Hi there,
So, this is a bit longer than my typical post, and will be more on the serious side. This is an essay I did for a class, instead of allowing it to disappear into the ether, I decided to share it with all of you.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation. It was a declaration which, at the time, was radical and incredible. The people of the day were used to having slaves; it was a vital part of their economy. Today, most people consider this proclamation not only normal but the only standard to live by. No man should have ownership and authority over another; yet, there are more slaves today than in any other time in human history (Richard Holbrook, qtd in Skinner)—29.8 million worldwide (United States Dept. of State, “Human Trafficking Defined”). The only difference is a change of name; the institution is now called human trafficking. The victims are smuggled across the globe, lied to, abused, drugged, forced into labor and prostitution, and face the worst of human depravity. These people are often trapped in a dark world with no way out on their own. Just as it was the responsibility of freemen to liberate the downcast in 1863, it is every free society’s moral obligation to bring freedom and justice to those without it—no matter where they are.
To properly understand the problem of human trafficking, it must be defined. The U.S. Department of State easily explains what qualifies as human trafficking on their website with the use of a chart developed by the Solidarity Center (see fig. 1). The U.S. Department of State also states that “If one condition from each category is met, the result is trafficking. For adults, victim consent is irrelevant if one of the Means is employed. For children consent is irrelevant with or without the Means category” (United States Dept. of State). The result of these actions can be summarized as one human being forcibly dominating the will of another for personal gain; thus, human trafficking can only be defined as modern day slavery and is a blight wherever it is found.
| Process | + | Way/Means | + | Goal |
| Recruitment or Transportation or Transferring or Harboring or Receiving |
A N D |
Threat or Coercion or Abduction or Fraud or Deceit or Deception or Abuse of Power | A N D |
Prostitution or Pornography or Violence/Sexual Exploitation or Forced Labor or Involuntary Servitude or Debt Bondage (with unfair wages) or Slavery/Similar practices |
This cancer to humanity has infested itself in nearly every corner of the globe and has no regard for the supposed sophistication of the people where the victims are taken from, or are forced to serve. First, second, and third world countries are all members—and in some cases facilitators—of this illicit enterprise. In his book Woman, Child for Sale (2004), author Gilbert King devotes an entire chapter (107-167) to focusing on human trafficking “hot spots” from a number of countries. An overwhelming theme in the chapter, as well as throughout the book, is how the victims often travel across continents and oceans before they reach the destination of their imprisonment. In another chapter, King writes that Victor Malarek interviewed an imprisoned Israeli mobster who said, “It’s easy to get access to the girls. It’s a phone call… I can call Moscow tomorrow and show you how easy it is. I can get ten to fifteen to twenty girls shipped to me in a week” (68-69). What is more disturbing than the human trafficking that is done abroad, is the trafficking that happens within a country’s own borders; including here in the United States.
Last year, Las Vegas Sun journalist Jackie Valley wrote her article “Sex Trafficking of Children: Las Vegas’ Deep, Dark Secret,” where she reported how many of the girls lured into the world of prostitution in Nevada are from the state. Of the 207 children that came in contact with Las Vegas metro police in 2004 in relation to sex trafficking—human trafficking for sexual purposes—an average of fifty percent were from Nevada (Valley). Due to demand by local citizens and tourists, the pimps to these girls have no need for them to move out of the state so they do not smuggle them elsewhere. In fact, The Defender Foundation—an organization formed to combat human trafficking—mentions on their website that despite popular belief, locals are more frequent clients to prostitution rings than tourists (Defender). To keep up with demand in such a popular hotspot for sex trafficking, pimps utilize both foreign and domestic girls for their business. These impressionable girls—some younger then twelve—are often lured into the business by friends, boyfriends, and false jobs; they then stay out of desperation or fear (Valley). The women who escape this world are then forced to live with the physical and figurative scars from their experiences.
Human trafficking victims are often prone to severe emotional distress due to their captivity. According to a research study done by BMC Psychiatry, female victims are at significant risk for post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and/or another mental disorder (Abas, et al. 7). The risk factors for these disorders go up if the victim suffered from any of the following, with a substantial increase of risk if the victim suffered as a child: physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse (5-7). Unfortunately, nearly all of these risk factors can occur to the same girl at the same time—all can be met if the victim is a child and going into sex trafficking, which is not uncommon—and unfortunately, it is almost the standard initiation.
The technique to attain and keep victims has become almost scientific. It starts by acquiring the victim. Sometimes the victim chooses the life for themselves, but many other times they are tricked or encouraged into it by promising job positions, by people they know such as friends, family or love interests; or they are coerced and abducted into the life style. The victims are then broken to suit their oppressors’ needs and environment. If they want a worker they insult the victim’s worth as a person, they verbally and physically abuse them, they threaten to fire them, to turn them in to the authorities, demand payment of an inflated debt, or beat them into submission; and if they want a prostitute, the only thing they do differently is rape and sexually abuse them more frequently (King, 19-76). Once a victim has outlived their usefulness they are either killed or released, but only the lucky ever make it that far. Victims often stay because they feel they have no other place to go; they’ve already been conditioned to punishment for resistance, and they usually believe they cannot seek aid by law enforcement out of fear of being punished themselves (King, 51). Human trafficking is one of the few crimes in which the victim is the one living in the most fear of justice. If they are arrested, they can be charged for illegal immigration, false documentation and credentials, or prostitution—which is punishable by death in some places. Because of this, those who partake in trading trafficking victims find it very alluring because of its high promises and minimal risks.
Criminals have found the ultimate gold mine. In what other business do they have an ever present and growing demand, a reusable product, easily attained replacements, self policed victims, little risk and low penalties for being caught, and—after an initial investment—nothing but profit? Few countries have harsh punishments for human trafficking. Some offenders can get out of prison in less than two years for incredibly heinous acts, if they get caught at all. Traffickers often can drift in and out of different jurisdictions, making it much more difficult for authorities to catch them. These conditions have made it an almost perfect environment for trafficking empires to grow and expand, while leaving a wake of their victims in every direction.
Human trafficking has become so prolific in today’s world that according to the Department of Homeland Security it has an annual global income of about $32 billion dollars per year, and is the world’s second largest shadow economy; surpassed only by drug trade (United States Dept. of Homeland Security). The shock of this number is only surpassed by the number of slaves this business has created. In the newspaper article “Living In Modern Chains” (2013) by journalists Mark Magnier and Robyn Dixon, they report of a survey by Australia’s Walk Free Foundation calculating about 29.8 million victims of human trafficking. That is nearly three times the population of New York City and is equivalent to almost one tenth of the population of the United States (World Population Review, “United States Population 2013”).
Amidst the unbelievable numbers of human trafficking statistics, it is easy to fail to properly comprehend the weight of the situation—the numbers are simply too huge to appreciate. Every single individual that has been enslaved by this business is someone’s child, parent, brother, sister, spouse, or friend. Human trafficking goes far beyond the initial victims and damages entire families and communities. One example is recorded by Newsweek journalist Scott Johnson in his article “My Love For Marita Is Bigger Than Anything These People Can Do To Me” (2012), a tale of one woman’s fight for truth and Justice. Susana Trimarco, a mother and grandmother in Argentina, lost her daughter one morning after sharing breakfast with her. Her daughter, Merita, disappeared in 2002 and has been missing ever since. Trimarco has since fought tooth and nail against bureaucracy, corruption, and human trafficking as a whole. Trimarco’s efforts have revolutionized the country’s perception of human trafficking, and has helped save numerous victims and imprisoning their captors; yet her daughter is still missing, a statistic of an inconceivably evil corporation. Trimarco is a symbol to stand behind. Her efforts for justice and salvation resonate within all of us.
An old term that was used for a situation of extreme peril or danger was “women and children first!” It was a call of valor, a cry to save and protect the most precious and less defendable members of a given party; yet, the demographics at the highest risk of becoming a victim of human trafficking are women and small children (King, 20). The predators that are after these people know what they are doing. These slave drivers understand the value of a person; young and old, men and women. The cost is between a few dollars to a couple hundred to rent, a couple hundred to a few thousand to own (King, 23-76). The value for a woman is higher than the value of a man, the value of a child more than an adult. They understand the best and easiest ways to get the more valuable product to sell. They silence their victims so that they cannot cry out for help; it is our obligation to cry out for them.
In the face of such an insurmountable evil, the question is easily posed of what one person can do to stop it. Trimarco proved how one person can make a huge difference, but Trimarco is not alone in her fight. Entire groups and foundations have formed to combat this atrocity, such as The Defender Foundation: a group formed to confront trafficking on all fronts and even have retrieval teams who fight on the front lines of human trafficking. Others do what they can to raise awareness and support. Celebrities gain public attention to inspire support from the common populace. They host events or write songs to raise awareness, such as musician Matt Redman’s “Twenty-Seven Million” (2012), a song that is incredibly accurate, vividly graphic, as well as emotionally provoking. The song focuses on a single London girl victim and uses her as an example for all human trafficking victims. The chorus is a rallying cry to the public saying, “We’ve got to rise up, open our eyes up! Be her voice, be her freedom! Come on and stand up!” calling the listener not simply to be aware of the crimes that are being committed, but to oppose them.
So much of culture today, especially in the U.S., is permeated with human trafficking. Its evidence exists in the peripheral of awareness, where it is disguised, justified, and even ignored. Corporations use forced labor to reduce labor costs. The entertainment and porn industries dehumanize women, making them objects to be bought and sold. Every individual can make a difference against this threat. Awareness can be raised, financial support can be given, petitions and laws for government—both ours and abroad—action can be written and signed, volunteers can step forward for man power to assist in events such as rallies and raids. Even as little as choosing alternative sources of shopping where the goods were produced by workers who were treated fairly, can make a difference. Not supporting the sex industries through the use of pornography websites and magazines can also fight against this corruption.
The research that was done for this paper was blood chilling; I fear that I will be forever scarred by what I have read. It lit a fire within me that such injustice exists so freely. As I learned more about the world of human trafficking, the more I was disgusted that such atrocities occur in this world—and the more I was ashamed that I did not see it sooner. As if a blindfold was lifted from my eyes, I can see the traces of human trafficking everywhere. I think about where the food I eat and the clothes I wear come from. I can no longer see provocative advertisements without filling a sense of shame and despair for the world that they promote. I thought I understood human trafficking, but now I realize that I was blissfully ignorant. Now that I have seen the truth, I cannot close my eyes to it again. I must force myself to stare into the dark abyss that these victims are in; if I do not, I will not see their hands reaching up for help. They are owed so much more than that.
At a reading speed of two hundred words per minute, in the time it has taken to read this paper, a woman or child has been snared into the world of human trafficking—and that is just in the U.S. (King). Greed drove the use of slaves in 1863; the motives have not changed. The question must again be asked to people everywhere: if we allow the use of slaves in this world, can anyone be truly free?
Works Cited
Abas, Melanie, et al. “Risk Factors for Mental Disorders of Human Trafficking: A Historical Cohort Study.” BMC Psychiatry 13.1 (2013): 1-11. Academic Search Premier. 1 Sep. 2013. Web. 3 Dec 2013.
The Defender Foundation. “The Demand.” TheDefenderFoundation.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2013.
Johnson, Scott. "'My Love For Marita Is Bigger Than Anything These People Can Do To Me'." Newsweek 160.19 (2012): 38-43. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
King, Gilbert. Woman, Child For Sale. New York: Chamberlain Bros, 2004. Print.
Magnier, Mark, and Robyn Dixon. "Living in Modern-Day Chains." Los Angeles Times. 18 Oct 2013: A.3. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 23 Nov 2013.
Redman, Matt. “Twenty Seven Million.” Twenty Seven Million. Sixsteprecords/Sparrow Records. 2012. MP3.
Skinner, Benjamin E. A Crime So Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern-Day Slavery. New York: NY: Free Press, 2008. Print.
United States. Dept. of Homeland Security. “Definition of Human Trafficking.” DHS.gov. Dept. of Homeland Security, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
United States. Dept. of State. “Human Trafficking Defined.” State.gov. Dept. of State. 4 June 2008. Web. 3 Dec. 2013.
“United States Population 2013.” WorldPopulationReview.com. World Population Review, n.d. Web. 11 Dec. 2013
Valley, Jackie. “Sex Traficking of Children: Las Vegas’ Deep Dark Secret.” LasVegasSun.com. Las Vegas Sun, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.