Human trafficking is a serious problem that occurs across the globe. Women and girls are the primary target for sex trafficking crimes, while men and boys are targeted for physical labor. Regardless of gender and race, human trafficking involves several key characteristics. These characteristics include false job offers, travel fees, removing important documentation from the victim, controlling the victim’s movement, threatening deportation, threatening to harm the victim’s family and physically harming the victim. (Hepburn, Simon). Human trafficking is kept in demand by the ability for groups and individuals to profit off of the victims. The profit stems from agricultural and factory jobs benefiting from male victim’s cheap labor and for female
…show more content…
In the United States and various other countries, prostitution is illegal. While this causes sex trafficking to have greater risks, it also causes the victims to become criminals. Women can be fearful to admit to their involvement in prostitution because of its illegal nature. For both genders, immigration laws also pose a problem. Social service workers are concerned that trafficking victims are arrested and deported without ever checking if they have been victimized. For example, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a meat packing plant in Pottsville, Iowa. Workers were found in horrid conditions and it was likely a result of trafficking. However, the workers were deported and officials never checked to see if they had indeed been trafficking victims. (Hepburn, Simon 12) There are many similar instances in which law enforcement has perhaps been overly preoccupied with immigrant worker’s legal status instead of the conditions they had been forced to work in. General labor is legal and consequently, it does not gain as much attention as a sex trafficking situation. When a factory is raided, law enforcement officials are searching for illegal immigrants and generally do not look for trafficking victims. (Heburn, Simon …show more content…
Many victims are lied to about the nature of the work they will be doing. What nearly all trafficked victims have in common, regardless of their country, sex or race, is that they were led to believe that they would receive a well-paying job. This is illustrated in a case in which women, some as young as 14 [were] trafficked from Mexico to Florida, who were falsely promised jobs as housekeepers and waitresses. Upon arrival in the US, the women had their travel documents confiscated, were raped and beaten, and forced into prostitution (Hepburn, Simon 5). If there were more awareness of human trafficking, potential victims would be able to recognize a risky situation and stop themselves from ever being victimized in the first
In the United States and various other countries, prostitution is illegal. While this causes sex trafficking to have greater risks, it also causes the victims to become criminals. Women can be fearful to admit to their involvement in prostitution because of its illegal nature. For both genders, immigration laws also pose a problem. Social service workers are concerned that trafficking victims are arrested and deported without ever checking if they have been victimized. For example, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raided a meat packing plant in Pottsville, Iowa. Workers were found in horrid conditions and it was likely a result of trafficking. However, the workers were deported and officials never checked to see if they had indeed been trafficking victims. (Hepburn, Simon 12) There are many similar instances in which law enforcement has perhaps been overly preoccupied with immigrant worker’s legal status instead of the conditions they had been forced to work in. General labor is legal and consequently, it does not gain as much attention as a sex trafficking situation. When a factory is raided, law enforcement officials are searching for illegal immigrants and generally do not look for trafficking victims. (Heburn, Simon …show more content…
Many victims are lied to about the nature of the work they will be doing. What nearly all trafficked victims have in common, regardless of their country, sex or race, is that they were led to believe that they would receive a well-paying job. This is illustrated in a case in which women, some as young as 14 [were] trafficked from Mexico to Florida, who were falsely promised jobs as housekeepers and waitresses. Upon arrival in the US, the women had their travel documents confiscated, were raped and beaten, and forced into prostitution (Hepburn, Simon 5). If there were more awareness of human trafficking, potential victims would be able to recognize a risky situation and stop themselves from ever being victimized in the first