Slavery in America: Not as Rare as One Would Think

            It is estimated that 14,500 to 17,500 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked to the U.S. annually (Frundt).  Few realize the atrocities occurring in the United States’ own backyard.  Living in fear and constant pain and torture, these women and children continue to live under the radar of the American people as victims of the sex trade.  With the help of the government solutions are possible, but what needs to be done is not being accomplished.  While slavery was outlawed more than one hundred years ago, it is still prevalent today, even on American soil.

            The “oldest profession” known to man continues today, even where it is illegal.  Women living under the aliases of being “entertainment girls, hospitality girls, prostitutes, or massage girls” blend into the culture of today flawlessly (Mirkinson).  Passer bys see them on the street without so much as a double glance.  Neighborhoods have reputations of ill fame; they are known to house the filth of the city.  This garbage or filth includes the thousands of young girls and boys being forced into slavery.  Taken from their families and sold into a life with no escape, young innocent children are thrown into the world of sex, greed, violence, and money (Mirkinson).  Girls are typically the aim for the sex market and can easily be bought, sold, and traded.  Led to believe that they are actually being flown to the United States for the chance at an honest career in a factory or some other believable story, these girls sign their lives away without realizing it (“Human”).  People witness these young women passing through airports but do not realize that once the girls leave the public domain, they are forever enslaved.  Without being able to communicate in English, slave girls cannot try to save themselves.  Processing girls into the United States and keeping them under the radar is not difficult, and, once under the radar, rarely will these girls be noticed by fellow US citizens.

            When arriving at their new home, girls involved in the sex trade find themselves tortured and prepared for what is coming to them.  Typically the pimp will intimidate and diminish every last hope that the girl may posses (Frundt).  Girls are not always foreign; some are simply runaways and rebels, abandoned by their families and find their “haven” through their pimps.  A life outside of slavery exists and some girls know that it does.  However, by having any chance or hope of escape crushed by their captors, defeat is inevitable for almost all.  The physiological effects of being a sex slave are incomprehensible to an ordinary citizen.  Girls lose anything to live for; depression and suicide occupy their minds (Mirkinson).  They live for nothing except to please their pimp and to hopefully one day be free of their dark lives.  Unfortunately, some reports say that girls who are in fact US citizens and turn to a life of prostitution have tried looking for a savior from their family and their pimps pretend to offer the solution to all of their problems (Kloer).  Thus, girls are all too willing to follow said man or woman and sell their lives in hopes for the happy life of their dreams.  Some girls, even after they are thrown into the world of sex trade, still believe that their pimp is the person who saved them and want nothing more than to work for him or her for the rest of their lives (Pomeroy).  These girls live in debt to their pimps for nearly the rest of their lives.  Even if living with their pimps is their choice, sex slaves go unnoticed to the world around them.

            However, the issue of what happens to these girls after their pimps throw them out onto the street to fend for themselves is a problem for every slave.  This only happens once a girl is no longer in demand or has grown too old for her clients. Typically, these girls have learned no other skills except how to use their body to survive, so they find a new pimp or try to make it on their own (Mirkinson).  Neither option is ideal.  If a girl finds another pimp, she continues to live a life of slavery and is indebted to that pimp until she is able to pay off her never ceasing debt.  She will work for her pimp until she becomes pregnant or dies.  The pimps who take older girls are tougher and have no sympathy whatsoever for their captives.  To them, their girls are nothing more than property, something that can be bought and sold with just a wave of the hand.  The other option of a girl trying to make it on her own is unlikely to end well.  Most likely, she will get arrested by the police for prostitution and she will not even realize that it is illegal.  Without an identity or any verification of this girl’s age, cops will still put girls in jail that are underage (Frundt).  Girls who are not arrested have to live with the chances of disease and pregnancy.  These girls cannot afford health care and, most of the time, are too frightened to approach a public or governmental building.  Those living this way do their best to stay hidden from the world for the world will only hurt them more.  America is home to thousands of young women wanting to find a way out but who are too frightened to try and find the way.

            The government is not completely oblivious to the problems occurring in its own backyard.  Multiple states have instituted stronger laws keeping tabs on illegal immigration of those in the sex industry.  Besides the state of Nevada, every other state in America has outlawed prostitution (U.S. Laws).  However, this has not stopped those wanting to keep sex slavery as a business.  In an effort to keep those who have suffered under the hands of captors and pimps, the government passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act to “combat trafficking in persons both worldwide and domestically” (U.S. Laws).  This law does not keep it from happening.  Thousands of young girls continue to suffer this terrible fate in the backyard of America without being heard.  Some Americans refuse to believe that this industry exists, while others cannot hear the cries because their ears and attention are focused on something else.  Surprisingly, there is not a bigger protest by the government for this type of slavery since slaver was outlawed in the US more than a hundred years ago.  Yet, it is still alive and thriving in the American economy. In fact, the sex industry is one of the biggest markets in the world and makes over billions per year (Mirkinson).  It may be fear of what will happen to the economy if it is completely shut down, but whatever the case the government has not reacted as it should.  Girls are alone and abused every day, minute, and second without the proper enforcement of laws.  These laws protect all citizens and guarantee their freedom, but thousands of people live unnoticed as slaves in a free country.

            Thankfully, organizations besides the government make it their missions to help those involved in sex and human trafficking in America and worldwide.  These are the people that care about what happens to those living in slavery in a modern world.  Feminist rights groups have fundraisers to spread the awareness of those in the sex industry.  Women feel the strongest about what happens to those living in slavery, for they have a connection through their femininity (Frundt).  However, it is not limited to women who are trying to change the US.  Groups formed by churches and communities have also tried to bring an end to the atrocity of slavery thriving in the US.  Many former slaves have received aid through these organizations, giving them the bravery to tell their stories (Mirkinson).  Being as vulnerable as one can ever be, these women share what it was like to live in darkness and sin daily.  They expose those who have remained hidden to American culture and are starting the movement of ending slavery once and for all in America.

The ignorance of Americans to the problems and ferocious atrocities in its borders can be overwhelming.  Sex slavery continues as one of the biggest industries in the world, with more slaves in the market now than ever before in history.  These women and children are forced into dangerous and abusive situations in order to pay off the debts to their captors.  After making enough to finally be free of their pimps, they have no idea how to make a living and continue into a downward spiral into prostitution.  Government help is scarce with little benefits, laws cannot pass a quickly as needed for solutions.  However, individuals and organizations have given more time and money to support an end to the sex trade in America.  Whether the government takes more drastic action or not is up to them but with the help of common citizens and non-profit organizations a stop to this atrocity is close.
Works Cited

Frundt, Tina. "Enslaved in America: Sex Trafficking in the United States." Women's Funding Network. Google. Web. 8 Nov 2010.

"HumanTrafficking.org | United States of America." HumanTrafficking.org: A Web Resource for Combating Human Trafficking in the East Asia Pacific Region. 2006. Google. Web. 8 Nov 2010.

Kloer, A.. "Sex Trafficking and HIV/AIDS: A Deadly Junction for Women and Girls. " Human Rights  1 Apr 2010: ProQuest. Web.  15 Nov 2010.

Laura A. Bischoff Columbus Bureau.  "Sex trade laws eyed: Penalties would rank among strongest in U.S. if Ohio adopts plan.. " Dayton Daily News  15  Apr 2010, ProQuest. Web.  15 Nov 2010.

Mirkinson, Judith. "Feminism and Women's Studies: Red Light, Green Light: The Global Trafficking of Women." Feminism and Women's Studies. Feminism and Women's Studies, 20 Sept 1994. Google. Web. 8 Nov 2010.

Pomeroy, E., and P. Browning. "Youths in Crisis. " Social Work  55.3 (2010): 197-201. ProQuest. Web.  15 Nov 2010.

"State Department: "What is Trafficking in Persons?" :Major forms include bonded labor, child soldiers, child sex trafficking. " State Department Documents / FIND  14 Jun 2010:  ProQuest. Web.  15 Nov

 2010.

"U.S. Laws and Legislation on Trafficking in Persons." U.S. Department of State. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

1. The average cost of a slave around the world is $90.
2. Trafficking primarily involves exploitation which comes in many forms, including:
• Forcing victims into prostitution
• Subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude
• Compelling victims to commit sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography
• Misleading victims into debt bondage
3. According to some estimates, approximately 80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation, and 19% involves labor exploitation.
4. It is estimated that there are approximately 27 million slaves around the world.
5. Between 2001 and 2005, 140 defendants have been convicted of human trafficking in the U.S. which is a 109% increase from 1996-2000.
6. Around half of trafficking victims in the world are under the age of 18.
7. More than 2/3 of sex trafficked children suffer additional abuse at the hands of their traffickers.
8. Children who are trafficked typically suffer from drug addiction, prostitution, or mental problems in their adult life.
9. When women are trafficked there is a greater chance for HIV/Aids, stds, and for damage to their reproductive abilities.
10. In the U.S. there is only one house for slave victims, it houses 7 to 9 people.
11. The fear of being hurt by their captors or having their families hurt is what keeps slaves from trying to receive help.

from: http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-human-trafficking