The Role Of Sex Work And Sex Trafficking

Human trafficking exists in several nations all around us. No nation, including the United States is exempt from human trafficking. There may be factors that create unique anti-trafficking issues and obstacles for each nation, but the characteristics are all the same or very similar worldwide. These characteristics are how the trafficking is conducted, how the victims are kidnapped, the percentage of victims, the gender of the victims, and the percentage of each gender in different trafficking situations. The situations include children, adults, male, and female victims. The situations the victims fall into are pornography, forced labor, sex slaves, prostitution, child sex tourism, and many more. These are the issues and key points made by the authors to persuade the reader to agree with their position.

The Presidential election of 2000 was a legitimate election. Throughout the entire ordeal of the recount in Florida, Presidential nominee, Al Gore, never took the lead from George Bush. There were four counties in Florida that the Democrats were trying to get recounted. Only 18 out of 67 counties were actually recounted (1). After election day on November 7th, Bush was ahead 2,000 votes; however, the problem was that there were 175,000 ballots declared uncountable because of hanging, dimpled chads or clogged up machines(1). Therefore, Gore’s campaign demanded a recount of all the ballots in counties that said that they voted for Gore. The whole thing lasted about six weeks because the Democrats kept asking for an extension, which the Florida

Every year thousands of people of all genders, race, and age become victimized in sex trafficking. These people who become victims are usually vulnerable and are living in poverty structured areas. Many countries around the world are dealing with this serious issue, even in the United States. The United States federal law has defined sex trafficking as an act, “in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age” (Polaris Project). Sex trafficking is not only seen as a crime but is also seen as a business of supply and demand to many people. This business makes a profit of about 9.8 billion dollars a year. In recent events it has been shown that sex trafficking increases during big sporting events. As a result, some actions have been taken to combat the issue, but not enough. Therefore, due to the fact that sex trafficking is a worldwide issue and it is increasing over time; I will argue how there needs to be changes to the approach we have on the issue of sex trafficking.

Both Human Trafficking and Violence against Women can be caused by a number of things, yet let’s look specifically at the causes in the United States. Human trafficking is lucrative business, earning “$32 billion in 2005”, is fueled by the kidnapping of women and children before being coerced in to the sex trade and forced labor (Fiengold,2005). While human trafficking is an equal opportunity crime unlike gender-based violence, the root causes can be divided into three different parts including economic, social, and politics based on area in which the individual may be lacking or has had a void. Economicaly, “traffickers often deceive their victims” by luring them under false pretenses of vast and abundant economic opportunity, creating new “routes of trafficking from less developed countries to developed” ones like the United States (Clawson,Dutch,Soloman,Grace,

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

The history of trafficking goes back much further than one would think. Donna Hughes explains in her article Combating Sex trafficking a history that trafficking really started in England as early as 1875. Even though this article suggests that human trafficking started as early as 1875, we have learned in class from the Sugar changed the world: a story of magic, spice, slavery, freedom, and science that it goes way further back than that. This movement in 1875 only affected women at the time. This is where the term prostitute was initially coined. Before World War I, the act of trafficking white slaves saw its first law called the international convention for suppression of the white slave traffic. It wasn’t until after World War II that

Sex trafficking, particularly that of children, has become a growing concern in the United States over the past several decades (Kotrla, 2010). By definition, child sex trafficking is “when a child (under 18 years of age) is induced to perform a commercial sex act” (U.S., 2013, para. 4), and includes forms such as prostitution and pornography (Kotrla, 2010). Researchers suggest that children are the most vulnerable to becoming victims of prostitution (Kotrla), and it is estimated that there are at least 100,000 victims in the United States (Estes & Weiner, 2001). Sex traffickers, otherwise known as “pimps,” often lure children with promises of food, clothing, love, and shelter, and then the pimps manipulate the children to keep them in prostitution (U.S. Department of Justice [DOJ], 2015). Awareness of the issue has led to the development of organizations, such as Children of the Night, that seek to help victims escape the sex trafficking industry (Children of the Night [COTN], 2016d).

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.

Human trafficking is the second largest crime organization in our present day. Human trafficking involves the trade of humans, most commonly in the form of sexual slavery. Traffickers force victims, mostly consisting of women, into prostitution for the purpose of commercial sex. Poverty is a contributing factor to sex trafficking through increasing low socioeconomic status and gender inequalities. Additionally, sex trafficking demonstrates how men impose their patriarchal belief over women and treat women like objects. This paper will examine sex trafficking through sociological imagination by understanding society’s conditioning throughout institutions, structure, and construct. Last, we will discuss methods of alleviating this strain in

Sex trafficking is the violation of human rights: equality, health, and dignity. Today ninety-six percent of victims of sexual exploitation are women and girls. (Shared Hope International) There is an extensive debate on how women are viewed as an object rather than an actual human being. The portrayal of women today is sickening. Women are shown as a sex object to men rather than a person. In this horrific act of self-destruction, women are exposed to sexual performance in trade off to the “buyer” or much known as a sex trafficker, for money, drugs, and or values of life. Traffickers trap women, child, or even men into guarantee relationships, gifts, and other false promises. This is known as a Commercial Sex Act. Women who are involved in human trafficking have their complete existence taken from them. Most victims that are involved in sex trafficking do not have a peaceful ending. Sex and human trafficking is a prime example of how our society over-sexualizes women. The whole academic of human trafficking shows that women are stigmatized as weak individuals. It is mainly from how they are treated, many are known know as a “Sex Slave” after the “entertainment” from the traffickers has been done. The results of human trafficking are degrading to the women in society. It may be known as “prostitution” but what some people do not understand or care for, it is a Federal Law identified as Sex trafficking. Human trafficking not only happens in the United States of American but all parts of this alarming world. This form of slavery denies the freedom to 20.9 million human beings in the world around us. (Polaris)

Images of foreign lands usually conjure up when the thoughts of human sex trafficking come to one 's mind. The United States of America is not immune to this type of horrific behavior. America is the land of the free and yet something as awful as human sex trafficking occurs in our very own backyard each and everyday. According to the Department of Homeland Security the definition of human trafficking is “modern day slavery that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act” (“What Is Human Trafficking?”). In this research paper the reader will experience the savagery that comes with human sex trafficking and how it has expanded in the United States over recent years. Within this research

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.

Sex trafficking is a global problem that involves the exploitation and abuse of girls as well as women. This paper will discuss the problem, with an emphasis on the views expressed by Paola Monzini in her book Sex Traffic: Prostitution, Crime and Exploitation. The paper will look at the causes, consequences and prevalence rates of sex trafficking and will consider the impact of such factors as globalization and women’s poverty in perpetuating the problem or making it worse. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the ways in which a human rights perspective might translate into positive action to eliminate the trafficking of girls and women.

Human trafficking has received increasing global attention over the past decade. Trafficking of women and girls for forced sex work and, to a lesser extent, domestic servitude, were the sole focus of advocacy and assistance. There is recognition in today’s society that women, children, and men are trafficked into many different forms of labour, and for sexual exploitation. In her article, “Understanding and Addressing Violence Against Women”, Cathy Zimmerman and Heidi Stockl focus on the commonality of human trafficking and how evident it is in everyday life. They bring in the health effects and possible solutions to human trafficking to help validate their opinion and argument. In the solutions they offer, Zimmerman and Stockl shine a light on policy-makers/decision-makers, health-care providers, and researchers/funders and what each of these groups of people can do to help combat the issue of human trafficking. In a quote from their article, Stockl and Zimmerman say: “Health care providers and organizations involved with trafficked persons should increase their capacity to identify and refer people in trafficking situations and provide sensitive and safe services to people post-trafficking”. This quote shows how Zimmerman and Stockl believe human trafficking should be combated by caring and talking to those affected by the issue but how they also believe awareness should be made about human trafficking so as to allow people surrounding the issue to identify and help victims of this issue. Zimmerman and Stockl’s view on the ways human trafficking should be combatted relate to those of Soroptimist due to the fact that the two groups of people are focused mainly on helping women and girls who have been trafficked and trying to get them to a better life after getting out of the trafficking situation. Both groups focus on helping men as well, providing options to help them such as raising money and awareness, and getting educated on being able to identify victims of human trafficking.

“Sex-Trafficking” is a very complex and layered phenomenon. Critically evaluate some possible explanations for it's continued prevalence and seeming invincibility to regulation and control.