Nothing drives the passion and stirs the emotion more than the horrendous stories of modern day slavery, also known as human trafficking. Human trafficking is the coercion of human beings for the purpose of forced labor, sexual exploitation or both and is a worldwide problem.1 What is human trafficking? The U.S. State Department categorizes human trafficking under two major classes, sex trafficking and involuntary servitude. Involuntary servitude is defined as the impressment of persons for labor services, most of who are harbored in confining conditions or as actual slaves. Sex trafficking is defined as the procurement and use of persons for commercial sex that is induced by force or coercion.1 Although there are two classifications,
…show more content…
According to Kevin Bales, “There are approximately twenty to thirty million slaves in the world today.” More than 70% of victims are female and half are children.3 Teens are commonly trafficked. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14 years old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.4 Victims are often afraid to ask for help out of fear of being charged with a criminal offense themselves. Victims of sex trafficking are often prosecuted as criminals. This includes children below eighteen years of age. 1 Prosecuting these victimized kids is a problem itself. Jennifer Solak said, “If children under the age of eighteen cannot legally consent to sex, then why do they have to prove coercion?” Often victims who are being charged with a sex crime will have to prove they have been coerced, which can be almost …show more content…
15% of these calls are from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.6 As a state with one of the largest borders in the county, Texas is widely considered a major destination of transit for human trafficking. One of every five human trafficking victims can be found enslaved in Texas. Between 2007 and 2009 Bexar County Task Force, near San Antonio, Texas, reported more than 100 cases of human trafficking.1 The reported number has only increased from 2009 to 2015. Two other cities, El Paso and Houston, have also reported high levels of trafficking. The interstate I-10 corridor in Texas was identified as one of the main routes used for this
According to Kevin Bales, “There are approximately twenty to thirty million slaves in the world today.” More than 70% of victims are female and half are children.3 Teens are commonly trafficked. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is 12 to 14 years old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children.4 Victims are often afraid to ask for help out of fear of being charged with a criminal offense themselves. Victims of sex trafficking are often prosecuted as criminals. This includes children below eighteen years of age. 1 Prosecuting these victimized kids is a problem itself. Jennifer Solak said, “If children under the age of eighteen cannot legally consent to sex, then why do they have to prove coercion?” Often victims who are being charged with a sex crime will have to prove they have been coerced, which can be almost …show more content…
15% of these calls are from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area.6 As a state with one of the largest borders in the county, Texas is widely considered a major destination of transit for human trafficking. One of every five human trafficking victims can be found enslaved in Texas. Between 2007 and 2009 Bexar County Task Force, near San Antonio, Texas, reported more than 100 cases of human trafficking.1 The reported number has only increased from 2009 to 2015. Two other cities, El Paso and Houston, have also reported high levels of trafficking. The interstate I-10 corridor in Texas was identified as one of the main routes used for this