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Danielle Lucas

Mrs. DeBock

English IV

March 9, 2017

The Human Trafficking Epidemic

Human trafficking is a worldwide illegal practice that claims victims in millions, most of

which consist of women and children. Two of the most common forms of human trafficking are

sex trafficking and forced labor, both of which target so-called weak individuals that not only

include women and children, but illegal immigrants as well. This form of modern day slavery is

growing rapidly both on an international and a domestic scale. The United States involvement in

human trafficking, especially sex trafficking and forced labor, is a widely underreported and

merciless crime that throws victims head first into a world where decision making is a luxury.

The victims of this system are repeatedly assaulted, beaten, and forced into a multitude of

undesirable situations that do not offer privileges such as privacy or basic human rights. Despite

its many horrors, human trafficking is still the worlds third-largest criminal industry, and is

currently neck and neck with drug trafficking. Human trafficking is an underrated issue that

continues to grow at a rapid rate in the United States despite feeble attempts made by local

authorities to put an end to the epidemic.

Forced labor is a form of human trafficking in which a person, usually an illegal

immigrant, is made to perform work through intimidation. However, despite its prevalence, quite

a few victims do not realize that he or she has fallen victim to forced labor. Tsin Yen Koh states,

that trafficked persons often do not consider themselves victims of trafficking. Some willingly
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enter situations such as forced labor or sex work to escape bad situations in his or her day to day

home lives. The mindsets of human trafficking victims due to the manipulation of his or her

trafficker contribute exceedingly to authorities efforts to put an end to the illegal practice.

Another approach authorities are considering is finding similarities within economic and social

upbringings of the victims and how poor families are more likely to than a wealthy family to turn

to human trafficking as an escape. Factors such as these could make identifying notable markers

and indicators of a trafficking operation hard to distinguish to the average officer, who is more

likely to encounter victims and traffickers than a trained expert. Michael Pittaro and Anthony

Normore argue that law enforcement agencies are not giving the proper training to identify

trafficking rings and deal with victims and criminals accordingly. Police officers are not being

properly trained to identify major indicators of human trafficking or how to take newly acquired

information and apply said information to efforts that target traffickers rather than trafficking

victims. Not only does punishing victims for being forced into labor or sex trafficking decrease

the desire of survivors to cooperate, but he or she is apprehensive to seek help from authorities

for fear of being criminalized rather than victimized. Even so, not every victim of forced labor is

an illegal immigrant looking for work, and demographics play a huge role in determining

possible future targets of human trafficking. It is argued that, Human trafficking serves as an

opportunistic crime targeting all types of people, with no age, gender, culture, or socioeconomic

group immune. One of the most common assumptions about trafficking victims is that they are

vulnerable because they come from poor, isolated communities (Pittaro and Normore). While it

is a known fact that targets of trafficking can not be determined based on demographics alone,

people in certain socioeconomic groups and cultures may fall into the clutches of the human
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trafficking world easier than someone of a wealthy background with a so called healthy

upbringing.

Forced labor is not a problem exclusively known in foreign countries. Forced labor is

common throughout the united states and even locally throughout South Carolina, which leads

the question of possible solutions to diminish prevalence of forced labor both locally and

domestically. S.C. Assistant Attorney General Marie Sazehn believes, According to the

International Labour Organization's website, 14.2 million people worldwide are victims of forced

labor exploitation in economic activities, such as agriculture, construction, domestic work or

manufacturing (Gardiner). Cheap labor has been a topic of debate for decades, however the

unfair treatment of workers being highly underpaid for the work he or she does has only become

a central point of discussion for the last half a decade or so. The first Human Trafficking Task

Force followed shortly after in 2012, as did a legal definition of human trafficking and what

classifies as trafficking now exists (Gardier). However, such new improvements remain youthful

and require many improvements. Megan Helton acknowledges that, humans can be sold

exponentially, much unlike drugs or other illegal substances. Human trafficking is considerably

worse than the drug trafficking epidemic due hugely in part to the fact that humans can be bought

and sold over and over, while drugs are not renewable. However, proper training for human

trafficking task forces as well as training for local authorities is a step in the right direction to

minimize the frequency of the problem at hand.

Human sex trafficking is a practice that claims victims in millions, found domestically in every

state in America. Sex traffickers primarily seek women and teenage girls between the ages of 14

and 16. Amanda Walker-Rodriguez argues that the life of a trafficking victim is nothing short of

a nightmare, and acknowledges that women and young girls are being locked up for days,
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sometimes weeks at a time, and are drugged and raped repeatedly. Women and young girls,

especially runaway teens, are almost always vulnerable to being manipulated into the world of

human sex trafficking. According to Thomas Gardiner, The 2015 Human Trafficking Task Force

report states that 1 in 6 runaway girls are likely the victim of sex trafficking. Gardiners statistic

helps further prove that traffickers target people who appear weak and therefore vulnerable to

manipulation. Not only is human trafficking commonly found in the United States, but Atlanta,

Georgia is widely known as the Sex Trafficking Capital of the United States (Davis). According

to youthSpark, which works towards combating sex trafficking, Every month, approximately

7,200 men in Georgia purchase more than 200 girls averaging between ages 12 and 14 for sex

(Davis). Sex traffickers, commonly known as pimps, make thousands of dollars a week for

essentially selling young women and underaged teens to the highest bidder.

Sex trafficking is the most commonly known and practiced forms of human trafficking both

internationally and in America. However, 2000 marked the passing of the Trafficking Victims

Protection Act (TVPA), which created the first comprehensive federal law to address human

trafficking, according to Amanda Walker Rodriguez. Rodriguez also believes, that victims are

often thrown away youths who have been given up on by society, and an approximated 293,000

youths are predicted to fall victim to human trafficking and the sex trade industry. In order for

authorities to contribute to the fight against sex trafficking, it is vital that said authorities learn to

look out for the youth. If children and teens feel as though prostitution is the only option he or

she has, then he or she is inevitably going to involve his or her selves in the world of sex

trafficking. Rodriguez claims that children involved in sex trafficking generally come from

places where he or she has been subject to abuse or abandonment from his or her families.

Focusing on the well being of youths as well as on the stability of his or her homes will result in
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a decrease in children and teenagers who feel that the sex trafficking industry is the only way to

provide of his or her selves.

The human trafficking industry, which consists mostly of sex trafficking and forced labor

victims, is a continuously growing empire despite efforts made by authorities to end the practice

for good. There is no sure fire way to put an end to trafficking victims, but authorities can start

by ensuring the safety of youths and protecting migrant rights. Another way to ensure

cooperation is to acknowledge that victims are not to be criminalized for any crime, such as

illegal immigration or sex solicitation, due to the fact that traffickers habitually manipulate

victims into performing illegal actions. Training both the public and authorities to identify

potential indicators of a trafficking operation will also result in catching criminals and punishing

him or her as the law see fits. No single solution exists when it comes to human trafficking,

however taking simple, everyday steps towards ensuring the safety of individuals will result in a

change for the better, even if human trafficking can not be terminated worldwide.
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Works Cited

Davis, Joyce E. Dirty Little Secret. MasterFILE Premier. Ebony, Nov. 2015. Web.08 Mar 2017

Gardiner, Thomas. "Task Force Ramping up Efforts to Fight Human Trafficking in South

Carolina." Points of View Reference Center. Aiken Standard (SC), 14 Sept. 2016. Web. 22 Feb.

2017.

Helton, Megan. "Human Trafficking: How a Joint Task Force Between Health Care Providers

and Law Enforcement Can Assist with Identifying Victims and Prosecuting

Traffickers."Health Matrix: Journal of Law-Medicine. Advanced Placement Source, 2016. Web.

22 Feb. 2017.

Koh, Tsin Yen. "Counterpoint: Focus on Root Causes and on Labor and Migrant Rights Instead

of Enhancing and Enforcing the Laws against Human Trafficking." Points of View: Human

Trafficking. Points of View Reference Center, 1 Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Feb. 2017.

Pittaro, Michael, and Anthony Normore. "International Efforts by Police Leadership to Combat

Human Trafficking." FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. MasterFILE Premier, June 2016. Web. 21

Feb. 2017.
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Walker-Rodriguez, Amanda. "Human Sex Trafficking." FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin.

MasterFILE Premier, Jan. 2011. Web. 22 Feb. 2017.