Sex Trafficking : Prostitution, Crime And Exploitation

In today’s modern society, prostitution is defined as the act or practice of engaging in promiscuous sexual relations, especially for money. Trafficking can be defined in terms of dealing or trading in something illegal (Merriam-Webster). In many cultures, prostitution is indeed illegal. So, is there a difference? Are there variances that set prostitution and human trafficking apart, or are they just different forms of the same industry?

According to the legal dictionary prostitution is “commission by a person of any natural or unnatural sexual act, deviate sexual intercourse, or sexual contact for monetary consideration or other thing of value.” Some argue that in this case no one is being victimized and hurt and wonder why is it still illegal. Although some think there is no victim, the act of prostitution goes against the law and therefore must still be considered a crime (according to the definition.) Although this is voluntary, all acts of prostitution show male dominance of women and often comes along with rape, verbal abuse, domestic violence, sexual harassment and battering. Studies show that “73 percent reported having experienced physical assault in prostitution.” In addition, that” 92 percent stated that they wanted to escape prostitution immediately” and that “83 percent of prostitutes are victims of assault with a weapon.” Therefore, prostitution causes harm to the women who partake, although it is voluntary making it a crime with a definite

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

While we look at human trafficking as just one thing, there are various types of this crime. One, is sex trafficking. When you hear of

Prostitution, according to Merriam-Webster, is the act of engaging in sexual activities in exchange of money. It is a business transaction between the sex worker and the client, one that is considered illegal here in America save for the brothels in Nevada.

Human trafficking is viewed as modern day slave exchange. It is a genuine crime under both global and national legal systems. It opens casualties to economic exploitation with a significant number of them being women and children less than 18 years old years. It is essential to know the way that human trafficking has raised critical human rights issues, particularly concerning women and children as stakeholders are beginning to reexamine their way to deal with this societal issue. Human trafficking has emerged as the third greatest criminal industry by drug trafficking and illicit arms. The human trafficking industry has helped in the expansion of different crimes, such as child abuse, prostitution and violence against women. With the assistance of existing research, this paper seeks to explain the different measurements of human trafficking and how it has influenced the general public at the individual, national and global level. The paper offers a few proposals with regards to the most ideal route concerning managing the issue of the current slave trade.

The illegal trade and exploitation of human beings for forced labor, prostitution and reproductive favors is defined as human trafficking. Human trafficking is a global issue and is second only to the international drug trade in regards to organized crime. Many reports say that, it is a multi-billion dollar business affecting several million people in every country across the world. The two main types of human trafficking are: human sex trafficking, and forced labor, both making up what society describes as “modern-day slavery.”

According to the Webster Dictionary, sex trafficking is described as “ organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions

Sex trafficking according to the National Human Trafficking (2000) is defined as a modern-day form of slavery in which a commercial sex act in induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years. Sex trafficking is mostly comprises of force, fraud and underage women or men to engaged in unwilling activities in order to get what they need in life. Most often people are brought to the United State specifically in search of job but little would they know that they have fallen into sex trafficking. Such activities generally tarnishes the image of the community where such practice is condone and moreover gives the people a bad image related to sexually transmitted diseases

Many people have their own definitions of sex trafficking and human trafficking. A lot of people in the U.S believe that all prostitution is voluntary when that is not the case. As Lerum and Brents stated, “Human trafficking is defined by the U.S. State Department of State as labor induced by force, fraud, or coercion. The definition of trafficking in the sex industry (but not other industries) includes additional stipulations for individuals under 18: “When a child (under 18 years of age) is recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, or maintained to perform a commercial sex act, proving force, fraud, or coercion is not necessary for the offense to be characterized as human trafficking” (U.S. Dept. of State 2014, p. 29).” In addition, reliable data when it comes to human trafficking is hard to achieve when definitions of the word are always changing. Most of the criminal justice

Human trafficking includes both labor and sex trafficking. According to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (2015), sex trafficking is defined as “a form of modern-day slavery in which individuals perform commercial sex through the use of force,

The definition of a slave is ‘‘a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them.’’ Even though people may not be thinking as sexual trafficking as an act of slavery, I think that it is because like slavery you are transporting an individual against their will for a benefit for another individual, Sex trafficking involves an individual being kidnapped, drugged, and raped thus why it is modern slavery. Like slavery, sexual trafficking pimps use force to ensure that victims comply as well when being kidnapped from their homes violence is applied in which slavery has the same concept. Pimps like to beat down on the victims to a point in which they have low self worth, pride and dignity. Therefore also relating to slavery as one is using force to make one feel down on themselves to get more of what they want and to also leave a message that they are greater than you. Some people say that sexual trafficking is one's only source of income that without this business many people would not get income this is true however, selling victims for your own benefit goes against morals as you are putting a price-tag on one's freedom for your benefit. This proves that sexual trafficking is not only a modern day slavery act but also goes against morals for

At a global level, Human trafficking has two terms that are key to defining it: “[It is] trafficking in Persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or

It is were women who have been traffic become victims of the sex industry. Some women like Katia 23 years old from Odessa in Ukraine are aware that they are being recruited for prostitution; however they do not realize the abuse they are going to suffer from their traffickers. After escaping from sex trafficking she confessed in a documentary call “ Sex-slave” that she could not believe places like that actually existed. She said “ I thought I will find I least one kind person, or that one of the pimps would set me free” “ they did not see us as human being but just as whores, as flesh that they could use. That's all”. Even if women consent to prostitution they are still abused and severely traumatised by their “buyers”. They become victims of sex-trafficking because they are held prisoner and at the end forced into prostitutions. They can not stop or leave when they want. They are denied the most basic human rights , and in the worst case, they are denied their right to life. In order to attempt, to regulate and control such terrible activities and discontinue the suffering from victims of sexual-exploitation, international organisations such as the UN, OSCE ( the organisation for security and co-operation in Europe) and the Council of Europe have put protocols and specific laws into place . Since the mid-1990s European institutions have

Prostitution is defined as the act of “providing or receiving sexual acts, between a prostitute and a client, in exchange for money or some other form of remuneration” (Hock 557). The idea of exchanging sex for valuables has been around since the beginning of human society. The first reported data about prostitution was reported around 3000 B.C.E in one of the first known civilizations, Mesopotamia (Caraboi and Fierbinteanu 362). It is often referred to as “the world’s oldest profession.” Today, even though prostitution is illegal in most parts of the world, it is still prevalent worldwide with different ways to exchange sexual services for payment and many different types of prostitutes. One of these types of prostitutes are brothel workers; brothel workers work in “a house of prostitution,” a brothel, which are normally in areas where prostitution is not criminalized or is legalized (Hock 560). Like prostitution, human trafficking has been around for thousands of years and is still present today.