Sex Trafficking; Modern Day Slavery

Sasha Gibson
Kristy Weiberg
English Comp II
December 10, 2010
Sex-Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery Human trafficking in the United States is a reality. What have in do the things child labor, forced sex, forced marriage, and forced labor have in common? The first words that come to mind are Human Trafficking, a modern day form of slavery. Terrible activities of human trafficking are happening in several countries around the world. However, this kind of activity also happens in industrialized countries. According to the department of state of the United States of America government, human trafficking also happens inside the walls of United States. As claimed by the Polaris Project, “an estimated 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked annually in the United States alone. The number of US citizens trafficked within the country is even higher. An estimated 200,000 american children are at high risk of trafficking into the sex industry each year.” And the biggest human trafficking in the US (domestic and transnational trafficking brought into the US) is sex trafficking. But, why is this modern slavery happening, even in the most industrialized countries, like the United States? The prinicpal reasons most people will think is poverty and inquity. However, according to the Polaris Project even if these reason are good driving forces, they aren’t the prinicipal reasons why human trafficking does happen. There’s a market for modern slavery, and this market is lucrative. Also, there’s no real danger of prosecution for the traffickers. Even if human trafficking is present inside the United States, the US government has created a series of laws, to comply to the minumim of requirements for the elimination of trafficking. Aggressive laws against human trafficking continue to be voted by the Congress, like the new law against sexual explotation of children by sex traffickers. This law will give a supplement of 45 million dollars to law enforcement and victim-assistance effort. In prevention, the United States does try to cut in commerical sex and cheap labor, to cut the grass under the feet of human traffickers, as well as they do law enforcement in critical industry areas, and finally to educate the public. However, even if these measures are really important and efficient the problem continues to strike. As long as there is a demand, and the demand is global, human trafficking will continue. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, there are many emotional, physical and psychological repercussions due to the sex slave trade. Children as young as six years old are being trafficked on a daily basis. Young girls are being made to do 10-20 “tricks” a day. Many will never be able to have children because of the extensive damage to their vaginal areas. Disease is also a common factor. Sexually transmitted diseases run rampant in the sex slave trade. Girls as young as six years old have herpes, syphilis, HIV, among other diseases. Many are used until it is discovered they have HIV and become to sick with the disease to work any longer. Then are released and thrown into the streets. According to CBS News, poverty stricken families in third world countries will sometimes drastic measures to prevent starvation, even sell their young children for sex. Thousands of children every year are sold into the sex slave trade by parents or other family members. Family members have stated that they had no choice, some of them had no other means of getting food for their children. The United States is the lowest ranked human trafficking country in the world, for now. The sex slave trade is growing all over the world and the U.S is no different. Thousands of sex slaves are trafficked into the U.S every year and that number is growing according to the U.S Department of Education. Although the problem with the sex trade seems too big for anyone to make a real difference, there are many organizations out there who are offering hope to these victims, such as Abolish Slavery and Not For Sale. These organizations are dedicated to ending the sex slave trade all over the world. Their belief is that if we band together and stand up for what is right, the sex slave trade will be abolished.
Works Cited
Gore, Martha R. "Sex Trafficking in the United States: Enslavement into Prostitution A Billion Dollar Growing Industry." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers ' Network. Martha R Gore, 28 Dec. 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://www.suite101.com/content/human-trafficking-in-the-united-states-a86817.
Gagnon, Donald. "The Reality of Human Trafficking in the United States." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers ' Network. Donald Gagnon, 29 June 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://www.suite101.com/content/the-reality-of-human-trafficking-in-the-united-states-a253902.
"Human Trafficking of Children in the United States-A Fact Sheet for Schools." U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Education, 10 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/factsheet.html.

Cited: Gore, Martha R. "Sex Trafficking in the United States: Enslavement into Prostitution A Billion Dollar Growing Industry." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers ' Network. Martha R Gore, 28 Dec. 2008. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://www.suite101.com/content/human-trafficking-in-the-united-states-a86817. Gagnon, Donald. "The Reality of Human Trafficking in the United States." Suite101.com: Online Magazine and Writers ' Network. Donald Gagnon, 29 June 2010. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://www.suite101.com/content/the-reality-of-human-trafficking-in-the-united-states-a253902. "Human Trafficking of Children in the United States-A Fact Sheet for Schools." U.S. Department of Education. U.S. Department of Education, 10 Sept. 2009. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/factsheet.html.