Sex Trafficking

The recent discussion our class participated in about the Kony 2012 movement made me start to think about what atrocities are going on in the US. I happened upon the topic of sex trafficking in the US. In 2009 the US Department of Justice found that almost 300,000 American children are at risk for trafficking into the sex industry.

I was stunned by this statistic and several others that I found.  But before we get much further, let’s define the topic at hand. Human trafficking is the commerce, trade, recruitment and transportation of people by means of threat or use of force or other forms of oppression to have control over another person for the purpose of exploitation.

Most women, according to a research article titled Sex Trafficking ofWomen in the United States, were forced into the trade well before the age of 25. They were all brought into the professions for various reasons. Some women were recruited in malls and clubs. They were befriended by pimps who created emotional and drug or alcohol dependencies to entrap them and often preyed upon women’s vulnerabilities. Over majority of those who are trafficked came from families who were in poor economic standings. Some were even sold or pressured as children because they were a financial burden and unwanted.

Some ignorant people ask why don’t they just leave the industry and get a real job. It is not that easy. The women are kept in the trade for various reasons, all equally unpleasant. Methods used to control women in the sex industry included: denying freedom of movement, isolation, controlling money, threats and intimidation, drug and alcohol dependencies, threatened exposure of pornographic films, and physical and sexual violence. It is not an easy life for these women, and I’m sure if they had a choice they would not be living their life like this.

Even though we live in American, especially coming from rural Nebraska, we sometimes don’t realize what is really going on in our country. I know I personally have a hard time picturing such horrible things happening within our own country. I think the first step into stopping such acts is to inform people about it. Sex trafficking has been going on for decades in the US and the US people have yet to stop this and make a difference. However, as of recent I’ve seen a movement even on our own campus. Small groups like a few students who attend Christian Student Fellowship set up a booth a couple of weeks ago asking for donations and informing their peers about the atrocities within our own borders. It is through groups like these that we can hope to make a difference. If enough concerned citizens are informed and speak up, the government will have no choice but to take affirmative action.