Human Traficking: Another Word for Prostitution?

Fully understanding the problem of sex trafficking requires prevalent myths to be ignored, and successful implementation needs to include the promotion of long-term commitment. Intensive research helps successfully reaching the goal of providing deeper knowledge on the issues that are important to matter in society today.

To define the crime, Sex Trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purposes of a commercial sex act, in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age. (22 USC § 7102; 8 CFR § 214.11(a)). Human trafficking generates $9.5 billion yearly in the United States alone. Around the world, 4.5 million people are trafficked into sex work annually. Out of that number, 26% are children. (United Nations). The average victim may be forced to have sex up to 20-48 times a day. (Poloris Project).

Perhaps the most challenging concept to understand was clearly pointing out the differences between prostitution and trafficking. Even though they are obviously distinguishable on paper and by definition, but because “prostitute” is used quite often in place of “trafficked victim,” the victim is then lost under that mislabel (and myth) and that they chose to do this as a profession. However, nobody wakes up one morning thinking ‘I can’t wait to sell my body today!” For those who think it is a choice to fall into this lifestyle, it is usually not a choice; economic opportunities, social circumstances, and legal obstacles are what force women into degrading positions. Assuming a woman wakes up happy to service up to 20 men a day means we as humanity fall prey to the “choice” myth.

Personal perceptions are difficult to change, as I am deeply interested in the issues of social justice, it can be very frustrating to educate others on the importance of understanding gender barriers and gender-based violence. Violence against women and intimate partner violence are not rare problems. Also, sex trafficking does not have a specific look or story, it comes in a broad range of backgrounds. Furthermore, there are shortages in resource centers and jurisdiction power to adequately handle the issue. The abuse cycle is difficult to leave because, nowadays, it comes in much more sophisticated masks of enlightened sexisms and the romanticizing of oppressors.

We must remain neither naïve to focus on only international affairs, nor self-centered to focus on the domestic only. Research gives exceptional insight to stories, studies and statistics both inside and outside the United States for a broader understanding on the globalization of violence against women. This research plays a vital role in finding the solution to eliminate this problem for the last time.

Resources:

I recommend the book Somebody’s Daughter for further reading into this topic.

Click here: http://www.polarisproject.org/component/content/article/1-national-human-trafficking-hotline/244-myths-and-misconceptions