Sex trafficking awareness has increased over the past few years in the United States. Many believed that trafficking only occurred outside of the United States, however, with the increase in awareness and education many myths surrounding this awful crime are beginning to be crushed. The United States is the number one destination for victims trafficked from Latin America and the Caribbean and one of the top three destinations for the victims trafficked from Asia (Hepburn & Simon, 2010). Approximately 800,000 individuals are trafficked across international borders annually and 80% are women and 50% of the women are children. In fact, there are 50,000 victims trafficked into the United States yearly and about 400,000 United States children who…
A collaborative effort involving 15 agencies was formed and introduced the Federal Strategic Action Plan on Services for Victims of Human Trafficking in the United States that covers a 5-year period. The Federal Strategic Action Plan defines four goals, eight objectives, and contains more than 250 associated action items for victim service improvements (Presidents, I.T.F.T.). The four goals are to align efforts by promoting a strategic, coordinated approach to the provision of services for victims of human trafficking at the federal, regional, state, territorial, tribal, and local levels, to improve understanding by expanding and coordinating human trafficking-related research, data and evaluation to support evidence-based practices in victim…
With about 27 million slaves worldwide, each individual trafficking victim represents $13,000 annually or $1100 monthly. In 2001 and 2002, the TVPA received appropriate funding to put into action programs and initiatives to prevent trafficking. In 2001 five million dollars were given to secretary of health and human services, the secretary of labor, and the attorney general. While millions of dollars are being put into the TVPA act, traffickers are spending little to nothing and making substantial gains on this illicit business. Disturbingly human trafficking brings in about 30 million dollars worldwide (Baker, 2014,…
These stories motivated me to join the Northeast Florida Human Trafficking Coalition, in which I was exposed to more information regarding the prevalence of human trafficking locally. I attended these meetings for years and much of what they advocated for was the increased need of services provided to victims of human trafficking, the decriminalization of human trafficking victims, an increased public awareness, and effective public policy change. Throughout this time, I witnessed he Northeast Human Trafficking Coalition hosting public movies and events, where individuals in attendance left both surprised and with an increased education of the local issues of human trafficking. I also saw policy change on a local level with the inclusion of a human trafficking report line through DCF, and the implementation of the Safe Harbor Act in Florida. I have also engaged in a multitude of conversations in which people say to me, “Human trafficking is not a local problem,” in which I happily engage by providing them with information.…
In Underidentification of Human Trafficking Victims in the United States by Elizabeth K.Hopper, Harper‘s informing reader about rates of human trafficking reports, how they are significantly low. Thousands of people are being trafficked each year in the US and only a few cases are reported. Lack of awareness, information, and limits on protections acts are contributing factors to the underidentification of traffic victims. Getting a better understanding of the factors and finding ways to decrease trafficking rates. Focusing on these factors and educating Atlanta University students will give them a better understanding of what and why human trafficking happens and what can we do to help increase reporting rate and decrease trafficking rates.…
Evidently, trafficking in Nebraska is more prominent than many are aware. Efforts have evolved in recent years due to the United State’s increasing emphasis on combating the practice of trafficking. Through an analyzation of recent legislating changing the scope of trafficking and the way victims are treated, one can see how rapidly the state is attempting to change the stigmas surrounding trafficking. The Nebraska Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking further aids in raising statewide awareness and continues to attain numbers on those trafficked. The Human Trafficking Initiative in coordination with the Women’s Fund of Omaha has furthered the efforts of the state in an attempt to better quantify trafficking in Nebraska.…
In the book, Human Trafficking Interdisciplinary Perspective McCabe cited, “The US State Department’s Trafficking Protection Act (2000) further identifies severe forms of human trafficking as: (1) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age…” (p. 134). This is a pretty self-explanatory definition; it appears to easily identify what a victim of sex trafficking is, however, sex trafficking can be extremely difficult to recognize due to the victim often times being mistaken for a prostitute that has willingly entered into the sex trade. In this case study, I will cover what is being done to prevent sex trafficking, programs…
Due to the lack of awareness about what is going on around communities and states, many men, women, and even children are sexually assaulted, beaten, threatened, drugged, and forced into servitude every hour of every day. There will be no solution to the growing problem of human trafficking until more people are aware of how human trafficking takes place, until states begin to deter human trafficking more effectively, and until more individuals take an active role in reporting possible acts of trafficking to the proper authorities. Therefore human trafficking cannot be defined as any one particular crime; it is not simply sexual exploitation. It is much more than that because human trafficking has many different characteristics. In the article "Hidden in Plain Sight: Human Trafficking in the United States,” Hepburn and Simon state that “. . .…
One being the Federal Law Enforcement Authorization, which identifies with any federal law enforcement agencies who are responsible for detecting, investigating, or prosecuting human trafficking (“Terms” sec 8).” Another being the Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2000 that works towards prevention of human trafficking, victim protection and the prosecution of the trafficking leaders (“Terms” sec 15). The organizations devoted to changing the amount of human trafficking occurrence in the United States and the world shows that it is a problem, and a growing one at…
Views on human trafficking range from bad to worse in all states. It is often evaluated as a world-wide crime and official sites suggest that there are at least 12.3 million victims of human trafficking in the world and 300,000 of them happen to be in the United States. Human trafficking, not only does it have personal and psychological effects on society and is illegal, enables the movement of immigrants across borders and provides easy income for organized crime group and even terrorists. It is a global problem and one of the world’s most shameful crimes and has changed the face of many states, especially New York. Human trafficking began with the forced labor of Africans during the 1400s.…
FACT SHEET: SEX TRAFFICKING et al., states “Sex trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years. Enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) made sex trafficking a serious violation of Federal law” (2012, para. 1). Until the year 2000 sex trafficking was not even considered a serious…
Imagine your neighbor, dad’s best friend, or even your cousin was charged with sex trafficking? Each year, tens of thousands of women and children are transported into America for sex and human labor. America isn’t the only country that has women and kids being trafficked into it; trafficking is popular all around the world. Human sex trafficking is a global crime that needs to come to an end. Women of all ages are targeted for sex trafficking.…
Human trafficking, specifically sex trafficking is a worldwide issue that has gained attention over the past decade. When sex trafficking is brought up through discussions or in media, it is usually seen as an international problem where women and children are being smuggled into the United States for exploitation. It is true that such cases happen but, there are victims, who are Americans, that are being trafficked daily. The government, in an effort to combat the issue of human trafficking, put forth the Trafficking Victims Protection Acts (TVPA). This act has set definitions for human trafficking that ultimately helps decide if a person is a victim and/or deserves protection.…
Human Trafficking and Prostitution in The United States Human trafficking and prostitution is a social problem that many people in the United States are uncomfortable talking about because of the nature of the issue. However, it is extremely important that Americans begin to discuss the concerns that the rise in human trafficking and prostitution has created. While the social problem affects mostly women, many people are unaware of the men that fall victims. Americans, as well as other people around the world, need to discuss the problems that human trafficking and prostitution can create for children and adults. Statistics have shown that many people are affected by human trafficking and that even more people work as prostitutes.…
According to Todres (2013), human trafficking is “the recruitment, transportation,” or transfer of people, using fear, coercion, or deceit, “for the purpose of exploitation” (para. 3). In other words, human trafficking is modern-day slavery. Although human trafficking is a global problem, labor and commercial sex trafficking is practiced domestically in the United States, which is influenced by consumer choices and the anti-trafficking policies of corporations. In 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Clinton (Ezell, 2016).…