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Human Trafficking Epidemic 1

Running Head: HUMAN TRAFFICKING EPIDEMIC

The Epidemic of Human Trafficking in the United States

Logan B. Cunningham

Glen Allen High School


Human Trafficking Epidemic 2

Introduction

Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery – a multi-billion-dollar criminal industry

that denies freedom to 20.9 million people around the world. Although slavery is commonly

thought to be a concept of the past, human traffickers generate hundreds of billions of dollars in

profits by trapping millions of people in horrific situations through the use of violence, threats,

deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to force people to engage in exploitation

against their will. Despite these alarming statistics, Americans still tend to ostracize human

trafficking, considering it a foreign issue rather than a domestic one. Human trafficking is an

epidemic in the United States, but in more ways than one would assume. While 22% of the

human trafficking that occurs in the United States is forced prostitution, an astonishing 68% is

forced labor exploitation, something that most Americans contribute to without even realizing it.

It seems that Americans are being shielded from the truths of human trafficking and the grave

danger it imposes on a much more personal level than many would like to believe. But what

happens when this level of ignorance does more harm than good? In this review, American’s

lack of education on the epidemic of human trafficking within the United States is investigated to

determine how to better inform individuals on this incredibly pertinent issue.

Sex Trafficking in the United States

Despite the media’s ability to increase attention to the issue of human trafficking, many

people in the United States remain unaware of the epidemic occurring in their immediate area.

According to Kimberly Kotrla in her article on “Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking in the United

States”, “cases of international sex trafficking have increased public awareness about human

trafficking in the United States, yet many people remain unaware that more U.S. citizens are

victims of sex trafficking than are foreign nationals” (Kotrla, 2010). Coupled with Americans
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lack of awareness for the sex trafficking industry is the degree of difficulty in identifying

victims. T.K. Logan, Robert Walker, and Gretchen Hunt note that “victims [of sex trafficking]

may be more difficult to identify for several reasons [such as] the covert nature of the human

trafficking activity, language and cultural beliefs, lack of victim knowledge about their rights,

isolation, and fear” (Logan, et al., 2009). While sex trafficking often receives more attention in

the United States than other forms of trafficking, the unrealistic nature of its portrayal in the

media creates unrealistic expectations of the sex trafficking industry within the American people.

In fact, the lack of regulation within the US sex industry makes it incredibly easy for the sex

trade to flourish right under the rose of surrounding Americans. According to Stephanie Hepburn

and Rita J. Simon:

While prostitution is illegal, except in the state of Nevada, the sale of


pornography (aside from child pornography), and strip clubs are legal but highly
unregulated. Strip clubs, which are usually zoned in certain areas, are often used
as a front for prostitution. While the [pornography] industry earns considerable
profits for large US corporations, its lack of regulation results in the illegal use of
underage and trafficked persons (Hepburn, et al., 2010).

Americans lack of awareness, combined with both the level of difficulty in identifying victims,

as well as the lack of regulation within the US sex industry creates the perfect environment for

sex trafficking to thrive, despite the plethora of individuals and organizations available to address

the issue.

Forced Labor Exploitation in the United States

While trafficking for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation is more publicized

in the media, it is not the only form of trafficking that takes place in the United States. According

to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “domestic, food and care services, garment,

and agricultural slavery make up 46.2% of trafficking cases” globally (Hepburn, et al., 2010).
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Similarly, in her TEDTalk on human trafficking, including personal anecdotes and statistics, Noy

Thrupkaew points out how within the United States, “forced prostitution accounts for 22% of

human trafficking, while 68% is for the purpose of creating the goods and delivering the services

that most people rely on daily, from sectors such as agricultural work, domestic work, and

construction” (Thrupkaew, 2015). Furthermore, Thrupkaew exposes the criminal justice system

for their lack of assistance when it comes to the issue of human trafficking, claiming that they are

too often part of the problem, rather than the solution. In fact, “between 20 and 60 percent of the

people in the sex trade that were surveyed said that they had been raped or assaulted by the

police in the past year alone” (Thrupkaew, 2015). In terms of identifying victims of forced labor

exploitation, the Polaris Project notes that common work and living conditions include, but are

not limited to, “when the individual in question: is not free to leave or come and go as he / she

wishes, is unpaid, paid very little, or paid only through tips, owes a large debt and is unable to

pay it off, or was recruited through false promises concerning the nature and conditions of

his/her work” (Recognize the signs, 2018). Despite these staggering statistics, forced labor

prostitution is still under-analyzed throughout the United States, allowing it to grow into a larger

issue rather than begin to be resolved.

Education for Americans

Despite the alarming statistics surrounding the human trafficking industry within the

United States, there is a substantial gap between the knowledge of the people and the epidemic

that is ensuing, creating a disconnect many Americans affects by this industry cannot afford to

have. In analyzing the similarities and differences between the sex trafficking market in the

United States and other countries around the world, Kimberly Kotrla notes that:
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“Some of the most recent research on sex trafficking in four countries with major
commercial sex markets – Jamaica, the Netherlands, the United States, and Japan
– suggest that each of these countries maintains a ‘culture of tolerance’ that
supports flourishing sex trafficking markets. Although the markets are distinct in
each nation – shaped by factors such as history, language, and laws – they all
require some level of tolerance within the community in order to exist” (Kotrla,
2010).
This “culture of tolerance” creates the perfect atmosphere for human trafficking to thrive.

Despite the plethora of people and organizations attempting to aid in resolving the issue, the

amount of people who are ignorant or tolerant to the issue heavily outnumbers them. In fact,

according to the United Press International, “human trafficking in the US rose by 35.7 percent in

one year” (Cone, 2017). This is an astonishingly high rate, seeing as most people throughout the

United States don’t even realize that human trafficking occurs within their country. Jeremy

Wilson and Erin Dalton further explore the disconnect between the human trafficking industry

and the education of the American people through the response of the justice system. In their

book, Human Trafficking in Ohio, Wilson and Dalton note that while “select staff in nearly all of

the law enforcement organizations that participated in [the] study received training on human

trafficking”, “only four of the departments indicated that they had personnel assigned to deal

exclusively with issues involving human trafficking” (Wilson & Dalton, 2007). In a further

examination of the state of human trafficking in Ohio and its present effects, Wilson and Dalton

place an emphasis on the victims rather than the whole of America, noting how:

“all respondents that had experience with the issue indicated that sex and labor
trafficking victims have significant needs, starting with major trauma, depression,
and safety concerns. Other problems include physical abuse, substance abuse,
mental health, physical health, education, housing, employment, and other
concerns. […] Many of these services are available, but respondents contend that
they are not adequately funded. […] While victims of trafficking have many
resource needs, [despite the lack of funding], the service providers interviewed
indicated a strong desire to reach more victims” (Wilson & Dalton, 2007).
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Despite the lack of funding and lack of resources, those individuals aware of the dangers

and troubles associated with human trafficking, once educated, are very much so willing

to aid the cause and find solutions to the issue at hand. This lack of funding, paired with

the culture of tolerance found throughout the United States allows the human trafficking

trade to thrive. Furthermore, the lack of education on the epidemic of human trafficking

throughout the United States furthers the disconnect between the American people and

the victims of human trafficking, making it all the more difficult for those without

experience with the trade to understand its harsh reparations.

Conclusion
Overall, this epidemic of modern slavery has been ostracized by judges, police officers,

health professionals, and average Americans alike, allowing for the trade of innocent human

beings to flourish right under the noses of those who are supposedly keeping Americans safe.

Due to a lack of civic education, Americans are being shielded from the truths of human

trafficking and the grave danger it imposes on a much more personal level than many would like

to believe. In order to better inform individuals on the epidemic of human trafficking in the

United States, the standard of ignorance and culture of tolerance of the American people must be

addressed. By implementing programs, as well as increasing funding for human trafficking

education and prevention, Americans will gain a better understanding of the dynamics of human

trafficking, inadvertently breaking down the trade of innocent Americans one step at a time.

Reference List

Cone, A. (2017). Report: Human trafficking in U.S. rose 35.7 percent in one year. United Press

International. Retrieved from https://www.upi.com/Report-Human-trafficking-in-US-


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rose-357-percent-in-one-year/5571486328579/

Hepburn, S., & Simon, R. J. (2010). Hidden in plain sight: Human trafficking in the United

States. Gender Issues, 27(1-2), 1-26.

Kotrla, K. (2010). Domestic minor sex trafficking in the United States. Social Work, 55(2),

181-187.

Logan, T.K., Walker, R., & Hunt, G. (2009). Understanding human trafficking in the United

States. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 10(1), 3-30.

Recognize the signs. (2018). Polaris Project. Retrieved from https://polarisproject.org/

human-trafficking/recognize-signs

Thrupkaew, N. (2015, March). Human trafficking is all around you. This is how it works [Video

file]. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/noy_thrupkaew_human_trafficking

_is_all _around_you_this_is_how_it_works/up-next

Wilson, J., & Dalton, E. (2007). Justice System Response. In Human Trafficking in Ohio:

Markets, Responses, and Considerations (pp. 29-42). Santa Monica, CA; Arlington, VA;

Pittsburgh, PA: RAND Corporation. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/

stable/10.7249/mg689oacp.10

Wilson, J., & Dalton, E. (2007). Service Provider and Community Responses. In Human

Trafficking in Ohio: Markets, Responses, and Considerations (pp. 43-50). Santa Monica,

CA; Arlington, VA; Pittsburgh, PA: RAND Corporation. Retrieved from

http://www.jstor.org/ stable/10.7249/mg689oacp.11

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