Currently, there is an estimated 2.5 million people who are in forced labor (including sexual exploitation) as a result of trafficking. People are reported to be trafficked from 127 countries to be exploited in 137, affecting every continent and every type of economy. Human trafficking was and still is an important issue affecting the world today. Human trafficking is a form of slavery and it is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. I believe that human trafficking is one of the most important crimes in world today, and we must shed more importance to it, and we have to prevent it as a community and a country.
According to the International Labor Organization, the total yearly profits generated by the human trafficking industry is 32 billion dollars. Just this amount alone shows that human trafficking is posing as a serious threat to everyone, not just its victims, but also the economy. Imagine if you were a victim of this “industry”, helpless and vunerable, what would you do? As citizens of a country, we all have to work together; to end this practice that is going on around the world right at this moment.
Another fact about human trafficking is that it takes anyone captive, no matter what age, no matter what race, and no matter what gender. According to the U.S. Department of State, there is an estimated 1 million children exploited by the commercial sex trade worldwide, every year. 70% of female victims are trafficked into the commercial sex industry. What this means is that 30% of the female victims are victims of forced labor.
Since 240,000 American children are estimated to be at risk for child sexual exploitation, our government has to enforce much more laws to combat human trafficking, and give much heavier punishments to the people who break the law and commit it. For the victims however, they need to have a strong support system to revive their emotional fears from what they have gone through. As a community, we need to work together to fight human trafficking and to also prevent it. We need to identify and report to the authorities if there is a suspected incident of human trafficking, that is why the country established a toll-free Human Trafficking Resource Center, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Human Trafficking Office of the Department of Justice. These things are for our use, which is why we must use it to our advantage. We need to open our eyes and identify these wrongdoings that people, both men and women are doing.
Some people may think that just legalizing prostitution would make human trafficking and this growing problem go away. In fact, what happens is the opposite. Take the Netherlands for example; they have seen a massive influx of human trafficking cases. Also take Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and other countries with tolerant attitudes concerning prostitution are atop the human trafficking list. Though the United States does not have tolerant attitudes concerning prostitution, human trafficking is still a constantly growing problem.
In conclusion, nothing good comes out of human trafficking. Its victims suffer long-term mental and physical problems, and its offenders just end up in jail. As a whole community, we have to fight this practice and we have to suppress it from growing, and for it to not get out of control. As a whole, we have to fight, and we have to be careful of our surroundings.