“Sex trafficking victims are generally found in dire circumstances and easily targeted by traffickers. Individuals, circumstances, and situations vulnerable to traffickers include homeless individuals, runaway teens, displaced homemakers, refugees, and drug addicts. While it may seem like trafficked people are the most vulnerable and powerless minorities in a region, victims are consistently exploited from any ethnic and social background.
Traffickers, also known as pimps or madams, exploit vulnerabilities and lack of opportunities, while offering promises of marriage, employment, education, and/or an overall better life. However, in the end, traffickers force the victims to become prostitutes or work in the sex industry. Various work in the sex industry includes prostitution, dancing in strip clubs, performing in pornographic films and pornography, and other forms of involuntary servitude.”
Statistics vary, but below are some that can help give you a general idea of how severe this problem is:
• In 2005, the Department of Justice reported there have been an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 sex slaves in the U.S. since 2001.
• Official numbers of individuals in sexual slavery worldwide vary. In 2001 International Organization for Migration estimated 400,000, the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimated 700,000 and UNICEF estimated 1.75 million.
• As of 2009, almost 300,000 American children are at risk for trafficking into the sex industry.
• There are girls as young as 5 and 6 years old in the U.S. that are forced to do sexual acts for economic gain by their pimp.
• The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention reported 1,600 juveniles were arrested for prostitution and commercialized vice in 2006; 74% were female and 14% were under 14 years old.
• Since 2003, 308 pimps and hookers have been convicted in (U.S.) state and federal courts of forcing youngsters into prostitution and 433 child victims have been rescued.
• 797,500 children (younger than 18) were reported missing in a one-year period of time studied resulting in an average of 2,185 children being reported missing each day.
• UNICEF reports approximately 30 million children have lost their childhood through sexual exploitation over the past 30 years.
• People are trafficked from 127 countries to be exploited in 137 countries.
• The total market value of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion.
• The International Labor Organization—the UN agency charged with addressing labor standards, employment, and social protection issues—estimates that there are at least 12.3 million adults and children in forced labor, bonded labor, and commercial sexual servitude at any given time. Of these victims, 1.4 million are victims of commercial sexual servitude. Also, 56% of all forced labor victims are women and girls.
• It was reported in 2010 that Thailand and Brazil were considered to have the worst child sex trafficking records.
Real victims, real abuse. Below are some stories of survivors of the sex trafficking trade:
• In 2008, a mother and the man she lived with made her a dominatrix and schooled her in the ways of violent sex when she was only 12. By the time she reached 14, they had billed her as “Mistress Alisha,” and they offered her online for two years to service the sadomasochistic fantasies of anyone willing to pay.
• In 2009, two Macon, Georgia men were indicted on charges that they locked a 14-year-old girl in a house and forced her to have sex with up to 15 people, then sold her for $500.
• In many parts of the world, child prostitution is tolerated and ignored by the authorities. Reflecting an attitude which prevails in many developing countries, a judge from Honduras says, on condition of anonymity: "If the victim [the child-prostitute] is older than 12, if he or she refuses to file a complaint, and if the parents clearly profit from their child's commerce, we tend to look the other way."
• Debbie – Kidnapped from her own driveway, gang raped, and forced into prostitution for more than 40 days, being kept and treated worse than a dog, too scared to leave for fear of them hurting her family.
• Miya – Lured into a modeling job, kidnapped, and trapped into prostitution far away from home.
Read both Debbie and Miya’s stories here: http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=1596778&page=1#.TriUi_QUqso
So what’s being done about all this?
“The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (also referred to as the Trafficking Protocol) was adopted by the United Nations in Palermo, Italy in 2000, and is an international legal agreement attached to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
The Protocol is the first global, legally binding instrument on trafficking in over half a century and the only one that sets out an agreed definition of trafficking in persons. The purpose of the Protocol is to facilitate convergence in national cooperation in investigating and prosecuting trafficking in persons. An additional objective of the Protocol is to protect and assist the victims of trafficking in persons with full respect for their human rights.
The Trafficking Protocol entered into force on 25 December 2003. By June 2010, the Trafficking Protocol had been ratified by 117 countries and 137 parties.”
Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher have a foundation called “Demi and Ashton DNA Foundation.” They do a very good job breaking down what human trafficking is, and how you can help.
“The DNA Foundation supports and develops innovative programs that address the root causes of child sex slavery. Our programs focus on reducing demand, disrupting the marketplaces in which these transactions take place, and helping educate vulnerable children about the realities of trafficking. DNA is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization.”
If you would like to read more about DNA or donate you can visit their page at: http://www.demiandashton.org/ or visit their facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/dnafoundation?sk=info
Pictures courtesy of DNA’s facebook page and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Map3.3Trafficking_compressed.jpg
More Statistics and info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_trafficking
http://www.crisisaid.org/ICAPDF/Trafficking/traffickstats.pdf
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/slaves/etc/stats.html
http://cup.columbia.edu/book/978-0-231-13960-1/sex-trafficking/excerpt
https://www.humantrafficking.neu.edu/
http://istoptraffic.com/html/human_trafficking_info.html
Check out more about R.I.S.E. at any of the following:
Website: avoiceforheather.tripod.com
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Blog: avoiceforheather.blogspot.com
Facebook:www.facebook.com/avoiceforheather
Twitter: www.twitter.com/VoiceforHeather
Email: VoiceforHeather@yahoo.com
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