Roles Of Human Trafficking In The United States

1723 Words7 Pages
Hannah McLeod Mr. Ziehm American Literature 5 February 2012 Not For Sale The United States serves as a passage way and harbor of many human traffickers throughout the nation, “each year about 17,500 individuals are brought into the United States and held against their will as victims of human trafficking” (Talati 1). Human trafficking may be defined as the acquiring of humans as unwilling subjects for the purpose of making a profit. Next to the drug industry, human trafficking is now the most profitable and fastest growing criminal industry in the world (Anderson 8). This industry is today’s modern time slavery. Although the severity of this situation is not fully known because of its secrecy, organizations are working towards this goal…show more content…
This form of trafficking, involving children, is also refereed to as “DMST” or (Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking) (Kotrla 1). Recent studies have shown that there are “currently at least 100,000 DMST victims in the United states with up to 325,000 more at risk for becoming such victims”(Kotrla 2). Children become easy targets for traffickers because of their vulnerability and helplessness. On average these children are being trafficked between the ages of 11 and 14, although a few are found to be as young as 5 (Kotrla 2). Although the victims of this trafficking varies, statistics show those who have been thrown out of their homes, those who have a history of abuse, or are being handled by the government through foster care or child protective services are most likely to get pulled into this industry (Kotrla 4). The most common trafficker in these situations are pimps, roughly 75% of these victims are controlled by a pimp. Pimps generally exploit through “escort and massage services, private dancing, drinking and photographic clubs, major sporting and recreational events, major cultural events, conventions, and tourists destinations”(Kotrla 4). In addition to those being sold on the streets, many victims are exploited through the Internet. The Internet allows a very wide range of buyers and sellers. Through hundreds of websites,…show more content…
The sex trade would not be such a thriving industry if there were not such a demand present. It may be suggested that the demand can be better understood by the “perspective of the trafficker, driven by greed and money, or from that of the consumer, driven by sexual desires; the trafficker is motivated by money-a powerful incentive that is, self evidently, the real driver in the economics of sex trafficking” (Kotrla 3). Many people have come to blame the “culture of tolerance” that the United States has on the issue of sex trafficking. Recent studies show that along with Jamaica, the Netherlands and Japan, the United States is among the four largest sex markets in the world. These countries are said to have a “culture of tolerance” which is causing the sex industry to become more successful than ever. The United States is daily normalizing the idea of pimping and prostitution to America’s youngest. Through many forms of entertainment, such as music and television, the numbers of children being lured into the sex business is growing tremendously (Kotrla 3). While this business is being portrayed as “fun” or “cool”, the public fails to realize the gruesome reality of this industry. Thousands of victims across the country are being beaten, abused, and exploited as if they were

More about Roles Of Human Trafficking In The United States

Open Document