Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

 

The brutality and horrors associated with human trafficking awaken our most disgusting of memories concerning slavery.  Human trafficking while illegal in most countries has not received the level of attention one would expect from a humane society.  In fact, most people when polled believe that human trafficking is a rare occurrence that does not exist in their communities.  However, social scientists estimate that at any given period of time there are 27 million human trafficking victims in the world which generate over $32 billion in profits.  Human trafficking is a major enterprise that has revenues that exceed Microsoft, Nike and other major corporations.  Human trafficking is underestimated in that most governments, including Michigan have failed to create an infrastructure that is effective at measuring the full extent of this problem.  Even more difficult to measure is the number of American children that are forced into sex trafficking.  Current estimates suggest there are 100,000 – 300,000 children prostituted in the U.S.  In addition, over half the victims of sex trafficking are women of color. Such traffickers as Sedrick Mitchell of Wayne County targeted victims as young as 14-years-old and is serving 35 to 60 years in prison. 

 

Human trafficking involves fraud, force and coercion for the purpose of commercial sex exploitation or forced labor.  Human trafficking exists when a person is forced to engage in the commercial sex trade or perform free labor.  Victims of human trafficking are often persons with the highest levels of vulnerability, including, minors, runaways, members of the LBGT community, undocumented immigrants, those mentally incapacitated, the poor and the elderly.  Traffickers deceive victims with promises of access to education, health care and economic stability.  However these promises are never delivered.  Instead, traffickers violently beat and rape victims while holding them captive through a system of fear induced control.  Traffickers often brand and tattoo their victims as a measure of control and marketing.  

The trafficking of persons for commercial sexual exploitation largely involves females however new research indicates that the sex trafficking of men and boys is on the rise.  Teenage runaways are especially vulnerable to human trafficking.  Traffickers target runaways that have limited support networks which place the victims in compromising positions of economic dependency.  Human traffickers take advantage of victim vulnerabilities and establish environments of isolation from mainstream society.  The victims are instructed that they or family members will be killed if police are contacted.  In addition, the victims learn that they will be arrested by police if contacted for prostitution.  Victims are constantly monitored by traffickers and every aspect of their life is controlled, including food, shelter, clothing and safety.  

 

The victims of sex trafficking are often ostracized by community members and willing participants in the commercial sex trade.  Minors cannot willingly involve themselves in the commercial sex trade and have been coerced to engage in sex acts.  Victims of sex trafficking have both physical and psychological injuries that leave permanent damage.  Victims suffer from sexually transmitted diseases and other health issues including the emotional stress involved from been beaten regularly and forced to have sex with strangers.  Resources to assist victims of human trafficking are minimum but gradually increasing as public awareness increases.  Survivors of human trafficking need financial resources for medical treatment, education, employment, food and housing.  

 

 The recommendation for the concept of Safe Harbor argues that minors don’t have the legal ability to consent to the commercial sex trade and therefore should not be arrested for prostitution.  Safe Harbor would make it illegal to arrest a minor for prostitution and provide law enforcement with training to further pursue persons involved with sex trafficking.  This paradigm in the law enforcement mindset argues that minors involved in the commercial sex trade are not delinquents but true victims.  The concept of Safe Harbor is presently not Michigan law but has been recommended to legislators.  There are further recommendations to increase the penalties against “Johns.”  U.S. federal law states that forcing or coercing a person under the age of 18 to engage in prostitution is a felony crime and many argue that “Johns” should be charged with such a felony.  There are also current recommendations for legislators to increase the criminal and civil penalties associated with human trafficking. 

 

Human trafficking is a concern that should be of utter importance to all in society.  The community should be made aware of human trafficking and encouraged to become involved in such positive movements as the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force.  Citizens should undertake the prevention of human trafficking by mentoring and educating vulnerable minors of this issue.  Adults have the ability to provide positive mentorship to a child and therefore reduce vulnerabilities and increase public awareness.  Furthermore, society must hold its government responsible for a proactive and reactive response that is sensitive to victims and holds traffickers and consumers of those sexually exploited accountable.  The humanity of our world must not allow human trafficking to exist.  However when human trafficking does occur society must support victims with a sense of compassion and humanity.  

 

For more information on a national level log on to  http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview.  For local information, log on to  http://www.humantrafficking.msu.edu/ or call 517-749-2345.