Trafficking

3 Pages 715 Words

Trafficking in persons is a modern-day form of slavery, involving victims who are typically forced, defrauded or coerced into sexual or labor exploitation. It is among the fastest growing criminal activities, occurring both worldwide and in individual countries. Annually, at least 700,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked worldwide, including 50,000 persons into the United States. The unequal status of women and children in the world has led to exploitation on every continent, including the United States where personal freedoms are cherished. Women are snared into trafficking by various means. For example, physical force is used or false promises are made regarding a legitimate job or marriage in a foreign country to entrap victims into prostitution, pornography and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation or slavery-like labor conditions in factories and fields. Victims suffer physical and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, passport theft, and physical restraint. Traffickers have taken advantage of the disparate position of women and girls in the source and transit countries, including harmful stereotypes as women as property, commodities, servants, and sexual objects. Traffickers have also taken advantage of the demand for cheap unprotected labor, and the promotion of sex tourism in some countries. Trafficking into the sex industry also has serious societal consequences as it contributes to the spread of HIV and AIDS. Some trafficked women are required to engage in unprotected sex. Particularly disturbing is a case uncovered by INS where at least one trafficker was purchasing HIV-positive females because he found them to be cheap labor and since he believed they had nothing to live for. The trafficking industry worldwide also is closely intertwined with other related criminal activities, such as extortion, racketeering, money laundering, and bribery of public officials, d...