Look around your house. Do you have carpets? How about sugar, coffee, chocolate, fresh produce or rice in your kitchen? Do you wear athletic shoes, gold jewelry or cotton underwear? According to productsofslavery, these are only a fraction of the products made by child laborers. Children are not the only victims. Many adults have been wrongfully coerced into labor as well, and both children and adults have been forced into prostitution. This practice has become known as human trafficking, the world's fastest growing criminal enterprise. Many believe that human trafficking is only a problem in third world countries; however, the victims of human trafficking are children, parents, and professionals, and it is occurring all over the world. Federal action must be taken to eliminate this ever growing worldwide operation for the safety of humanity.
In the 1700’s, slaves were being imported from Africa to America, no questions asked. Then a couple hundred years went by and people started realizing that slavery had to end. Slavery was officially outlawed in spring of 1861 at the hand of Abraham Lincoln. Since then, there has never been a period of time when slavery was worse than it is now. There are about 31 million slaves in the world. Today. 2014. Human trafficking is the modern day slave trade. It’s the fuel behind the rising number of slaves especially since slavery generates billions of dollars each year just like in history. Despite popular belief, human trafficking is almost as popular in the US and other eastern countries as it is in the region of Asia. Stories on the news are sent in from faraway countries like Moldova and Cambodia, but the human trafficking operation is right here in the United States. There are the domestic workers in Maryland and New York, the tomato harvesters in Florida, the strawberry pickers in California, and the young girls being forced into prostitution in Wichita, Atlanta, Toledo, Los Angeles, and other cities all around the country. The chances of human trafficking occurring wherever you live are highly probable. According to the State of California, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego are some of the top hubs of human trafficking. When the problem is in your own backyard, it makes things a little more real. The spreading of awareness is salient. Although some might believe that other issues might be paramount to human trafficking, the lack of Federal action jeopardizes the lives and safety of many people’s loved ones around the globe.
In 2008 there were approximately 218 million child laborers worldwide. About 115 million of those were in hazardous work. There is no limit to the number of things we can do to help the victims of human trafficking and to prevent future incidents. The problem is, with all the other worldly disaster going on at the moment, somehow human trafficking is lost in the midst of every other unsolved problem. Compared to other life threatening occurrences, human trafficking might not seem that important, but how would you know that if nothing about human trafficking is on social media, on TV, advertised in movie previews, ads on the side of your computer screen? You might think you’re doing the right thing by standing up for cancer or another moral situation, but until you know all the facts about human trafficking, don’t just assume something else is more important. The traumatic experience of being lured or tricked into human trafficking doesn’t just affect the immediate victim, but also everyone who loved and cared about the victim. The family members still hope for the day when their “baby” comes back into their arms to finally start making up for the childhood they had missed due to them being kidnapped and forced into the sickening operation of human trafficking.
When many think of human trafficking victims, they think of people unlike themselves. The fact of the matter is that human trafficking is happening to normal teens, parents, and children all over the country. People just like you. CNN says, “Human trafficking doesn't discriminate on the basis of race, age, gender, or religion. Anyone can be a victim.” Most victims are female and under 18, but that doesn’t mean men still can’t be victims. Lack of education and living in an area stricken with poverty can both be factors; however, many with college degrees still have a likely chance of becoming victims. In far too many stories, the victim, usually a teenage girl or young adult, falls in love with an abusive partner. In the case of ‘Dai’, a victim of sex trafficking, as soon as she escaped from her abusive boyfriend, she was conned into being an escort through the incentive of food, money, and clothing. Once involved, it was five years of mental and physical abuse until Dai finally escaped. The odds of being involved in human trafficking are, unfortunately, all too likely and it’s extremely difficult to escape alive, once in the world of human trafficking. As a victim of human trafficking, you can’t see or contact any of the ones dear to you. Not only are you suffering but so are your family members who wonder every day what your fate is.
Compared to finding a cure to cancer, human trafficking might not seem like a big deal but it is. In 2012, there were 14.1 million cancer cases. Not deaths, just cases. In 2012, there were 27 million adult victims of human trafficking and 13 million child victims and these people don’t have any friends or family members by their side to support them through their hardship. DoSomething says, “Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. each year.” As important as a cure for cancer is, why does it get more attention when so many are suffering as a result of human trafficking? Now think about HIV/AIDS. It’s a tragedy how many people have died from HIV/AIDS. There were 1.6 million deaths in 2012. Compare it to human trafficking and you have 39.4 million more victims. The most horrible fact of the matter is that while the victims of human trafficking remain unsafe and unrecognized, HIV/AIDS and cancer have taken the spotlight for many years. This needs to end now. Human trafficking needs to become just as recognized as these diseases. However, how can anyone end these operations when people don’t even know about it? By bringing human trafficking to the forefront, and taking action, we can ensure each and every little girl and boy a safe childhood, full of love and warmth. We have to make this possible for all those kids who missed out. We have to make it important it for them.
Many ignore the problem of human trafficking, imprudently hoping that it might magically disappear. However, as we have known, ignoring the problem only allows the operation to continue to grow and thrive and allows the owners of slaves to walk free and continue on. Having this be regarded as a second rate problem is the antithesis of what we need to do. By focusing our energy on shutting down the entire human trafficking operation, we may be able to help those who have given up hope. We need to alert the world of the problems, and start thinking of ways to help get word out about the seriousness of this situation. There are countless ideas to really make human trafficking a prime issue. From including the issue of modern slavery in school curriculums, to writing to your state legislature on ways to combat human trafficking on a neighborhood basis, all proposals are important and worthwhile. This is our gift to the victims, and our time to act is right now. This generation has the drive and know-how to end human trafficking. All we need is the spark, which will light the flame. I hope that someday in the near future, we can proudly say that our world has abolished human trafficking and slavery for good.