Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor; it is a modern day form of slavery.  And, it is also one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world. Trafficking in human beings involves the movement of people--mostly women and children--against their will by means of force for the specific purposes of sexual or labor exploitation. Sadly, poor families in our Third World Countries are forced to sell their children just to survive.  Examples include abduction for sexual and domestic service (including boys), abduction for debt release, the exchange of women for settlement of disputes, forced prostitution, and sexual exploitation of children. 

Unlike some human rights abuses which are primarily regional, sex trafficking is global in nature. Victims come from virtually all developing countries and are trafficked into or through virtually all developing and developed countries. It is estimated, for example, that 50,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year, most of whom are sold into prostitution. This exploitation knows no boundaries--nationality, race, or religion.  It is also not depend upon a  economic or social

standing. 

• A Cambodian working man may be able to purchase the use of a young Vietnamese girl for the price of one dollar. 

• On the other hand, another Vietnamese girl of the same age can be auctioned out at for as much as $200...more if she is still a virgin...to a European businessman in Hong Kong on a business trip. 

And afterwards, both of these girls will most likely be forced to service a countless number of American and local military men. 

• In South America, a girl will be trafficked into Canada under an “exotic dancer” visa and upon her arrival, will be forced into prostitution. 

• A desperately poor Romanian child will be used as a sex slave in the lucrative and depraved child pornography business, the reach and growth of which has become unlimited since the advent of the Internet.

And  it is the wealthy countries – through their military, businessmen, tourists, and the internet pornography subscribers--all of whom pay significantly more for the use of a sex slave – that keep this criminal industry extremely profitable for traffickers.

Is there an easy answer to combat this problem?  No.  Sadly, at this point, it is almost impossible to stop.   But here is a good way to start one step at a time.

California Law Means Pimps Could Lose Their Bling 

"This week the California state senate unanimously approved legislation which would allow courts to seize private property used to commit human trafficking. That means pimps and traffickers could lose their cars, homes, and gadgets. If passed, this sort of legislation would go a long way from deterring pimps from trafficking women and girls and provide important funds for trafficking survivors."--From "End Human Trafficking"