Matthew Villa

Mrs. Casady

HL English Year 2

16 May 2019

REVISION - Human Trafficking:

The Harsh Effects of Human Trafficking on Victims in our Modern Society

Centuries ago, the horror of slavery had seemed to have slowly dissipated from existence

in the modernized western culture as a result of the 13th Amendment. Controversially, our world

has come to show, through the acts of the human race, history has a terrifying way of repeating

itself over again. In the present time, human slavery (also known as human trafficking) has

come again to be a terrifying reality that is quickly sneaking back into the lives of adolescents

around the world. From the red light district in Indonesia to your local mall, human trafficking

has placed its effects on millions across the world. The horrifying effects of human trafficking

have taken advantage of its victims psychologically, physically, and economically. In this

billion-dollar business, this issue of human trafficking has not only become a worldwide

industry but has also crept across the world to become an international issue as well.

Blue Campaign, a governmental organization under the Department of Homeland

Security, whose goal is to end human trafficking, states that “human trafficking is the

modern-day form of slavery involving the illegal trade of people for exploitation or commercial

gain.” This “modern-day form of slavery” is able to take advantage of weak and vulnerable

adolescents and exploit them for others’ benefits. Traffickers give victims long-lasting

psychological scars that stay with them throughout the victim's life. Those psychological scars

include shame, fear, grief, distrust, self-hatred, and even Post-traumatic Stress Disorder
(Grimes). If a victim’s trauma is left unaddressed, the recovery of the victim can be quickly

undermined, which could possibly lead to the possibility of re-victimization. For example, group

therapy is a common example of therapeutic work that allows a group of victims to have a

conversation to share their stories and have the opportunity to understand that they are not

alone in their journey to recovery. Although the psychological scars from human trafficking can

be faded out by therapy and treatment, those scars will last permanently if an eclectic, consistent

approach is taken to combat such trauma.

Not only do traffickers inflict psychological effects on the victims, but they also inflict

horrible physical harm to the victims as well. Traffickers scar and abuse these individuals in a

non-consensual way that will lead to grave physical results. Physical harm that traffickers inflict

on victims consist of broken bones, concussions, burns, traumatic brain injury, and even can

result in the dysfunction of women's reproductive health (Grimes). The effects on women's

reproductive health include undesired sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and other

gynecological problems (Stop Violence Against Women). In an article by Tara Grimes, Grimes

points out an astounding study done by Dr. Janice Raymond:

According to a study done by Dr. Janice Raymond at the University of Massachusetts,

Amherst and Donna Hughes at the University of Rhode Island, 35 percent of the US

women and 7 percent of international women they interviewed reported major bones,

such as ribs and vertebrae, and smaller bones, such as fingers and toes were broken.

Eighty percent of the US women and 50 percent of the international women reported

bruises. (Grimes)
 In the passage above, it is clear to see Grimes’ overall purpose: to accentuate examples of

the various ways that physical abuse can be inflicted on the victim. Based off of the eye-opening

statistics, it can be clearly seen that the effects of human trafficking can lead to physical harm for

the entirety of the victims’ life.

Fig. 1. This political cartoon drawing suggests that human trafficking victims are treated

harshly, to the point of death, as shown within the presence of handcuffs on each of the hands

and skulls surrounding the word “Human Trafficking” (Tayo).

Trafficking an individual to profit off an individual’s body is an unacceptable and

unsustainable system that cannot be continued. In the words of Kevin Bales, “People do not

enslave people to be mean to them, they do it to make a profit,” the economic system of selling

humans does not gain anything but a consciousness of guilt and regret. While human trafficking,

drugs, and guns are three large illegal economic markets, the market of trafficking is most

attractive to criminals as the ‘product’ of human trafficking can be consistently reused, unlike

drugs and guns. This is the idea that continuously drives the horrendous business of human

trafficking. As a result of human trafficking, the economic desire of the traffickers has crippled

families as many victims are left without food and job, even when the trafficker may promise the

victims that they will be paid for their services. All in all, the international social injustice of
human trafficking has disproportionately advanced the life of the trafficker at the expense of

another human being.

If we are to end human trafficking, the modern-day form of slavery, we must work

together, as a world, and place the advocation of human trafficking on our agenda to do

whatever it takes to end human trafficking in our generation. Aforementioned, the effects of

human trafficking can lead to physical, psychological, and economic damage to the victims.

With that being said, if we, as a world, educate young adolescents on the ways to avoid getting

trapped into the horrible realm of human trafficking, the young, innocent adolescents will have a

better chance of keeping clear of it. If not, the growing generations will fuel human trafficking

and will be scared with psychological, physical, and economic burdens that stick with them

throughout the rest of their lives. This is the multi-billion dollar criminal industry that denies

freedom from 20.9 million people around the world; our generation must put this vicious cycle

to rest.
 Works Cited

Addressing The Internal Wounds: The Psychological Aftermath of Human

Trafficking. Issue brief. N.p.: United States Department of State,

2012. Print.

Bales, Kevin. "How to Combat Modern Slavery." Kevin Bales:.

Ted Talks, Feb. 2010. Web. 14 Mar.

Blue Campaign. "Redirect Notice." ​Redirect Notice​. Homeland Security, 4

Sept. 2015. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Grimes, Tara. "Psychological and Physical Effects Of Sex Trafficking On Its Victims."

Psychology Of Crime In The News. Word Press, 08 Dec. 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2016.

SVAW. "SVAW - Trafficking in Women: Explore the Issue." SVAW - Trafficking in Women.

Stop Violence Against Women, 2003. Web. 14 Mar. 2016.

Tayo. "Human Trafficking." EURweb Contributor Tayo Fatunla Looks Back at 2013,

The Year That Was (Human Trafficking), 23 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Mar.