Human trafficking has become the modern form of slavery. It affects more that 27 million individuals in the globe. The scope of the practice is difficult to validate since most of the human trafficking operations occur as hidden crimes. The most prominent type of human trafficking that continues to enslave many people is sex bondage. Before pursuing the criminal justice course, the knowledge I had concerning sex trafficking was limited. I was not aware of the factors involved in the activity and the number of people who have succumbed to it.
I also did not have sufficient information about possible interventions to identify and aid victims of sex trafficking. The course assisted in developing a link between sex trafficking and prostitution, pornography, and sex. This essay is a coherent analysis of the useful information concerning human trafficking obtained from the learning modules. Based on the revelations of different course materials, sex bondage is a reprehensible activity that targets vulnerable persons particularly children and women (Kahng, 2007).
Victims of sex trafficking are abducted or ensnared using promising deals such as employment or money (The Huffington Review, 2014). Pornography, prostitution, and sex are tragedies associated with sex trafficking. The three aspects create a climate that encourages and supports the exploitation of children and women. I had several assumptions before joining the course regarding the three sex trafficking tragedies. Since I had never encountered the sites where the illegal activity takes place; I did not believe that the issue was chronic and prevalent in society.
The way that sex trafficking remains hidden allows it to thrive underground such that many individuals like me remain unaware of the corrosive implications of the vice in society (Thorn, 2016). Another assumption that I had was that people who took part in prostitution, sex, and pornography did so out of their consensual terms. The revelations of the human trafficking experiences obtained from articles such as “Daughters for Sale” by Riviera Gloria and Grace Kahng’s “Sex Slaves” show that thousands of young adults and kids are forced to make the pornographic films (Kahng, 2007).
Sex trafficking follows the consumerism laws of demand and supply just like any other business (Kara, 2011). People are interested in purchasing sex, prostitutes, and pornography. The sex traffickers go out of their way to ensure that there is an adequate supply for the individuals’ demands. Vulnerable persons are thus transported across regions to work as sex slaves for the longer part of their lives (Geracoulis, 2012).
The information outlines that the criminal justice systems need to take extensive and strict measures to root out and end sex trafficking. Law enforcers can start by tearing down the websites that provide child and adult pornography (Federal Bureau Investigation, 2015). The sites only reinforce the vice by giving people the allowance to abduct kids and young adults to make pornographic films or work as prostitutes (Burke, 2016). Also, it is essential to develop measures that will educate and help the victims of sex trafficking.
The learning resources cannot be challenged because they depict a vivid picture and claim of the prevailing crimes that are taking place behind people backs. The society should be made aware of human trafficking so that they can secure their children and themselves from the traps of sex traffickers. The example of Natalie’s situation from the article written by Riviera Gloria indicates just how easily people can be pulled into sex trafficking. Natalie obtained a bad grade in school and chose to run away from home fearing that her parents would punish her. The decision led her right to the world of prostitution and sex slavery (Riviera, Jesko, and Hawkins, 2016).
Another strategy that can alleviate the problem of sex trafficking is learning how to identify the victims of the vice. The learning resources sharpened my knowledge by providing the red flags that law enforcers and civilians can utilize to point out the victims (Think, 2016). The individuals undergo a lot of emotional and physical suffering. Hence, it is easy to identify various signs such as anxiety, depression, bruises, etc. (Federal Bureau Investigation, 2014). The leaders and policymakers should formulate adequate regulations that will protect people from sex traffickers and reduce the practice in society. The elimination of sex and human trafficking requires collective efforts from everyone on the planet.
References
Burke S. (2016). Buying Sex: The Market Demand that Drives Commercial Sexual Exploitation. The Villanova Law Institute. Retrieved June 19, 2016 http://cseinstitute.org/buying-sex- market-demand-drives-commercial-sexual-exploitation/.
Federal Bureau Investigation (2014). 168 Juveniles Recovered in Nationwide Operation Targeting Commercial Child Sex Trafficking. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from https://www.fbi.gov/news/pressrel/press-releases/168-juveniles-recovered-in-nationwide- operation-targeting-commercial-child-sex-trafficking.
Federal Bureau Investigation (2015). Operation Cross Country. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2015/october/operation-cross-country.
Geracoulis M. (2012). The Not-So-Free Market: How Consumerism Fuels Human Trafficking. Truthout. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/9319-the- not-so-free-market-how-consumerism-fuels-human-trafficking.
Kahng G. (2007). Sex slaves, human trafficking in America? Retrieved June 19, 2016 from http://www.today.com/id/22083762/ns/today-today_people/#.V2adGqJNoyl.
Kara S. (2011). Supply and Demand. Human Trafficking in the Global Economy. Harvard International Review.
Riviera G., Jesko J., and Hawkins S. (2016). Daughters for Sale: How Young American Girls Are Being Sold Online. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from http://abcnews.go.com/US/daughters-sale-young-american-girls-sold- online/story?id=39350838.
The Huffington Review (2014). Ex-NFL Cheerleader Brittney Cason Says She Was Almost Lured Into Human Trafficking Scheme. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/26/cheerleader-brittney-cason_n_4861783.html.
Think (2016). Helping Victims of Human Trafficking. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from http://case.edu/think/spring2016/helping-human-trafficking.html#.V2aeK6JNoyn.
Thorn (2016). Digital Defenders of Children. Retrieved June 19, 2016 from https://www.wearethorn.org/thorn-video/.
