Human Trafficking: When Will it End?

A very common, yet under rated global issue is human trafficking.  According to the National Human Trafficking resource center, human trafficking is “when people are forced or coerced into the commercial sex trade against their will”.

Human Trafficking is a "Transnational Organized Crime", and it occurs all over the world. Trafficking can be found in countries such as: Asia, Europe, India, United States, Africa etc.  With that being said there are many different forms and outlets of human trafficking; a few which include: pimp-controlled prostitution, brothels, and escort services.  Although these are all of equal importance, I would like to focus primarily on pimp-controlled prostitution and brothels.  

Source: Pinterest.com

Due to the fact that 85% of this community is female and about 1.2 million children enter this business annually, I took a strong interest to this subject and decided to research it further.  

This 9.5 billion dollar business exploits women and children sexually up to 20-48 times a day.  

In India, women get paid less than 50 cents per encounter (which has to be shared among-st the entire house).  In other countries such as South Africa, half of the prostitutes are under the age of 14.  These alarming numbers should bring awareness to our society and most of the time they do, but this multi-billion dollar business has a unique way of remaining disguised.  

According to the NHT resource center “Women found in brothels disguised as massage businesses typically live on-site where they are confined and coerced into providing commercial sex to 6 to 10 men a day, 7 days a week.  These locations operate as commercial-front brothels that claim to offer legal services such as massages, but they actually primarily provide commercial sex”.

It seems as though our society is unaware of this reality simply because we don’t recognize these businesses when we come across them.  Therefore, we turn a blind eye.  Citizens believe that this is a distant issue and won’t effect them or their families.  Unfortunately, they fail to realize that human trafficking is actually living and growing in their very own communities.  

So when will this issue become important enough?  When it’s your friend?  Your cousin?  Your sibling? This problem is closer to home than a lot of us think.  Many of my readers probably weren't aware of the fact that San Francisco is one of the leading cities in the United States for human trafficking; human trafficking is global and local.

This statement is unfortunately the sad truth about our reality, and it is time for a change.  Together, in unity, we as citizens can remain cautious of these suspicious businesses.  Like I previously mentioned, many prostitution facilities are held in massage parlors; if you happen to come across one or even think you've came across one, report it here.  The chances of you being incorrect is rare and if you are that’s okay, it’s better to be safe than sorry!

Somaly Mam

Foundations such as the Polaris Project offer the necessary tools for young adults to get involved: by signing petitions, attending informational events and spreading the word about support hotlines, everyone can get involved.

Unfortunately, many people don't believe that small actions count, but sometimes those are the ones that count the most. Yes, there has been many unsuccessful stories but there are survivors as well. Somaly Mam is a survivor of this sex trade industry and is now the president of the Somaly Mam Foundation. Mam's foundation provides care for survivors and helps them overcome their tragic past.

Collectively, the best thing we can do is be aware, be alert and get involved.  One of the biggest concerns that I have is that not enough people know.  The more we spread the word and educate others of this global issue, the more action we can take against human trafficking.