America’s modern-day Slavery and How to Abolish it – Again
Human trafficking has become America’s modern-day form of slavery, estimating 14,500 – 17,500 people being trafficked into the country every year, according to the U.S. Justice Department. It is also the second most profitable international crime, generating almost $150.2 billion in illegal profits every year. Sexual exploitation makes up for most of the annual revenue – $99 billion – and forced labor exploitation trailing behind, garnering $43.2 billion (International Labor Organization). Human trafficking is the act of using coercion, fraud or force to recruit young children and adults for use of forced labor or sexual exploitation. Commercial sex acts include pornography, prostitution or sexual performance in exchange for values such as drugs, money, and shelter. Sex trafficking can be mistaken as regular prostitution, but it is constituted as human trafficking when the victims are moved across county lines and borders. Human trafficking is a nationwide, global wide issue that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Although the United States is at the bottom of the “tier” for human trafficking, the U.S. Polaris reports that the number of victims involved in human trafficking in the United States is growing past hundreds of thousands. The National Human Trafficking Hotline reported 5,526 more cases than the previous year, in 2016. Slavery was abolished with the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865, yet the selling, exploiting and transporting of humans across countries is still one of the most deplorable crimes in the 21st century. In 2000, the U.S. passed its first law on human trafficking – the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act – that breaks human trafficking into three elements. It defines human trafficking and established several methods of prosecution, protection and prevention amongst the victims and traffickers. The U.S. Department of State, in 2008, calculated 600,000 to 800,000 people being trafficking into the U.S. annually. The numbers have only grown since then. Human trafficking is a booming business that the public remains unaware of the magnitude of the issue; society presumes sex trafficking as regular prostitution, but the exploiting and transporting of men, women, and children is America’s modern-day form of slavery. To help put an end to human trafficking, it will take a societal effort, but can possibly be done by spreading awareness of this current issue, education amongst young children and adults, and promoting government intervention.
America is a melting pot of a country, families migrate here to give their children a better life, they come here because it is supposed to be the “land of the free,” yet, up to 300,000 people in America under 18 are put into the commercial sex trade every year (International Labor Organization). The history of the United States is mostly occupied by slavery; it was almost uncommon to not own a slave pre-Civil War era. Although it wasn’t as big of a profitable business like it is now, the sale of slaves was popular and necessary to maintain the economy of the South at the time. Then the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 had passed, and physical and/or sexual abuse endured by slaves was abolished, forever, right? Not quite. Matt Friedman of the United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking says, “To kind of engender people into the sex industry, or objectionable jobs like fisheries, or sweat shops and so forth — that’s never stopped.” Kevin Bales, author of Understanding Global Slavery, (2005), argues the historical examples of slave treatment does not compare to examples of human trafficking. In the 1800’s, slaveowners valued their slaves a little more because they brought in their annual revenue. Historical slaveowners were not quick to dispose of their slaves, unlike today, where victims of trafficking are sold multiple times to multiple people and receive little-to-no attention of their well-being. According to the Department of State’s statistics from 2000, there are approximately 244,000 American children and youth that are at risk for sex trafficking each year – approximately 244,000 children of America’s future are being forced into a commercial sex or labor ring. How is that these boys and girls are brought to this country for a better life, but result in a life that is worse than the American slaves' years ago?
Unfortunately, America’s children are the number one target in human trafficking. The said truth is this: the dangers of human trafficking and how it works needs to be implemented in children’s education system. Almost all schools are teaching their students sex education, so why is there not a lesson or unit on human trafficking? There is an abundance amount of people – children and adults – who are oblivious to the issue of human trafficking and how it works. Educating and spreading awareness plays a major role in prevention and intervention. The 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report revealed almost 300,000 children at risk for sexual exploitation, and the ages averaged from 12-14 years old; statistics explain why implementing sex trafficking education in schools is vital for your child’s safety. So, how do parents and educators go about informing America’s children on the dangers of human and sex trafficking? To start off, school community members – administration, teachers, campus resource officers – are capable of begin propagandist for child victims of human trafficking. The education begins with the adults in schools; it should be necessary to teach them the indicators and warning signs of the crime, and then how to respond to a student if they are an apparent victim.
Works Cited
“About the Problem.” Human Trafficking Center, 2014, humantraffickingcenter.org/problem, Information from International Labor Organization, Accessed Nov. 7, 2018.
“The Facts.” Polaris, 18 Apr. 2018, polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/facts, Accessed Nov. 7, 2018.
“California and Texas the Worst States for Human Trafficking: Report.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/human-trafficking-increased-2016-organization-reports-n717026, Accessed Nov. 7, 2018.
“Federal Law.” National Human Trafficking Hotline, 26 Sept. 2016, humantraffickinghotline.org/what-human-trafficking/federal-law, Accessed Nov. 7, 2018.
Martin, Phillip. “Human Trafficking: Modern-Day Slavery in America.” News, 9 Jan. 2016, www.wgbh.org/news/post/human-trafficking-modern-day-slavery-america.
“Journal of Emergency Nursing Study Underscores Need for Education and Training to Successfully Identify and Treat Human Trafficking Victims.” Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), www.ena.org/press-room/2017/06/26/journal-of-emergency-nursing-study-underscores-need-for-education-and-training-to-successfully-identify-and-treat-human-trafficking-victims.