America's Modern Day Slave Trade: Human Trafficking in the Sex Industry

Slavery has been discarded as a terror of the past; seldom is it thought of as a threat in modern day society. This lack of awareness often leads to lack of action. Slavery, in one of its most sadistic forms, still thrives in the shadows of our streets. The modern day slave trade, called "human trafficking," is a wealthy business on a global scale. Over 700,000 women are taken prisoner each year in the worldwide network of human trafficking. Approximately 50,000 of these women end up in the United States. To bring the point closer to home, on the East Coast there are many women, ranging between the ages of 14 and 35, being forced into prostitution. In fact, if you live in Raleigh, Miami, Atlanta, DC, or New York, chances are you've driven past a brothel without even realizing it. The revelation is almost surreal, but the story is that of a frighteningly normal reality.

The trafficking industry hides behind a facade of normality. By establishing employment agencies for immigrants, traffickers ensnare victims, usually women hoping to escape poverty in their own country or to send money home for their families. Often, these women immigrate to the U.S. after being promised a job through such fraudulent agencies. Typically, once they arrive they are stripped of their legal papers and passports, beaten, and locked in a room. Understandably confused, a captive woman may examine her surroundings to find a crude mattress on the floor and vermin for companions. Within a few hours, though, her first customers will arrive. Initially, the men, taking advantage of her confused state, may rape the victim. Armed men guard all the brothel doors, so escaping is out of the question. Language barriers usually prevent a victim from seeking aid, and, as brothels exist in the secrecy of the cities, most captured women are lost forever to the shadows.

Because trafficking victims are from other countries, such as China, Russia, the Czech Republic, and Mexico, local police are hesitant to get involved. The victims, after all, are not U.S. citizens; technically, they are illegal aliens. In other words, the captive women are considered out of "jurisdiction," even to the International Police, and slavery is allowed to flourish. In some cases, members of the police force are involved in the business itself. In exchange for their silence, they get free merchandise. Money buys power. The trafficking business is, after all, very profitable.

Of course, not all brothels go without discovery. Though a victim's hope may be that her brothel be raided, government intervention is far from effective. When a brothel is finally brought under scrutiny, it may take over a year before it can be cleared out and prosecuted. When, at last, the victim is freed, she is often arrested for the felony of prostitution, treated as a criminal, and eventually deported to return to her worried family. This is hardly the emotional solace a woman needs after being beaten, raped, and enslaved.

One obvious solution to the problem of human trafficking is public awareness. As mentioned in the beginning of this article, many people are completely oblivious to the virtual sex slavery that goes on around them. There are many ways of informing the public. One such way is to encourage the media to make frequent mention of the growing sex trade. The U.N. website has a video, available by request. Because it's professionally made by such a reliable source, the trafficking video is a good way of spreading information. By asking a local station to air it, many people in any area can discard their ignorance. Also, editorials are free spaces to write about any concerns for a local newspaper to publish. If a newspaper is written enough times on the same issue, trafficking could become a larger concern for the media. News reporters may take the idea into their own agenda. Personal blogs also raise awareness, and, as shown through this article, Associated Content is an excellent way of sharing information. With enough people involved, knowledge will increase dramatically, and as the old adage says, "Knowledge is power."

When the public is made aware of the human trafficking issue and speaks out against it, it will become a political priority. Especially in an election year, the power of the people is great. If intelligent, informed people speak out, a representative will make trafficking issues part of his or her agenda. Perhaps then the U.S. will put together a quicker, more efficient method of sniffing out and prosecuting these brothels and find a more compassionate way of dealing with the victims.

Public awareness and more government intervention is the only way to locate and shut down these brothels. These slaves, these women, these mothers - they want to go home. They came to America for freedom, and freedom is what America promised them. If the world works hard enough, perhaps freedom is not such a far off dream.