Exploitation of vulnerability is the deep root of trafficking. People who are vulnerable are mainly targeted for trafficking because they are unable to protect, defend, or help themselves. In different populations around the world, there are groups of people who are depreciated because of multiple factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, living in poverty, having been raped, not having a supportive family to guide them, or even not being able to fight back when they are being manipulated. Traffickers find these people vulnerable because some have already been introduced to the prostitution life, some are in need of love, and some need a little extra cash to make ends meet. Taking a look around the world, there are millions of people that are considered vulnerable, and most of them are known to be women and children. Although there are many men that are involved with trafficking, many more women are affected. According to the U.S. State Department, of the 20.9 million victims of human trafficking (Polaris Project), 80% of victims across international borders are female, and half of them are children. (11 Facts About Human Trafficking). After reading the reasons for people being vulnerable, it can be inferred that the main reason children are trafficked is because they are simply helpless. It is …show more content…
Many people don’t feel sorry for women that have chosen prostitution. They think that the women made that decision because they like to have sex with people. But the fact is, most of these women aren’t sold into slavery just because they want to. The founder of Exodus Cry, Benjamin Nolot, said it clearly by stating, “It begins with a breaking process.” The mindset of these women is broken and beaten down to where their bodies go into survival mode, meaning they form a bond with their pimps or molesters. These women didn’t choose their lifestyle; they are slowly being convinced that they need rape and abuse to survive (What is Human Trafficking?). Many physical problems are promoted as well when people are put into harsh conditions. For example, sex trafficking victims often contract HIV/AIDS from having sex with multiple people. Twelve percent of people in prostitution contract AIDS (Sex Workers and HIV/AIDS). Victims often have lasting effects even after they are rescued. After being in shock for a long time, then coming out of the situation, usually causes the person to reflect on what they went through. They go through chronic depression and find it hard to focus on living a normal life. Sometimes, a person may even return to prostitution because it’s all that they know. Without proper rehabilitation, the victims of