Dalana Robinson

English 5
Anya Connely
28/7/16
Research Proposal
Broad Focus
Human trafficking is the broad focus of my research that I want to conduct human
trafficking is defined as the illicit enslavement of individuals into labor or commercial sex
through means of force, fraud, or coercion (Fahy and Farrell). In the US human trafficking also
involves the exploitation of human beings for their organs. The The issue with human trafficking
is that the government is aware it exists but does little to nothing about it. Most would say this is
because a large population of those who are trafficked are colored. Since the days of early
exploration colored people have been deemed as sexually wanton. This then set a precedent
similar to the precedent that started slavery for people of color to be trafficked the issue is even
though chattel slavery was abolished sex trafficking was not. In places like Nevada sex
trafficking turned into business According to the new world encyclopedia in 1910 brothels were
legally protected and required prostitutes to have a large paycheck (Funk & Wagnalls).

Narrow Focus
For my narrow focus I am going to be focusing on sex trafficking in Sacramento. Even
though sex trafficking is illegal in California it is still home to a large amount of pimping and
pandering as well as solicitation. The state is a hub for those who are involved with trafficking.
Being a border state as well as a coastal state also makes California a home for international
trafficking as well. The state's capital, Sacramento, was once the number two city for sex

trafficking in the US. Sacramento has sex trafficking all over there are locations in each direction
of the city where prostitution is prominent. The south area has Stockton blvd, The north area has
Watt ave, the east area has Mather Field, and the West area has West Capitol Blvd. You don't
have to be an expert in Sacramento to know this as for this is something one can see in action
during broad daylight.
Why I am interested in the topic
Growing up I had a cousin who was kidnapped into prostitution at twelve years old. She
was battered as well as raped during her time with her pimp traveling all over. My cousin
developed a relationship with her pimp that evolved into a family with him. She now falls blind
to what he has done in the past which is a form of Stockholm's syndrome. Seeing my cousin go
through the things she went through has always made me want to stop prostitution. On a larger
scale I know I may not be able to fully abolish prostitution but I can try to help my community.
To change something a good way to start is to fully be aware of what that something was, is or
could be. What better way then a research paper. Something I want to further investigate about
prostitution is the mentality of the captures or pimps who participate I want to learn where their
motives derive from, why they feel need to exploit other human beings. I also want to know how
and why they choose the people they choose to exploit as well. I feel like learning the psyche of
a pimp would help to prevent children from becoming pimps in the future. Thus would then
reduce sex trafficking.
Tentative Thesis -I strongly believe that prostitution whether pro-choice or by coercion
is wrong. It sets girls up to be manipulated by males who target them. Being a female in
Sacramento I often find myself in situations where men target me for prostitution.
Research Plan

I plan to investigate my research focus by looking into both the male and female
counterparts of sex trafficking. I plan to look closely on where the line is crossed for females to
feel the need to be a prostitute. I would need sources like peer reviewed articles about first hand
experiences of prostitution. I could also use sources like thesis or scholarly journals by
professors with a PHD in human trafficking. My research methods will be both library and
internet search. The library has many books I can explore as well as the database. I will use the
library database to provide context and solid definitions. As for the internet I would use certain
websites to find statistics to provide. A database that can be helpful to my search is the Global
Human Trafficking Database.

Works Cited
1.

Farrell, Amy, and Stephanie Fahy. "The Problem of Human Trafficking in

the U.S.: Public Frames and Policy Responses." Sciencedirect. N.p., Nov. 09. Web. 28
July 2016.
2.

Funk, Isaac Kaufman, and Wagnalls. Standard Encyclopedia of the World's

Knowledge. New York: Funk and Wagnalls, 1912. Csus. Web. 31 July 2016.