Human Trafficking In America - Free Essay Example

To the dismay of many people, human trafficking is a huge problem in America. Most people would like you to believe that things like that dont happen here, that is something that happens in other countries, poorer countries, not the U.S. of A. It has become such an epidemic here, that it can no longer be ignored. Though it is currently difficult to know the exact number of people that are victim to human trafficking due to it being a hidden crime, the US is currently ranked in the top 10 destinations for human trafficking. (Hepburn, Simon 2010) I would like to define human trafficking, as it is written by Homeland Security so when it is mentioned it will be comprehended the same way throughout, Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Though history would like for you to believe that slavery was abolished in 1838 after the American Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation that was signed by Abraham Lincoln. Unfortunately, none of that is true. There is more human slavery in the world today, than ever before. It is considered low risk, high reward since it is hard to prove and convict compared to the amount of money that is made from it. One major difference between then and now would be that back then, human slaves were property and worth a monetary value. Whereas now there is no monetary value to the person, only what they can do to make the trafficker money. Once the slave becomes of no use, do it health reasons or age, they are no longer making money, so they are easily replaced. Human trafficking is the third largest criminal activity following closely behind drugs and guns being sold illegally. Though it seems that sex trafficking gets more attention in the media due to it being more overdramatized; labor trafficking is more common and harder to prove in a court of law. One huge misconception about human trafficking is that a person has to be transported from one country to another to be considered trafficking, however, it can take place all in one country. There is an estimated 100,000-150,000 people that the US government believes to be kept in slavery here in America. Common factors that lead people to become victims is often extreme poverty, they may be born in to, they may be runaways living on the streets making them easy targets for kidnapping, or they may be tricked. When someone has grown up in poverty and they are offered an opportunity to either make a better life for themselves or their children, it makes them susceptible to any promises made of a better life. Often parents in poverty are persuaded with hope. Hope of a better life, better education, or even a better life here in America, they will send their child away with these strangers or companies, thinking they are doing their best for their children. Not fully understanding that once that child has been separated from his or her fa mily, communication ties will be severed, and the child will be stuck with their captors. It has been documented that families have sold their younger children because they could not afford to raise them and they would use the money made to finish raising the older child, or children, that were of working age. Some victims have fallen prey to the darkness that is in the internet, people answering personal ads, and claiming to fall in love with that person over time. Once that person has the victim believing that love is the driving force, the victim will do anything to keep that love, even if it means sleeping with Johns for money. Runaways are easy prey for human traffickers due to their vulnerability. The traffickers watch, evaluate patterns of runaways living on the streets, then the trafficker will have a better idea of what could be the selling point to get that victim to go with them, it could be food, shelter, or promises of an endless supply of drugs. It is curren tly estimated that over 2,000 children a day go missing in America, that is approximately 750,000 per year. Of those numbers, only 24 percent are taken by strangers, otherwise known as stranger kidnapping, which gives you approximately 175,000 that go missing or possibly taken for human trafficking per year. That is just children, that doesnt include women and men that are also taken for slavery. Once victims have themselves in a human trafficking situation they may be afraid to leave. Captors often use threats of harming family members, deportation if they are in America illegally, being put in jail. Some victims may have the lack of knowledge about alternatives, they may be kept in isolation, they suffer physical abuse, or physical/psychological confinement. Unfortunately, in some countries it is believed that some governments or law enforcement agencies are involved or have knowledge of ongoing human trafficking events and are paid nicely to look the other way. So, if someone is here illegally, they may have several fears that prevent them from seeking help from the law enforcement. They could be afraid of deportation, fear of not being believed, or fear that if they ask law enforcement for help, they will be turned back over to their captors and punished severely. Also, if they are involved in illegally activities here in America, they may fear