Stuck in

Traffick
BY: CHLOE PFEIFER

According to the U.S. State

Department, 800,000 people are
trafficked across international borders to
be used for sex and labor and
approximately 18,000 to 20,000 are
trafficked into the United States.
Human trafficking is a severe problem in
our society today, causing physical and
mental problems for both the victims and
the committers.

international standards for preventing

and prosecuting people involved with
trafficking, which is the reason for their
increased activity.
The U.S. is also a location for
human trafficking with, approximately
18,000 to 20,000 annually trafficked into
its borders (Human Trafficking).
According to Human
Trafficking, an international treaty was
signed in 1904 to ban the sale of white
women into prostitution, called the white
slave trade. This can be considered the
beginning of laws against human
trafficking. Since then, more laws have
been put in place dealing with the issue,
Under the law, victims are offered
benefits and services which permits
foreign trafficking victims to remain in
the United States if they assist in the
prosecution of their offenders
(Combating Human Trafficking).

Defining The Problem

Human trafficking is defined as,
the recruitment, harboring, and/ or
transport of people for exploitation
(Human Trafficking). There are many
forms of trafficking, including the sex
industry, modern slavery, and labor.
Trafficking is committed in
various countries all over the world but,
Burma, Cuba, Iran, Kuwait, North
Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan are
considered the worst (Human
Trafficking). These countries lack

Under U.S. law, the victims of

human trafficking can be identified in
three separate groups: Children under
legal age of adulthood (18) used for
commercial sex, adults forced into
commercial sex, and adults and children
used for labor.

The Criminals and the

Victims

It is estimated that each year, anywhere

between 12.3 and 27 million people face
the effects of human trafficking
throughout the world. That is roughly
38% of all people. This is a very
concerning amount, and the breakdown
of who exactly is affected is even worse.
Of the millions of people being
trafficked throughout the world, Child
Trafficking states that approximately
1.2 million are children and two thirds
are women!
Women and children are
especially vulnerable due to the fact that
they better financially profit their
traffickers. Also they may be seeking an
exceeding lifestyle and fall for the false
hope that this is a way to receive it.

Although there is no true way to

declare how many people are committing
human trafficking, Human Trafficking:
Slavery of the Modern Era states that in
a previous study the U.S. recorded 103
investigations, 157 arrests, 76
indictments, and only 43 convictions.
These numbers may seem low, in
comparison to how many people are
being trafficked and it goes to show how
much more effort needs to be put into
catching these criminals. On the bright

side, the number of prosecutions has

increased by 600 percent since then.

The Process and the

Aftermath
It is obvious that since not all
traffickers get caught, they must have a
complex way of luring in their victims,
which is somewhat true.
Traffickers use several different
methods including providing false
promises, offering a better life to the
victim, making a family choose only one
member to be taken, or even kidnapping.
Victims of human trafficking are
often left to pick up their pieces, as they
are left with physical, mental, and
emotional devastation.
According to 10 Questions
About Human Trafficking, victims can
be subject to physical violence, repeated
rape, torture, forced drug use, forced
abortion, and psychological
manipulation. Those involved in the sex
industry are at an extreme risk for STDs.
All are left with hardships to deal with
for the rest of their life.

Damage can be so intense that the

victims do not reach out for help due to

fear that their family may become hurt or

locked up by their traffickers.
There are many organizations out
there to prevent trafficking, help victims,
and involve volunteers just like you. The
United Nations Childrens Fund
(unicefusa.org) accepts volunteers,
donations, and attendance to public
events. The ILO (International Labor
Organization), and UNODC (United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) are
also working to put an end to human
trafficking.
You may choose to look the
other way, but you may never say again
that you did not know, said William
Wilberforce. Every day, millions of
innocent people around the world are
tortured, but with good intent, human
trafficking can be eliminated from our
society.

*The National Human Trafficking

Resource Center can be reached at
1(888) 373-7888*

Human Trafficking. Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Student
Resources in Context. Web. 23 Jan. 2015

Combating Human Trafficking. Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2013.
Student Resources in Context. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.

Child Trafficking. Gale Student Resources in Context. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Student Resources
in Context. Web. 25 Jan. 2015.

Human Trafficking; Slavery of the Modern Era. Tell Me More 7 Jan. 2008. Student Resources
in Context. Web. 26 Jan. 2015.

10 Questions About Human Trafficking. (n.d.) : n.pag. United Nations Global Institute. IOM,
2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

Human Trafficking. Human Trafficking. Polaris, 2015. Web. 28 Jan. 2015.

"Human Trafficking Awareness JAN 2014." A Celebration of Women. N.p., 15 Jan.
2014. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.