Imagine something for a moment, imagine being a slave. “Globally, the average cost of a slave is $90.” (11 Facts) Slavery is alive and prospering in the United States; many people mistakenly believe that human trafficking is a small industry that is only found in third world countries. In reality, “Human trafficking is the third largest international crime industry (behind illegal drugs and arms trafficking.) It reportedly generates a profit of $32 billion every year. Of that number, $15 billion is made in industrialized countries.”(11 Facts) Human trafficking is a large, global problem and until the population realizes this it will continue to thrive in the shadows. The problem is that many people, including those made to protect us
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Many people believe slavery in the United States ended in 1863 when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, others choose the year 1865 when congress ratified the thirteenth amendment. What these people do not realize is that “Slavery is alive and flourishing. It happens everywhere. Wherever there are people there is [human trafficking].”( Slavery never ended in the United States, the Human Trafficking Resource Center claims “Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will.”(Human Trafficking) More needs to be done to stop this violent obstruction of human rights. To counteract this brutal industry, our government needs stronger laws and punishments for traffickers. “Left unchecked, human trafficking will continue to flourish in environments where traffickers can reap substantial monetary gains with relatively low risk of getting caught or lost profits.”(Human Trafficking) The industry hidden from the eyes of the public and the law enforcement has had 5,554 cases reported this year(Hotline Statistics). This problem will not go away on its …show more content…
“Many government officials see the victims as criminals(prostitutes) and find that the easiest thing to do is have the person arrested and charged with a crime(and when applicable deported). These acts strengthen the traffickers’ position.”(George 575) Due to a lack of training and education officers are helping traffickers by not helping the victims and by reinforcing the traffickers lies to keep the victims scared of the police. Until our officers can distinguish the signs of human trafficking it will continue to thrive. Some signs of human trafficking are large debt, being fearful-anxious especially around law enforcement, avoiding eye contact, lack of medical care, abuse signs, a lost sense of time or direction as well as many other things.(Recognizing The Signs) Many people would be saved from a life of slavery and abuse if our officers learned these signs. Meekins states “Victims are missed until there is awareness among local law enforcement. A major step in combating human trafficking is to educate officers about what human trafficking is, what signs to look for, and how to report it.” Meekins “met a police officer who worked in a small, affluent town in Florida who told [Meekins] he had requested to attend training on trafficking, but his chief refused to say, “We don’t have that crime in this town.” Meekins offered this officer 's several
Many people believe slavery in the United States ended in 1863 when President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, others choose the year 1865 when congress ratified the thirteenth amendment. What these people do not realize is that “Slavery is alive and flourishing. It happens everywhere. Wherever there are people there is [human trafficking].”( Slavery never ended in the United States, the Human Trafficking Resource Center claims “Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will.”(Human Trafficking) More needs to be done to stop this violent obstruction of human rights. To counteract this brutal industry, our government needs stronger laws and punishments for traffickers. “Left unchecked, human trafficking will continue to flourish in environments where traffickers can reap substantial monetary gains with relatively low risk of getting caught or lost profits.”(Human Trafficking) The industry hidden from the eyes of the public and the law enforcement has had 5,554 cases reported this year(Hotline Statistics). This problem will not go away on its …show more content…
“Many government officials see the victims as criminals(prostitutes) and find that the easiest thing to do is have the person arrested and charged with a crime(and when applicable deported). These acts strengthen the traffickers’ position.”(George 575) Due to a lack of training and education officers are helping traffickers by not helping the victims and by reinforcing the traffickers lies to keep the victims scared of the police. Until our officers can distinguish the signs of human trafficking it will continue to thrive. Some signs of human trafficking are large debt, being fearful-anxious especially around law enforcement, avoiding eye contact, lack of medical care, abuse signs, a lost sense of time or direction as well as many other things.(Recognizing The Signs) Many people would be saved from a life of slavery and abuse if our officers learned these signs. Meekins states “Victims are missed until there is awareness among local law enforcement. A major step in combating human trafficking is to educate officers about what human trafficking is, what signs to look for, and how to report it.” Meekins “met a police officer who worked in a small, affluent town in Florida who told [Meekins] he had requested to attend training on trafficking, but his chief refused to say, “We don’t have that crime in this town.” Meekins offered this officer 's several