Solving the Sex SlaveTrade

The Sex Slave Trade is an illegal business in which women are kidnapped or sold into forced prostitution. In addition to being forced to have sex for the gain of their captures, women are beaten and kept cut off from the outside world.

Americans do not know that America is one of the biggest importers of sex slaves from Southeast Asia. Considering the statistic that 70 percent of men will pay for sex at least once in their lifetime, this is obviously a problem which America must take steps to solve.

I will discuss some of the solutions to this problem which include increasing visibility of the problem, increasing support for non-profits who fight against the trade, ending corruption of local law enforcement, and passing legislation which supports the rights of those being trafficked and punishes traffickers.

First we must address increasing the visibility of this problem. In order for these women to receive help, they must start being portrayed for the innocent victims they are. The truth is that women who are forced into the sex trade are not prostitutes, but slaves, and they should be treated as such. In addition, America must educate men and boys about the trade so that they can spot slavery if they ever inquire into sexual services.

This approach is most effective because without demand for these services, criminals will have no need to continue the trade. Moreover, once educated on the problem, they will be able to spot forced prostitution and report it to their local authorities.

Furthermore, we as individuals, and the government, must support non-profit organizations which fight against trafficking everyday. Many workers for these organizations literally put their lives on the line for this cause every day to further the cause. Organizations such as the Polaris Project are getting the word out about the problem by running websites like HumanTrafficking.org, an online database consisting of articles about the trade and its victims.

Still other organizations are creating hotlines, drop-in centers, and support programs. As individuals you can volunteer your time to these organizations. As a nation we can support government funding to be allocated to these organizations so that their efforts may continue.