Paste your
Sex Trafficking
Lisa A. Vizer
American Public University
CMRJ205 B0001 Sum 17
August 15, 2017
Abstract
The research I conducted on individuals who are trafficked for being coercion or force into sexual exploitation or known as the sex trade. I will provide information on what needs to be done to assist the survivors in having a successful and happy life. What protocols law enforcement officers need to follow to ensure they can detect a victim of human trafficking, the behaviors that they display to watch for. Then ensure the officer can provide a safe place for them to stay. I will provide the latest programs have been developed for victims to become self-sufficient, both socially and economically. It is known the prevalence is are biggest obstacle of being able to address human trafficking from all different angles, and I will address that as well. Finally, what can we do as a society to stop the illegal organized crime of human smuggling and human trafficking.
The Recruiting Process, Data & Statics
Human trafficking is an illegal, active, but lucrative international underground crime organization. When you hear the words human sex trafficking, some automatically think of women and children, but men are also included in the numbers. According to the United Nations, this act is the recruitment, transfer, harboring, transportation, or receipt of individuals who are forced or used for the sole intent of slavery, commercial sex or forced labor. These acts violate human rights for all mankind. No matter what the age of a child under 18 years of age, willing or not willing in participating in sexual acts with other. This is considered and defined as trafficking. Purely due to the age of the victim [1]. The average age of minor children between 12 -17, who are trafficked, is 15. The underground sex work industry in 2007, was said to have profited $39.9 to $290 million. The large difference in the amount of money documented to due to the recent acknowledgment of human trafficking, by law enforcement and human rights advocates [6]. It is crystal clear that there needs to be far more data gathered and collected on how these criminal underground organizations operate. The statistics I gathered, was from the biggest research data that could be conducted. As known, human trafficking is a difficult topic to receive accurate numbers due to the secrecy of their underground criminal society. The research that has been conducted and data analyzed, used five different mixed-methods, collecting data by quantitative and qualitative.
• Interviews with known participants of human/sex trafficking
• Information collected from the first-offender diversion program for prostitution
• Incident reports from law enforcements: including booking data & arrest sheets
• Data survey numbers from survivors
• Focus Groups from Schools
These totals were confounded from just eight major sex trafficking cities by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The cities included Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Miami, Kansas City, San Diego, Seattle, and Washington D.C. These victims were trafficked to the United States, for the sole purpose of being forced to work in the underground sex trade: 78% were from East Asia; followed by India, Thailand, Mexico, and Philippines. About India and Thailand, men make up 90% of survivors. American females make up 90% of the victims who are sold into sexual slavery, and are in Texas, New York, Mississippi, California (12%), and Florida [2].
Location & Manipulation Tactics
The majority to date also provided the relation between gangs and sex trafficking were increasing in numbers. Those persons who are forced into the sex industry are usually tricked, kidnapped, force, sold, or coercion. Young girls are easily tricked into thinking that her “pimp” is the only one that truly care for her and will NEVER make her do anything she is uncomfortable with. Traffickers are experts in making a young girl feel as though she is cared about. Expressing to her though she is the most important person in he/she’s life, and the sense of being cared for is the one thing missing in her true family [2].
When individuals pay money to be smuggled into the United States, that is still illegal, but cidered human smuggling instead of human trafficking. Once they are here, there is the unfortunate possibility that they could be forced into the sex trade. If they refuse, their lives and families are commonly threatened. The victim could also find themselves in situations where they are tortured sexually and physically harmed. These tactics are commonly used to manipulate, scare, force into cooperating, and doing as they are told. Human traffickers normally bring victims in to the U.S from other countries, but there always is the possibility that an individual can be bought by someone in another country. Therefore, then the person would be trafficked out of the United States. Human trafficking crime organizations are extremely powerful, dangerous, and cunning. That those individuals who are on flights to delivered to the “owner”, are too scared to tell anyone, even when the have the chance [2].
Modern-Day Slavery
Human Trafficking is defined as the modern-day slavery, and violates the victim’s 13th Amendment of the United States Constitution. That adheres by forbidding any involuntary domestic servitude or slavery, by forcing or coercing any individual into commercial sex acts, labor, or services (NJC, 2016). Law enforcement and human rights advocates started proactively trying to combat human trafficking in the 1990’s. In 2000, the TVPA (Trafficking Victims Protection Act) was inducted into law. Pimps make traveling from city to city a common practice in search for willing participants and smooth talking other victims. Promising them wealth and the lifestyle that they have been searching for. Once a victim is under the control of their “owner’s” mind games and manipulation, they are masters on praying on victim’s vulnerabilities. All different kind of tactics can be used to manipulate the victim, or used if they try to leave. One of the major tactics used is the pimp or the “owner” of the victim will inject them with drugs, usually heroin. Then when they disobey, the trafficker will let the victim go into withdrawals from the drug and become very sick. Until they comply to their demands, and then they will be supplied and allowed to use the drug. The other threat that is common is threatening to harm their families. Especially the individuals that pay to be smuggled to the United States, whom are still in debt to the trafficker that brought them over. The pimp could place them to work in the city in where they were found, or the victim will be smuggled to another state or even out of the
country. Smuggling usually occurs at night, when there are not as many cars on the road. This was the chances are getting caught are much less, without eye witnesses. Children workers are usually placed in the trunks of vehicles, by specific persons who their only job is to do is drive. These individuals will go into the places to where the children are sleeping in the middle of the night, and grab them as if they were being kidnapped. Even though the victims can be shipped anywhere. The eight main cities I spoke of earlier, are those cities with active trafficking, and the bigger cities have higher paying clients along with the lower probability of drawing attention to one’s self.
When I think of human sex traffickers, I think of flashy cars, jewelry, and having a shady criminal look to them. The fact is that your neighbor, whom works a 9-5, goes to church every Sunday, and you and your family live in what you think is a safe community. Sadly, there is a possibility that you couldn’t be more wrong. There is not a “typical” human sex trafficker look.
The Dangerous Web
The internet has become a large place where the sex industry parties will advertise and recruit for workers. It has been estimated that every three months there could be anywhere in the range of 38,000 advertisements posts that pertain to soliciting sex for money or the ability to obtain the daily necessities to survive. The internet as we know is the number one place for soliciting advertisements for sexual services throughout chat rooms, message boards, and many other sites that the average Joe cannot access.
It is estimated that 70% of victims are placed on the web for purchasing purposes, as if you were purchasing a puppy. are into the sex trade, are done due to being sold online. The internet has many places to go that the average person does not know how to obtain aka “dark web”, or the Backpage (where prostitutes advertise their services). The dark web is where pedophiles and child pornography is can be viewed while it is on live fed. The average person would not know how to access all these secret places (I don’t). This then raises the question to how computer savvy are these pedophiles and sex traffickers.
The Manipulation Process
There are some victims that are born into the sex trafficking industry, by their parents giving birth to a child specifically to be sold into the sex industry. These children unfortunately will often choose to stay with their “owner”, and will lie to law enforcement, if every questioned. Either this is due to being in fear for their life, or from being brainwashed to believing that this is their calling. The minors who are lured into the sex trade, by being promised the good life, are between the ages of 10 to 17. Runaways and homeless teens are prime pickings for the sex traffickers. Especially with young girls, because the pimp will use the girl’s lack of self-esteem to gain her trust. He will present himself as the family unit that she has been craving, win her over with gifts, and other material items. One of the differences between coercion used on adults, and the way minors are handled is quite different. Minors are normally not threatened, instead appealing provisions are used. Once he has her in his grasp, then the manipulation begins, breaking down of the girl’s self-esteem, and the control over whole being. According to the Victims of Human Trafficking (19%-44%) harm was threatened, and (28%-49%) were physically harmed. What is so damaging to these young children, many of them reported that they were also sexually assault by law enforcement. To a pimp, these actions by the officer is a jackpot, because they will ensure the victim will never talk to the police [3].
Training for Law Enforcement to Identify Trafficking Victims & New Technology
New programs are being created and designed for law enforcement officers need to receive special training to recognize the signs of a victim of human trafficking. The physiological abuse and manipulation is used day in and day out, after time, the victim will start to question on the side of truth. That their “owner” is looking out for their best interest, and that they were made for the sole purpose of performing sexual acts onto others. Even though the owner is not always physically present with the victim, they will conduct themselves as if he was there. If law enforcement happens to approach the individual he/she will insist that they are not in danger, if questioned. Research conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, there were said to be between 8,830-11,772 annually of surviving victims of sex trafficking. With only 1778 who interacted with their local law enforcement [1]. Due to the fear of what will happen to them from their owner, or if they are illegal and will end up being deported. This is the greatest importance to why law enforcement need to know how to spot victims and ask the precise questions, and with the knowledge of knowing more than half of victims of human trafficking are of another decent. Bilingual officers would be helpful, due to the high numbers in Spanish speaking victims. This will help the officers gain trust [6].
The Vera Institute of Justice designed a specific question form; (Trafficking Victim Identification Tool). This form entails the questions for law enforcement to ask to determine if the individual they are questioning is a victim of trafficking. The TVIT also expresses techniques and how to approach question the traumatized victim. The victim needs to feel as safe as possible for the interviewing process to be successful. Some of those suggestions are for the law enforcement officer to wear plan street clothes, make sure the room is not an interrogation room, express empathy, concern, and show sympathy. The TVIT has been proven to be extremely accurate when determining a human trafficking victim [5].
Human Trafficking Survivors & Programs
There are several programs to help sex trafficking victims get out of the sex trade, help them learn skills to survive their existent, and provide them with counseling to heal. Specific programs are generally geared towards the rehabilitation of the life that they only have known. In the hopes that they do not go back to that lifestyle. From January 2011 to June 2013, 201 juveniles utilized these programs which grants where made available through the Victims of Crime funded by the DOJ. Three-quarters of the 201 juveniles that used these programs, were females, and African American having been the biggest group. These programs are always opened to all juveniles. Whether the young adults are transgender, gay, or male. The goal and focus is get these kids off the street, schooling, legal aid, health care, and many other programs made available to them free of cost [6].
Chicago: Salvation Army Trafficking Outreach Program and Intervention Techniques (STOP-IT), was designed in 2006. Helps families and children of foreign countries that were previously that are actively involved in the sex trade. They are also aligned with Partnership to Rescue our Minors from Sexual Exploitation (PROMISE) [6].
New York City: Streetwork Project at Safe Horizon (1995): Provides drop-in, short term and emergency housing with programs assisting with medical care, substance abuse issues, and services to help with any kind of mental illnesses that they may have developed due to the physical and physiological abuse in trafficking. All genders of children are welcome, up to 24 years of age. Who were previously and currently involved in the sex trade industry.[6].
San Francisco: Standing Against Global Exploitation Everywhere Project (SAGE), is specifically designed in 1992; for females 18-24, who want to escape from the sex industry/trade, where involved prior, and now are too old to be placed by the Courts. In 1995, an additional outreach program was developed in the plan of being directed towards sex trafficked teenage girls. In the hopes of helping and encouraging them to take a positive path for their future life. Providing them with proper tools in developing life skills, self-esteem, and assigning them with a case manager to guide them along the way [6].
Work Cited
[1] UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children March 2007: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/treaties/CTOC/index.html (Retrieved August 19, 2017).
[2] National Institute of Justice, “Gangs and Sex Trafficking in San Diego” September 20, 2016, from NIJ.gov: https://nij.gov/topics/crime/human-trafficking/pages/gags-sex-trafficking-i-san-diego-aspx (Retrieved August 15, 2017).
[3] Gibbs, D., Lutnick, A., Miller, S., & Klickman, M. (2014). Evaluation of Services for Domestic Minor Victims of Human Trafficking: Research Triangle Institute/Grant Number:2009-VF-GX-0206
[4] National Institute of Justice,” A Screening took for Identifying Trafficking Victims”. Sept.20, 2016: NIJ.gov. (Retrieved August 15, 2017)
[5] Vera Institute of Justice, (June 2014). Screening for Human Trafficking: Guidelines for Administering the Trafficking Victim Identification Tool (TVIT). Document No:236713 (www.dhs.gov/end-human-trafficking).
[6] National Institute of Justice (April, 2014): Expert Working Group on Trafficking in Persons Research Meeting. Washington, D.C. Office of Justice Programs.
essay in here…