Sex Trafficking

By: Justin Saxman & Dan Buchy

What is Sex Trafficking

Trafficking primarily involves exploitation which comes in many forms, including: forcing victims into
prostitution, subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude and compelling victims to commit
sex acts for the purpose of creating pornography.
Sex trafficking is a form of modern slavery that exists throughout the United States and globally.
Sex trafficking is when a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion or when the
person induced to perform the act is under 18 years old. A commercial sex act means any item
of value is traded for any sexual service (prostitution, pornography, or sexual performance).
Domestic minor sex trafficking is the commercial sexual exploitation of American children within
U.S. borders for monetary or other compensation (shelter, food, drugs, etc.). This is synonymous
with child sex slavery, sex slavery, child sex trafficking, prostitution of children, and commercial
sexual exploitation of children (CSEC).

History of Sex Trafficking

Human trafficking has been around for thousands of years but sex trafficking has been
seen as a major problem since only the late 1900s.
In 1904 an International Agreement for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic
(League of Nations 1920) was signed in Paris
In 1910, 13 countries signed the International Convention for the Suppression of the
White Slave Trade (United Nations 1951). While the 1904 Agreement addressed the
migration side of the issue, the 1910 Convention focused on the criminalization of
trafficking.

Facts of Sex Trafficking

1.

According to some estimates, approximately

80% of trafficking involves sexual exploitation,
and 19% involves labor exploitation.

2.

According to the U.S. State Department,

600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked
across international borders every year, of
which 80% are female and half are children.

3.

The average age a teen enters the sex trade in

the U.S. is 12 to 14-year-old. Many victims are
runaway girls who were sexually abused as
children.

Facts Continued
4. There are more human slaves today than ever before in
history.
5. There are an estimated 27 million adults and 13 million
children that are victims of human trafficking today.
6. An estimated 30,000 victims of sex trafficking die each
year from abuse, disease, torture and neglect.
7. A trafficker can buy a woman for about $10,000 and
make their money back in a week if the girl is young and
pretty. Woman can earn approximately $250,000 a year for
their trafficker.
8. Russia, Ukraine, Albania, China and Thailand are where a
large amount of victims of trafficking come from.
9. Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Turkey and the United
States a large destination points of the victims.

How do
Traffickers
recruit victims?
Many pimps often use a lover-boy
technique to recruit girls from
middle and high schools. A loverboy will present himself as a
boyfriend and woo the girl with
gifts, promises of fulfilled dreams,
protection, adventure - whatever
she perceives she is lacking.
Traffickers use social media sites to
recruit teenagers. After securing
her love and loyalty, he will force
her into prostitution.

Media

Combating the Problem

In October 2000, the U.S. Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which
includes the prevention of trafficking, the prosecution of criminals and protection and
assistance to victims of trafficking, both in the United States and abroad.
The U.S. Department of Justice has prosecuted about 400 cases of trafficking since 2000
The U.S. Department of Labor funds anti-trafficking programs overseas and monitors
places of employment in the U.S. to identify abusive labor practices.

Related to Rubins Text

Rubin tells us in her paper that the roles of women in society are related to the standards of society. In
the past women were expected to stay at home all day and take care of the children and the house.

In the United States these social standards have completely changed in the past 100 years. There are
still women and men who believe in the older standards but many feminist groups have made great
strides to allow women to do whatever they put their mind to.

Women who are kidnapped into sex slavery come from countries that still have social standards that
believe in keeping women in the house. These countries see women as a property and there isnt
much legislation trying to stop the flow of sex trafficking allowing traffickers to continue kidnapping.

In these countries some parents will sell their children into slavery to make money and this is seen as
exceptable.

How to make a change!

1.

Incorporate human trafficking information into your professional associations conferences, trainings,
manuals, and other materials as relevant.

2.

Join or start a grassroots anti-trafficking coalition.

3.

Meet with and/or write to your local, state, and federal government representatives to let them know
that you care about combating human trafficking in your community, and ask what they are doing to
address human trafficking in your area.

4.

Distribute public awareness materials available from the Department of Health and Human Services or
Department of Homeland Security

5.

Volunteer to do victim outreach or offer your professional services to a local anti-trafficking

organization.

6.

Donate funds or needed items to an anti-trafficking organization in your area. .

7.

Organize a fundraiser and donate the proceeds to an anti-trafficking organization.

What you can do!

Learn to Recognize the Signs of human trafficking in your community.
Call the hotline at 1-888-373-7888 if you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking.
Send a text to BeFree (233733) if you need help.
Visit our Action Center to find opportunities to tell your elected officials to take action against sex
trafficking.

Sources
Works Cited
11 Facts About Human Trafficking . (n.d.). Retrieved from Do Something.Org:
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-human-trafficking
20 Ways You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking. (n.d.). Retrieved from U.S Department of State:
http://www.state.gov/j/tip/id/help/
55 Little Known Facts about Human Trafficking . (2011, January 2). Retrieved from Random Facts:
http://facts.randomhistory.com/human-trafficking-facts.html
Kangaspunta, K. (n.d.). A Short History of Trafficking in Persons . Retrieved from Freedom From
Fear Magazine: http://f3magazine.unicri.it/?p=281
Polaris . (n.d.). Retrieved from Sex Trafficking in the US: http://www.polarisproject.org/humantrafficking/sex-trafficking-in-the-us
What is Being Done. (n.d.). Retrieved from Innocents at Risk: http://www.innocentsatrisk.org/humantrafficking/what-is-being-done