U.S.

News:FBIStingSpotlightsHumanTraffickingArizonaOperationLeadstoArrestsfor
AllegedAttemptstoPurchasePeopleforForcedLabor;CriticsClaimOverreachisa Wall
StreetJournalarticlebyZushaElinson.Inthisarticle,Elinsondiscussesastingoperationthat
wasranbytheFBIandPhoenixPoliceDepartment.Theoperationfollowedaslavetrading
organizationthatwasmostlyforcingchildrenintothesextrade,withindividuals across the
UnitedStatesattemptingtomakepurchases.Afakesexslaveauctionwassetupinordertocatch
thoseinvolvedwithhumantraffickingassellersandpurchasers.Iwasinterestedinthisarticle
becauseitrelatedtowhatIhavebeenlearningabouthumantraffickingandalsobecausethe
investigationwasbasedlocallyinPhoenix.Nearly21millionpeoplearevictims offorced
labor, sexual and otherwise, globally, according to the International Labour Organization, a
UnitedNationsagency.About1.5millionareinNorthAmerica,theEuropeanUnionandother
developedcountries,theorganizationsays(Elinson).Itisalsonotedthatprosecutionsforsex
traffickingcrimesarerapidlyincreasing,withtheJusticeDepartmentwinning174convictionsin
2013versus47in2009(Elinson).Thesenumbersarepromisingandshowthatpossiblymoreis
being done to catch these predators. It is promising that progress is being made but still
disturbingthatthesetypesofeventsarestilloccurring.Readingthisarticlemademethinkabout
Redikersdescriptionandexplanationsofwhattheslavetradewaslike.Ialsowasremindedof
therelationshipbetweentheslaveshipcaptainsandtheslaves.Peoplewereseenasnumbersand
asourceofmoneyratherthanhumans.RedikerstatesthatbythetimeGreatBritainandthe
UnitedStatesabolishedtheslavetradein18071808,whathadtheslaveshipwrought?Ithad
alreadycarried9millionpeopleoutofAfricatotheNewWorld(347).Thishugeamountof
people were stripped away from their homes and often families for the purpose of making

someoneelsemoney.Iseethisasexactlythesamethingthattraffickingvictimsareexperiencing
today.
Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery by Janice Crompton of the Tribune
BusinessNewsisanarticlethatdiscussesgirlsandwomenwhoaresufferingfromhealthissues
asaresultofhumantrafficking.Thesegirlsandwomenaredealingwithmentalhealthissues
andphysicalissuesfromtheirpoortreatmentandabuse.Posttraumaticstressdisorderisoneof
themostcommonsideeffectsseenbyhealthprofessionals.Thiscanmakeitdifficultforthe
girlsandwomentomoveoninlifeoncetheyhavebeenremovedfromthesesituations.They
havebecomeusedtotheenvironmentandareunsureofhowtosurviveintheoutsideworld.The
victimsareexploitedanddestroyedforthegainofthecaptors.Cromptonpointsoutinthearticle
thathumantraffickingmakesprofitsofabout$32billiondollarsworldwideandhasvictimized
over12millionpeople(Crompton)."Youcanselldrugs,youcansellguns[once].Youcansell
a human being more than once," FBI special agent Kelly Kochamba told some two dozen
members ofthe YWCA Greater Pittsburgh's Center for Race & GenderEquity last month
(Crompton).Becauseofthiseaseofsale,victimsareusedtothepointofmentalstrainand
sometimesdeath.Thearticlestatesthatwecallthismoderndayslavery,"saidU.S.Attorney
David Hickton. There are many people here who are not here voluntarily, who are being
oppressed,whoarebeingsubjectedtosubstandardhousing,substandardlaborconditions,and
oftenarebeingusedforsexualpurposes(Crompton).Thisnewformofmoderndayslaveryis
similartotheslaveryexperiencedbyAfricanAmericansinthepast.Substandardconditionsand
oppressionarenotnewterms.ThearticlealsoexplainsthatillegalimmigrantsandnonEnglish
speakingforeignnationalaremorelikelytobevictims.Thisisoftenduetonothavingagood

understandingofwhattheycouldbesteppingintoassociationwith.Victimizersswindletheir
victimsandtakeadvantageoftheirlackofknowledge.Regardlessofhowtheygettheretheyare
lesslikelytohavetheabilitytoremovethemselvesfromthesebadsituationsduetotheirlackof
knowledgeorunderstanding.Thisisverysimilartowhatweseewithmanyillegalimmigrantsor
foreignworkersintheUnitedStates.Employersoftentakeadvantageofthemsimplybecause
theycan.TheclassreadingLifeontheFarmgaveagoodoverviewofthisandhowpoorly
theseimmigrantworkerslivesothattheycansendmoneybacktofeedtheirfamilies.Thisisalso
similar to the relationship between the slave ship captains and crew members. The crew
membersweretreatedpoorlybuttheyhadlittleopportunitieselsewheresothatcaptainsknew
thattheywouldstaynomatterhowbadthingsgot.