Melissa Overbeck
Perspectives Editor
In a 2003 speech to the United Nations, President Bush identified one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our time—a crisis that ravages lives around the world, yet somehow remains hidden from the public.
“There’s another humanitarian crisis spreading, yet hidden from view,” Bush said. “Each year, human beings are bought, sold, or forced across the world’s borders. Among them are hundreds of thousands of teenage girls, and others as young as five who fall victim to the sex trade. This commerce in human life generates billions of dollars each year—much of which is used to finance organized crime.”
Human trafficking is the modern day slave trade. According to the U.S. Department of State, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people, a large portion of whom are children, are trafficked across international borders each year; over half of these victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation. Even more are trafficked within their own country. All together, World Vision reports that approximately “one million children are abducted, sold or coerced into sexual slavery each year.” These children are between 5 and 18 years old and are required to have sex with as many as 30 people per day.
These people are part of a market that generates an estimated $9.5 billion each year. Victims are often taken from their communities and promised a better life working in the service or entertainment industry in another country. Once they arrive in the new country, they are taken to brothels, stripped of their passports and told that they will have to work to pay back their travel expenses. However, in many cases, the debt continues to increase, as victims are told that they are continually acquiring more debt to pay for their food and shelter costs. Thus, these sex slaves are stuck in an endless cycle—often one that continues until they die of sexually transmitted diseases, physical abuse or starvation.
According to U.S. government reports, “victims forced into sex slavery are often subdued with drugs and suffer extreme violence … some suffer permanent damage to their reproductive organs.” In addition, trafficking victims, if they do manage to escape, are often rejected by their communities and forced into poverty and desperation.
Trafficking for sexual exploitation has received the greatest amount of attention, but there many other extremely detrimental forms of trafficking. Many children in poor countries are targeted to be child soldiers in government armies, rebel forces and armed militias. According to government reports, children are either kidnapped and forced to serve or coerced to join with threats, bribes or unrealistic promises of compensation. These children are often poorly trained and sent to the front lines as they are considered more expendable than the adult soldiers. Others are forced to commit the gravest atrocities, sometimes against their own families or communities.
Americans and Japanese are largely responsible for enabling the commercial sex trade to continue—Americans comprise the largest group of sex tourists in Mexico and South America, and Japanese are the largest group in Thailand. According to World Vision reports, Americans are also responsible for 25 percent of child sex tourism worldwide. The United States has responded to this problem by passing a 2003 initiative called “Operation Predator” which allowed the government to prosecute American sex tourists. Twenty-five Americans were arrested for child sex tourism offenses in the first eight months of the initiative. According to World Vision, “Under the Protect Act of 2003, United States citizens or residents who engage in sexual activity abroad with a child under 18 can face 30 years in a U.S. prison. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is now actively investigating American sex tourists abroad and making arrests.”
This was an important step in combating the problem, but it must not be the last. The government must not only continue but increase its prosecution of the Americans that are enabling this horrific oppression to continue.
In addition, the government must crack down on human trafficking occurring within our own borders. A recent article by the Associated Press highlighted efforts to stop trafficking violations in Las Vegas, Nev., reporting that 207 girls were rescued from forced prosecution by Las Vegas Police in 2004 alone. Currently agencies in Southern Nevada are working to identify and help trafficking victims in the area. Las Vegas is only one of several U.S. cities cracking down on traffickers. The U.S. government estimates that up to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year.
Trafficking is a large-scale problem that requires a large-scale solution. Although someaid agencies have attempted to combat human trafficking by buying victims’ freedom, this is only a temporary solution. Although that particular victim is freed, traffickers often use the money to purchase more people and continue their trade.
A better option is to continue and increase the number of raids on brothels and sweat shops participating in trafficking. Through that process, victims can be freed and the perpetrators brought to justice.
Human trafficking is a problem that affects everyone. It is not just up to the United States and world leaders to solve the problem, but individuals must get involved as well.
The U.S. government has taken some important steps in combating this crime, but civilians must follow up and remind elected officials that this is a cause that the electorate cares about. Businesses are also getting involved and must continue to get involved. Regent International and Radisson Hotels have agreed to identify and report sex tourists in their hotels worldwide. Busineses around the world must join this cause, educating their employees and their clients about sex tourism including the legal consequences as well as the consequences on victims.
This cannot be another forgotten cause. Each day that the world refuses to act, more people are kidnapped or tricked into forced servitude, more lives are destroyed, and more people are irreparably damaged both physically and emotionally.
3-31-2005