Modern Day Slavery - Alive & Well
If you live in the United States, the word slavery probably takes you back to your history days in school, picturing a large plantation mansion, where African Americans, then called Negros, worked the cotton fields in the south so the owners of them didn't have to. That portion of our history is horrific and slavery as we knew it then, has been desolated.
However, there is a current form of slavery called
human trafficking, which is as sickening and disgusting as the 1800's in early
America. Human trafficking doesn't receive a lot of media attention,
although it's finally gaining some momentum now that celebrities and other
well-known figures are speaking out on the topic. This needs to happen
more.
What is human trafficking? By definition,
it's the illegal movement of people, typically
for the purposes of forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation. In
short, human beings are being forced into having sex with others, and working
in horrific conditions, and most of the time there isn't much anyone can do to
help.
Gangs and criminal rings are finding
that human trafficking is more lucrative than trafficking in drugs, weapons,
and the like. It's more money for them and less dangerous also.
But this takes place far away from
the United States right? I mean, you don't see it on the news and really
isn't a "hot topic" much, if at all. I suppose this takes place
only in 3rd world countries and the poor being the victims, right? WRONG!
1.6 million children in the USA have
been victim to the sex trade industry already. For perspective, slavery
was abolished in 1808, and the Negro slave population peaked at 4 million.
I am in no way trying to minimize it, but the disparity of numbers
between the two is disturbing and hopefully provides you some perspective.
Why Sex Trafficking? Sex trafficking is the fastest growing business of organized
crime, with an estimated revenue of $32 billion annually, or $87 million a day.
Human trafficking is the world’s second-largest criminal enterprise, second
only to drugs. So how are sex traffickers making so much money? The primary
source of income for traffickers comes from the cash quotas that are strictly
imposed on their victims that range from $500 - $1,000 per night on average.
If quotas are not met the girls are
punished for failing, normally with physical violence and many are forced back
into whatever venue of commercial sex they are ensnared in until they meet the
said quota. So, how does all of the pain traffickers are inflicting add up
monetarily? Well, if a trafficker had four women working 7 days a week, meeting
quotas of $500/night they’d make $632,000 in one year, a startling number
considering it came from abusing young women and girls.
Who Are Victims? The victims for trafficking are almost
always female (94%), 75% are US Citizens, and 88% are minorities. Most children are between the ages of
12-14 when they enter the commercial sex industry. Let me repeat this so you can digest it, 12 to 14 years old!
Where Are They Found? Most sex traffickers find their victims
by specifically targeting women and children in vulnerable positions, or those
that have experienced abuse - either sexually or physically. In fact, 90% of all victims have a
history of sexual abuse.
Traffickers or pimps then use threats,
lies, violence, and other forms of manipulation to keep the victim involved in
the sex industry. Victims of sex trafficking can be found in a variety of
venues like street prostitution, strip clubs, massage parlors, online escort
services, and residential brothels.
Each year in the USA, 2.8 million
children run away from home, and 33% (or 924,000) eventually end up in the
trafficking industry.
In doing research for this article, I
noticed that statistics varied quite a bit from source to source. I tried to use the most current and
medium numbers to provide the most accurate statistics. Whether the numbers are 100% accurate
or not, if there is one person taken, that’s too many.
How you can help?
1. Share this article on your social media and make your family and
friends aware of the data. I’m
guessing they will gasp and say, “I had no idea it was this bad.”
2. Call 1-888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733) to reach the
National Human Trafficking Research Center. Here you can report criminal activity, connect with
anti-trafficking services in your area, and obtain further information and
training.
3.
Visit the below sites
for many ways to help stop this madness.
It physically makes me ill to try and fully comprehend the pain, fear, agony, physical and mental anguish, sadness, hopelessness, and trauma these children experience. It’s time for everyone, ON THE PLANET, to get involved, stand up against these crimes, and make changes that can protect these innocent children.
I hope and pray you get involved, even if it's just sharing this article. Education and awareness on this topic must be on the front page, continue to be spoken about, and not forgotten.
If one of these children were your own...what would you do?
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