health, more than 60 percent of the people interviewed showed signs of depression. Around 40 percent reported anxiety and 38 percent had PTSD”{Poon} depression can cause distance from people and the real world, suicidal thoughts, loss of sleep, not eating, or eating too much, and all of those could cause health problems.”People who survive human trafficking come out traumatized, Kiss says. ‘They show a range of physical and mental health symptoms that need to be addressed before they are re-integrated into their communities’”{Poon} these mental scars make it difficult to live in the real world therefore they have to get
Treating victims of human trafficking begins with identification. A principal opportunity for intervention exist that may occur at numerous points during an individual's life. The first opportunity occurs immediately after the traumatic events and involves helping the individual to begin dealing with the trauma and its implications at an occasion more proximal to that event. Intervening at this point
Victims of sex trafficking acquire adverse physical and psychological health conditions and social disadvantages. Thus, sex trafficking is a critical health issue with broader social implications that requires both medical and legal attention. Healthcare professionals can work to improve the screening,
Human trafficking is a worldwide problem and can happen anywhere, to anyone, and at any time. Human trafficking is known as “modern day slavery”. In this world, there are two types of human trafficking: labor trafficking and sex trafficking. Because human traffickers mostly target teenagers and young children, friends and families are terrified to think that their loved ones can be taken at any moment. It is devastating to find out if a loved one has been, or is, a victim of human trafficking. The friends and families of the rescued victim(s) can be greatly impacted. The situation can negatively affect a victim’s relationship with family members and/or friends, due to the trauma the victim had/has obtained, the victim(s) must be rehabilitated to live a normal life, and the experience allows the families gain more knowledge on the signs of human trafficking.
There are no more reasons why human trafficking should be abandoned but here one of the reason many that of the victims developed mental health disorder including anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), of female survivors of human trafficking who are currently supported by local non-governmental organizations. A study was done in 2007 about those females who were human