Human Trafficking in the World By: Charles Dobner

Human sex trafficking is one of the sickest, most disturbing happenings in the world today. Many people fail to see that slavery is still very prevalent in     most of the world. In fact, as of 2005 this universal phenomenon benefited an annual profit of $44.3 billion on average and involved over12.3 million people around the world. About half of the 12 million are believed to be children.[1] Aside for sex trafficking, the majority of all other cases of trafficking are in the form of the illegal dealing of human organs. This is also becoming a huge market for law-breakers looking to make a quick million.

                         

A common misconception of sex trafficking is that the problem mainly lies off in distant countries around Europe and Asia. However, the United States is among the top ten countries where sex traffickers end up landing. Thousands of women are brought to the shores of America to work as prostitutes. Many others are forced into manual labor around the house and garden. Over 50,000 women are brought to the United States annually and forced into these jobs with a slim chance of ever escaping.  Many cases in the past few years involved Mexican women being forced into Florida to become maids and waitresses. Upon arrival, many of these women were either raped or sexually assaulted. Many trafficking victims find themselves in another predicament after being freed in some way or another. Multiple countries have laws that work against these victims. For example, in Italy, and other countries in Europe, laborers trafficked illegally, can be put in jail and fined or deported as illegal immigrants.[2]

            

I think that it is awful that many of these women find themselves in a place of hopelessness, knowing that they well be discriminated against even if they escape. Millions of people have been forced into slavery in the past few years with little to no improvement being shown in most of these countries. It is sad that the government has not taken mores steps against this trafficking, especially in the United States. The fact that there are just as many slaves on earth today as there has ever been in history is very scary to me. Our world is becoming a dark place if women and children have to live in fear of being forced into slavery and trafficked around the globe.

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[1] Tirman, John. “Human Trafficking.” Published: August 16 http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions.

[2] Hepburn, Stephanie and Simon, Rita J. Human Trafficking Around the World: Hidden in Plain Sight. Columbia University Press, August, 2013