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Marielle Nava
Humanities 3/4
May 21, 2014
Briefing: Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking is the third largest international crime industry in the world
(Rodriguez). The amount of people in labor trafficking is astonishing: nationwide women and
girls are the largest share of forced labor victims standing at a massive 11.4 million and men at
9.5 million (11 Facts). Innocent people are being trafficked daily, many of whom are given a
variety false promises. The majority of people trafficked are people trying to escape their
country, all for different reasons. Some try to escape because of corruption; others abscond
because of work issues or to seek a better life for their families. Unfortunately, many of these
people do not reach their destination due to being trafficked. After being lured or captured by
human traffickers, they are sold and forced into sex or labor trades.
San Diego is one of the top three trafficking areas throughout the nation, along with Los
Angeles and San Francisco (11 Facts). According to KPBS, there has been a noticeable
change in the trade industry here in San Diego; sex trafficking is now a major component
to this industry as oppose to drugs (Sharma). In 2007 the underground commercial sex
economy in San Diego made about $96.6 million dollars (Stine). Human traffickers have
noticed that they could make a massive amount of money by selling people for labor and
sex, including children even as young as twelve years old.
Modern day television shows and movies depict pimps as flashy people driving
large fancy vehicles and portray prostitutes as people willingly selling themselves, but this is
nowhere near the truth (Rodriguez). Pimps traffic men and women and force them to into the
sex trade by threatening them and their families (Rodriguez). The FBI explains that pimps
dont work hard . they dont do anything other than coerce, manipulate and threaten
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children. A real man would not target a child. (Sharma). Even some of San Diegos local
gangs have made alliances with each other, helping one another traffic people.
As a community member of San Diego, I have realized the impact we have had
dealing with human trafficking. I realize I fit the description for a potential victim of
trafficking; I am in the common age group and am a female which makes me a larger target.
The more I am able to inform and make people aware this issue, the more people will care. It
was a shock to most of my classmates to know that San Diego is one of the top three human
trafficking areas in the nation. This is a very sensitive issue, but the more we educate our
society the better chance we have to overcome this problem. As a community, we can all
make a change one person at a time.















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Work Cited
Stine, Rachel. "Human Trafficking Gains Ground: How One New Criminal Element Has
Fostered Growth in Sex Crimes." The Coast News RSS. N.p.10 May 2014. Web. 21 May 2014.

Rodriguez, Amanda Walker, and Rodney Hill. "FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin." Human Sex
Trafficking. FBI, Mar. 2011. Web. 21 May 2014.

Sharma, Amita. "Sex Trafficking Overtakes Drugs as San Diego County Gangs Top Cash
Source." Sex Trafficking Takes over San Diego. KPBS, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 May
2014.

"11 Facts about Human Trafficking." DoSomething.org. N.p. Web. 21 May 2014.