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Ndey Sarr

Kenly

British Literature

4-29-2019

Human Trafficking: Taking A Closer Look at the “Broken Chains”

“People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in

chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used.” – Unknown

1-888-373-7888, The national trafficking hotline for you or if you suspect anyone you know to

be trafficked. On February 1st, 1865, the 13th amendment to the constitution formally abolished

slavery. Explicitly stated neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for

crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or

any place subject to their jurisdiction. In the year 2019, slavery has shapeshifted in many

different forms the most widespread being human or sometimes referred to as sex trafficking. So,

what exactly constitutes as such? It is a form of modern-day slavery in which perpetrators use

force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in sex acts or labor

against the victims will. Statistics show over 27 million slaves and growing exist worldwide.

This is the greatest number of known “slaves” at any given point in history. Despite minimal

efforts from countries all over the world, human trafficking has become more prevalent over

time and a majority of the population is unaware or believes it is one of the lesser of important

problems the world has. Because it is a major global problem in the world today, it is important
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to be aware of basic facts, prevention, protection and the prosecution of human trafficking.

Unfortunately, because the acts happening are still considered undercover or underground many

nations have not taken a stance or acknowledge the hidden world of coerced sex labor and are

instead using the court system to criminalize victims. Within this essay, we will debunk the

origins of the tragedy, the type of people this typically effects, how the court system reacts in

these cases, as well as the solutions currently presented and any new ones that could more

efficiently work.

For the majority of people, they assume that human trafficking is a recent issue, that it strictly

came out of the desperation of those already lacking in resources. There are sayings that talk

about how whatever’s old eventually becomes new again, and human trafficking is a great

example of that. Modern day slavery. Let's begin with the middle passage. It received its name

for its location in the middle of the triangular trade. Stretching all the way from Europe to Africa,

then continuing from Africa to the Western Hemisphere, and back to Europe again. This was a

godsend route for Europeans to get ships around the world quickly and efficiently than the

previous route of having to go all around the world and back just to find one location. This

would be the beginning of what I consider to be the most notable historical event. Most everyone

in the world today has a descendent from slavery. Slaves at that time were considered the same

as a material possession in a way because they could be bought, sold, hired out, exchanged,

given as a gift, or inherited. The slave trade consisted of trips for thousands of miles, with at

least 30,000-55,000 ships throughout the entire time span. To add insult to injury the conditions

on these slave ships were extremely unfavorable and almost 15 percent of captured slaves never

made it through the whole voyage. The treatment of these people included beatings, hangings,

burnings, mutilation, and rape. At this point, you’re probably wondering how this relates to
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human trafficking, old western world views and the mentality that it is and was okay to come and

take to make a profit is, in my opinion, the very basis on which trafficking was founded on. It

helped it take form into our modern-day issue. The slave trade is only one of many examples in a

multitude of time periods. We can trace these back centuries such as the Anti-Chinese/ Gold

Rush where Chinese people were taken and forced to mine gold for Americans, or how Africa’s

continues to deplete in minerals and resources because countries think that if they are more

powerful that they can come and take it. Because of how much profit countries generate from

these seemingly small acts that can take form into bigger issues it leaves victims helpless.

The narrative that is typically painted of the people who experience trafficking usually are those

who are in low developed countries, no families or parents, a young woman, probably unsure of

themselves and has a lack of confidence. These stereotypes of victims desensitize the average

person and cause them to believe that this could never happen to them. Young, dumb, and poor is

not the story of everybody. According to The Polaris Project, A young woman using the

pseudonym of Sabine. After some hard times in her home country “Sabine” was more than

thrilled to take on an offer working for a wealthy family in America. To make a long story short

upon her arrival in the United States, Sabine had neither a room nor a bed and slept on the floor.

The family kept the girl a prisoner and made her go into forced labor. It took six months before

Sabine was allowed one hour off each Sunday to attend church services. While there, one of her

fellow parishioners caught wind of her situation and helped her escape. In the case of Sabine,

she was tricked into doing something she was unaware of. She wanted a legitimate job and

instead was turned into a victim.

A common question asked seems to be how these perpetrators convince men and woman into

situations such as the previous one given. What we commonly think of is that the victims were
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kidnapped and then violence and large amounts of alcohol and drugs were used to keep them

there. But with 800,000 people being smuggled across international borders yearly alcohol and

drugs just can’t be that effective and physical aggression can cause unwanted attention to their

“business”. In reality, traffickers use psychological manipulation tactics. Mental manipulation is

not only completely free but leaves a long-lasting effect. Some of those strategies include

dehumanization (being exposed to high levels of emotional distress stemming from constant

reminder of being in a foreign country with no family, money and essentially having no other

option), worst-case scenario (traffickers install false fear with the worst-case scenario like being

left homeless if they escape or being in jail on unfamiliar land with no way of getting out), and

distrust of others (by telling victims that most people, even health care providers will report

undocumented migrants causing arrest, and to ensure it they often accompany victims to

appointments posing as family members.) In short, traffickers are top of the line manipulators

which is why many people don’t try to find help even if the opportunity presents itself.

I previously mentioned how the victims are often transported and flown out to foreign countries,

research from the Polaris Project shows that the average person believes that trafficking only

happens in underdeveloped countries. When realistically that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The U.S ranking in at number five for most the most developed countries has had a recent spike

in trafficking numbers. It is estimated that almost two-thirds of victims are U.S citizens that are

then transported out of the country into some underdeveloped ones. This would most likely

explain why the common consensus is that these things only happen in poorer countries because

so many men and woman are being brought there. The other portion who are foreign-born come

into the U.S legally. The state department estimates that between 15,000 and 50,000 are

trafficked into the U.S each year. Which is a very low number compared to the 27 million overall
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victims worldwide and again explains why we believe leading nations don’t experience these

issues.

In the same breathe due to the number of people being shifted from country to country an easy

assumption to make is that trafficking is the exact same as migrant smuggling. Well, we know

what trafficking is but how about migrant smuggling? Under U.S law smuggling is "the

facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation or illegal entry of a person or persons across

an international border.” Simply stated it is created or acquiring fake documents for the purpose

of getting otherwise foreign natives into countries they are not documented in to. The act of

individuals “sneaking” into countries has seen a rise within recent years and today currently

represents a huge segment of migration in nations around the globe. Smuggling operations are

typically very complex with the exception of those who choose to go through with it on their

own. However more commonly you see people working within large networks of smuggling

rings, that are extensive and very organized. Individuals moving, for the most part, happens with

the consent of the individual or people being snuck, and basic explanations behind people

looking to be smuggled include work and financial chance, maybe to better the lives of

themselves or their family, and get away from oppression or brutality. The key word in that

statement is consent. Human trafficking and human smuggling are two distinctive crimes and it

is extremely important to not only understand the difference between the two but to not also use

them interchangeably like they often are. I believe where people get confused with the two is

how traffickers are able to move victims from country to country so easily. Remember

smuggling is with the consent of the individual whereas trafficking is not. I say this to say that it

is possible that in some scenarios or cases smuggling may turn into trafficking where the victim

is under the impression that they are being helped into a country to better themselves. Only to
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quickly realize that they have either been sold or are then forced into sex labor, similar to the

story of “Sabine” who believed she was coming into the U.S to provide work for a wealthy

family but soon realized this “work” was not what she bargained for.

In the event that the sex business was a sequence, on one side are grown adults who are knowing

and willing members in prostitution. Regardless of whether through direct misuse, due to

neediness or abuse, or by decision, they use prostitution as a method for money. Prostitution is a

business agreement where the people involved agree to have engaged in sexual encounters for

payment and some type of compensation. Often referred to as the “world’s oldest profession”. It

can also be defined as sexual services, commercial sex or hooking. On the opposite end of the

range are victims or exploited people — those constrained into the sex business without wanting

to by some proportion of power, misrepresentation, or pressure. And after that, there's a wide

space where the line among decision and force, between the sex business and human dealing, is

hard to define.

Prostitution is another widespread and troublesome reality for millions all over the world.

Numerous men and woman swing to prostitution on the grounds that there are next to no open

doors to make profits somewhere else. Just about anyone can make money in this industry

because there are no real standardized requirements. Maybe you’re feeling the pressure to

accommodate your entire family, and maybe you live somewhere that openly accepts the sex

industry. Prostitution rapidly turns into a reasonable alternative, at times the only option. One

investigation from “A Journal of Trauma Practice” shows statistics of prostituted woman and

men in nine nations which found that 70-95 percent were faced with physical assault, between

60-75 percent raped, and nearly 89 percent explained that they desperately wanted to escape

prostitution. Even if people pick this so-called "profession" overall, it's a risky one filled with
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exploitive and belittling conditions. This discussion, however, is not in favor of one of the other.

Along the sequence of sexual misuse, there are people who pick prostitution as a method for

money and find that they are controlled and undermined by a pimp. There are minors who offer

themselves and end up actually being label as trafficking victims in light of their age. What's

more troubling is that there are other people who from the outside looking in have all the traits of

being willing prostitutes. But who are really paying obligations to brothels. Now just because

I've only spoken about misuse in terms of prostitutes there are a percentage of woman and men

that choose that lifestyle and live it well to the best of their abilities. In fact, even enjoy their

work and that is the part that we can clearly differentiate trafficking and prostitution.

Labels in these situations are extremely complicated and can often get muddled. They can even

vary according to local law and the different jurisdictions. It's critical to note that while sexual

misuse can play a role in each stage along this continuum we've spoken about, it also shows up

in various degree. Trafficking and prostitution laws fluctuate among various nations, and there

are slight adjustments or differences to these laws depending on where you’re at. For instance,

the common consensus is that minors are viewed as victims of human trafficking regardless of

whether they are willingly wanting to take part in prostitution or not. In certain spots all people

in prostitution are viewed as victims, paying little attention to how they arrived or in the event

that they "picked" it. While in other places if you partake in sexual acts for money or are to be

considered a prostitute that is grounds to be charged and considered a criminal. While I mainly

speak from my knowledge of the United States and some highly publicized cases from other

countries I can acknowledge that it is a difficult conversation. While sex trafficking is seen as

closely related to prostitution, often overlapping, there is less consensus on how governments

should respond to prostitution that involves adults. Of the various types of responses and laws
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that address prostitution, there are four primary legal response models. They are but limited to

criminalization (criminalization of all parts of prostitution is by a long shot the most widely

recognized authoritative approach. States change on the level of discipline for every individual

included and characteristics of the wrongdoing, yet all members are lawfully guilty for their

activities), partial decriminalization (identifies individuals as victims and protects them from

legal penalties. However, the purchasing/facilitating of sexual services remain criminalized), full

decriminalization (removes all laws prohibiting and regulating prostitution including those

against facilitating and buying), legalization (differs from decriminalization in that prostitution is

legal but regulated and controlled by the government. These controls may include licensing,

zoning, or mandatory health checks). In the case of the United States, we fall heavily under the

criminalization portion. The U.S uses the rationale that by prohibiting all behaviors involving sex

acts that it will eliminate prostitution as a whole. However, this law lumps victims of trafficking

into it as well and doesn’t provide loopholes for those stuck with no way out and are instead seen

as offenders.

For a long time, the Trafficking in Persons Report has outlined the significance of protecting

victims all through the law enforcement process. Perpetrators regularly exploit people to take

part in crimes, for example, prostitution, pick-pocketing, the selling and doing of drugs and even

luring others to be taken for trafficking as well. Because the authorities often neglect to

legitimately screen and identify victims when they are taken in as criminal suspects, the process

of being taken in, kept and indicted makes a completely new bad experience and can reinforce

the victim's connection to the dealer. The criminal justice and delinquency frameworks are not

intended to suitably react to sex trafficking. Our justice system is tired and overworked and most

the time neglects or is simply just unable to think about individual conditions. I previously
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mentioned how the issue of trafficking is only recently been taken as something serious. Prior to

that, it was clear that most were only prostitutes or criminals of some sort. The Trafficking

Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 is the first federal law to address trafficking in persons.

Mind you although it is only now being acted on this has been an ongoing problem with recent

spikes in numerical data. With the first law coming out in the 2000’s we’d expect there to be

some flaw and of course there is. Since its order, all of the other fifty states have passed laws that

condemn trafficking, and many have authorities committed putting in place arrangements and

strategies to battle it. The stage that hasn’t come yet is for those fifty states to execute laws that

also shield victims from criminal indictment for acts they were forced to carry out. See the flaw

in the TVP act? One without the other causes a tragedy.

The end of human trafficking is an impossible thing to be done overnight. Even the strictest anti-

trafficking system will not be effective without the help it needs from not only other countries

and states but support from the people as well. This is the reason programs by both government

and non-government associations call for worldwide collaboration. Trafficking is an issue that

should be tended to not only because it creates crime worldwide, but also because it seriously

harms the lives of its victims. Measures to reduce trafficking have been taken by governments

and non-government organizations, and these include both international and national anti-

trafficking laws and programs.In any case, it is apparent that more needs to be done for this

cause. Besides far more forceful campaigns against human trafficking, bringing issues to light

for prevention ought to be at the forefront of all campaigns. Although there are’ already some

initiatives happening to rid or reduce trafficking around the world there seem to be two solutions

that are at the forefront. They are described as one being the liberal stance on a solution and the

other being a radical stance. Liberal in terms of many think that a humanitarian approach would
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best suit the issue. Humanitarian aid is mainly material and calculated help to individuals who

need assistance. It is typically short-term help until the long-haul help by government and

different foundations replaces it. The essential goal of it is to spare lives, alleviate some suffering

enduring, and keep up human moral. Not to be confused with developmental aid which is on the

opposite spectrum and is what I had previously referred to as the radical approach. It seeks to

address the underlying economic factors which may have led to a crisis or emergency. In this

specific case, it would be fixing or finding ways to cure poverty, job security and unemployment

rates in the countries that experience trafficking the most.

Our human trafficking in the world is an alarming social issue, which is increasing because of

globalization processes and differences in standards of living people worldwide. It is considered

that human trafficking equals prostitution and sex work, but in reality, it is a wider concept.

Human trafficking includes stages which include recruitment, travel-transit, exploitation,

detention, integration or reintegration, and re-trafficking. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? An old

saying talks about how often history repeats itself and trafficking is no different. A modern-day

form of slavery has formed into what we now call human trafficking and with no definite end

this time.
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Annotated Bibliography

Human Trafficking: Are the efforts we are using to combat trafficking effective?

1. Human Trafficking Vs. Prostitution

Allen, Kelly. “Human Trafficking vs. Prostitution.” Human Trafficking vs. Prostitution,

2012.

Summary: This article was used for me to get clearer understand on what separates trafficking

and prostitution as well as provided me examples to use for the paper

2. Sex-Trafficking Victim Wins Clemency for Killing

Hauser, Christine. "Sex-Trafficking Victim Wins Clemency for Killing." New York Times,

08 Jan. 2019, pp. A.11. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Summary: This article is an example of a sex trafficking victim being treated as a criminal. Bill

Haslam governor of Tennessee granted clemency to Cyntoia Brown, ending her life sentence for

killing a man who had picked her up for sex when she was a teenage trafficking victim. Ms.

Brown who was tried as an adult, was convicted by a Davidson County jury in 2006 of first-

degree murder and aggravated robbery.

3. Human Trafficking--Hidden in Plain Sight

Hawatt, Romy. "Human Trafficking--Hidden in Plain Sight." Inter Press Service, 21 Dec. 2018.

SIRS Issues Researcher,https://sks.sirs.com.

Summary:
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Hidden in Plain Sight is an article about how the media tends to have a biased opinion on

reporting high profile attention grabbing stories. Because of this we the western world tend to be

desensitized to problems like trafficking happening in our own backyard hence the phrase from

the title “in plain sight” In this point-of-view article, Romy Hawatt, founding member of the

Global Sustainability Network, asserts that there needs to be a greater awareness of the

persistence of modern day slavery on both a local and global level and that it is important that

everyone be willing to take steps toward ending it.

4. Trafficking Survivors Shed an Unjust Label: 'Criminal'

Khadaroo, Stacy T. "Trafficking Survivors Shed an Unjust Label: 'Criminal'." Christian

Science Monitor, 08 Jan. 2019. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

Summary: For most people those who are victims of trafficking are just that “victims” but for

those in the law they may be criminals and charged for prostitution. This article talks about the

shift in attitudes over the years about trafficking and more states are giving survivors a chance to

clear away convictions for prostitution. But the victim-centered approach is still in its early

stages.

5. Human Trafficking Survivors Tell Their Stories

Lee, Justin. “13 Human Trafficking Survivors Tell Their Heartbreaking Stories.” Ranker,

, 2016.
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Summary: This website article was used to further explain a couple of the points made in the

essay as well as tell a need story to add emotion that the reader could connect to.

6. The Social Etiology of Human Trafficking: How Poverty and Cultural Practices Facilitate

Trafficking

Pio, Casina. “The Social Etiology of Human Trafficking: How Poverty and Cultural Practices

Facilitate Trafficking.” End Slavery, 2015,

Summary: This paper focusses on three unusual patterns of trafficking, two of which were

identified in UNODC’s Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (2014), and examines the

economic situation, and social and cultural practices that may explain these unusual patterns of

trafficking in three different areas of the world.

7. Getting Tough on Sex Traffickers

Rosenstein, Rod J. "Getting Tough on Sex Traffickers." New York Times (Online), 19 Jan. 2018.

SIRS Issues Researcher,https://sks.sirs.com.

Summary:

Getting Tough on Sex Offenders goes into depth about that fact that too cities in the United

States are infested with gang and gang related activities. It’s was estimated that more than one

million members of approximately 33,000 gangs prey upon neighborhoods within the United

States. The gangs have one thing in common and that is that gangs increasingly rely on sex

trafficking to support themselves which many people don’t know. U.S. Deputy Attorney General

Rod Rosenstein asserts that the U.S. needs to get tough on gangs and their use of sex trafficking
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8. Our Moral Duty to End Modern Slavery

Trump, Ivanka. "Our Moral Duty to End Modern Slavery." Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2018, pp.

A.21. SIRS Issues Researcher,https://sks.sirs.com.

Summary:

Worldwide nearly 25 million children and adults of all ages and backgrounds are victims

of human trafficking, including forced labor and sex trafficking. Every government in the world

has a moral obligation to do all in its power to stop these heinous crimes within its borders. That

is why President Trump took “strong action” recently to hold accountable those governments

that have failed to meet the minimum standards for combating human trafficking in their

countries.

Article Usage: The first three articles are meant to be my references and attention grabbers. I’m

going to use them to effectively show just how well hidden human trafficking has become. Its

literally in our backyards and sometimes is hard to spot. By vividly painting a picture on just

exactly how the perpetrators can trap these young men and woman from their homes.

9. Recently Passed Bill Poses Threat to Sex Workers

Wiggin, Arielle. "Recently Passed Bill Poses Threat to Sex Workers." University Wire, 19

Apr. 2018. SIRS Issues Researcher, https://sks.sirs.com.

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Summary: Last week, President Trump signed a bill package into law that had many internet

commenters celebrating the president for finally signing a common-sense, pro-woman measure

into law. Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act and Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex

Trafficking Act are two bills hailed by politicians as a victory for sex-trafficking victims. These

bills have been promoted as positive measures that anyone who cares about the health and safety

of victims should support. The author of this point-of-view article asserts that SESTA-FOSTA

puts sex workers in danger.

Article Usage: The last three articles all touch on how a lot of the times human trafficking

victims sometimes sex trafficked victims are treated as criminals and are charged by the law as

prostitution. One of the best examples and most recent is the story of Cyntoia Brown who was a

victim that was tried and sentenced to life. I plan on using articles that focus on the

criminalization of these victims to shed light on the gaps and unjust rulings in our laws today.

10. Psychological Tactics Used by Human Traffickers

“Psychological Tactics Used by Human Traffickers.” Psychology Today, Sussex

Publishers.

Summary: Used this article to explain and give examples on the mental stimulation that

perpetrators use to keep their victims. Traffickers, in short, are experts in psychological

manipulation, which is why many victims don’t seek help—even if the opportunity may arise.

11. Sex Trafficking in Atlanta

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Voxatl.com. “Sex Trafficking In ATL: What You Don't See Behind Closed Doors.” 90.1

FM WABE, 29 Nov. 2018

Summary: Atlanta-home to many things: The Falcons, Coca-Cola, CNN and one of the

biggest hubs of sex trafficking nationwide. This “modern-day slavery” is the second

largest criminal enterprise in the world second only to the drug trade, according to the

nonprofit Out of Darkness.

12. Typology of Modern Slavery

“The Typology of Modern Slavery.” Polaris, 16 Aug. 2018.

Summary: Polaris analyzed more than 32,000 cases of human trafficking documented between

December 2007 and December 2016 through its operation of the National Human Trafficking

Hotline and BeFree Textline. Polaris’s research team analyzed the data and developed a

classification system that identifies 25 types of human trafficking in the United States.