Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world today.

It is now also a multi billion dollars a year industry. In short, human trafficking are sold, traded, and enslaved humans throughout the world for labor, servitude, and sexual exploitation. Above all else, these humans are bought and sold to make profit. They are dehumanized and treated as "assets". The human trafficking industry has actually only been around for about 30 years, but due to its rapid growth and severity throughou t the world, it's beginning to get the attention deserved so desperately. These victims have typically been believed to only be impoverished humans. While this may be common in there are far too many other humans to consider enslaved, to start stereotyping who a victim is. The reality is that as long as there is profit to be made, most humans can be potential victims. In the battle against human trafficking, the U.S. has been instrumental in passing specific acts, applying to national and international countries to help put a stop to it. No longer is anyone exempt from refusing action. This is a world issue, so the world will resolve it. Polaris Project is an organization designed to fight human trafficking and modern day slavery. Polaris has chosen Swift transportation to be involved in the ongoing battle by educating their employees on the issue of trafficking with awareness activities, such as Training, Technical Assistance, and Strategic Planning Program. This program was designed to help identify, assist, and report victims of trafficking of modern day slavery in the U.S. Which follows Polaris's main goal of reducing human trafficking. The main benefit of this proposal is to reduce human trafficking and protect human rights. Additional benefits include Sw ift transportation receiving notoriety for their involvement in the prevention of trafficking. Polaris would greatly appreciate a meeting with Swift Transportation executives, to discuss the arrangement of seminars by January 15th, 2010. Additional topics of discussion would be, to begin training, create incentives, and workshops. Most people perceive slavery as a part of the past. Something that ended years ago, but human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery and it occurs in many countries around the world today including the U.S. It includes sexual exploitation and forced labor. In fact, according to the Campaign to Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking it is the second largest criminal industry in the world. Human trafficking is currently tied with arms dealing and second to drug dealing. Even though the Trafficking Victims Protections Act of 2000 has made it a federal

crime in the U.S. over 1,200 alleged trafficking incidents were recorded between January 2007 and September 2008 (Jerusale m par. 1). Trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world and more people need to be aware so it can be stopped. Today human trafficking is defined as being the "modern day slavery" (Polaris Project par. 4). We also find that today, it has become the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. This industry now generates billions of dollars a year for traffickers profiting from literally millions of victims around the world. Money flow in this world-wide industry is typically found in the recruitment, harboring, and transportation of the exploited victims (Polaris Project par. 7). The words "human trafficking" is heard frequently, and yet, when some are asked to explain the horrors of human trafficking and its victims, there is still an obvious sense of ignorance in the matter. These victims are bought and sold for labor and sexual purposes every day. Labor tends to consist of basic servitude and smaller labor demands. These labor demands are also on a much larger scale for purposes suc h as working on farms, in sweatshops, and different multinational corporations. Trafficking for sexual exploitation is a whole different story. This has sadly and very oddly become one of the most private sects of human trafficking. Trafficking for sexual purposes can be for anything from prostitution, forced pornography, bride trafficking (sold into marriage), to sexual abuse. Knowing now what exactly it is that takes place during the process of trafficking, the question is: who are these people? It's commonly said that people only from impoverished and international countries are victimized. This myth is incorrect, and also includes virtually any kind of person as long as there is a profit to be made from potential victims. Over the last 30 years, the frequency of human trafficking has led to certain trends in different locations throughout the world. During these 30 years, the United States has involved themselves accordingly, and helped establish the cause for anti -human trafficking along the way. The prime locations of human trafficking in the world have shifted between largely depressed areas. In the 1970's, it was the most prominent in Southeast Asia and the Philippines. In the 1980's the wave shifted to countries like Uganda, Nigeria, and Ghana in Africa. By the 1990's, the hotspots of human trafficking had moved up and over to Europe and South America, into El Salvador and Guatemala. From there, it eventually resided in Brazil, Mexico, and The Dominican Republic.

After the 90's it then spread to countries such Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgaria. In 2000, it finally shifted to Central Asia to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Georgia. Present day human trafficking resides most commonly in countries such as China, Russia, Japan, Cambodia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Thailand, South Korea, and the United States. In late 2000, the U.S. Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act. This act became a landmark in anti -human trafficking because it employed the U.S. to use political and economic leverage to contain human trafficking globally. It requires the U.S. state department to give an annual evaluation of different government's performances in stopping human trafficking in their given countries. Each country was evaluated on their laws, policies, a nd practices used to hunt and prosecute traffickers. The country was then ranked on a scale of 1-3. Number one indicated the nation had been meeting act standards. Receiving a number two meant controlling issues, but solutions were in progress. Finally, a number three resulted and issue with no solution pursued. If the country was classified as a three, there was a public report released to the entire world, resulting in embarrassment ridicule. This prompted rethinking and planning on their part. A "number three" country will also be sanctioned by cuts to foreign aid, as well as opposition from the U.S. against any attempts for loans to their country. Although the Unites States has obviously showed great promise and leadership in the fight against human traf ficking, they still struggle with the issue on their own soil. It was estimated that 17,500 foreign victims are trafficked annually in the U.S. However, it's even more unsettling that the number of U.S. citizens being sexually trafficked within the United States is even higher at 200,000 people per year. As a result, many organizations were created to expose and battle this modern day slavery.