Human Trafficking: America’s Greatest Injustice

It is hard to believe that the proverbial land of the free could house any sort of injustice of such a large magnitude with such little public awareness. Nevertheless, human trafficking, one of the world’s most pressing crimes against humanity, has also become one of the most neglected human rights violations in the United States. Human trafficking, according to the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime, “…involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transfering, harbouring [sic] or receiving a person through a use of force… for the purpose of exploiting them.”  With 12.3 million slaves being trafficked each year, the industry of human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world only behind the illegal drug trade (“What is Human Trafficking?”). Although this issue is demanding and involves so many innocent victims, the people that fail to intervene or acknowledge the issue allows this horrifying human trade to exist and grow each year. Human trafficking, assuming the nature of modern day slavery, strips people of their rights, dignity, and protection. As citizens of the United States especially, we must view human trafficking as a major injustice to the defenseless, neglected victims, and treat the issue as a priority.

Most Americans believe that human trafficking is exclusive to third world countries, but that is not the case. In fact, an estimation of at least 18,000 victims are brought to the United States for the sole purpose of human trafficking and 244,000 U.S. citizens are trafficked within the United States each year. One of the most prominent cases of human trafficking in the modern era involves the solicitation of young girls, with an average age of 13, into the $33 billion-a-year sex industry (“Human Trafficking”). In 2010 the FBI arrested the Vasquez-Valenzuela family in Los Angeles, California for trafficking young girls from Guatemala and forcing them into prostitution. The family targeted the impoverished and told the young girls (some as young as 12) that if they came to the United States they would be given work that paid well and the money would be sent back to their families; the girls were promised that as soon as the family was out of poverty they could then return home. However, as soon as the girls got to America, the Vasquez-Valenzuela family lied to the victims and claimed that they accrued a debt of $20,000 from being illegally transported to the United States. If they objected to paying off the debt through prostitution, the girls were told that their families in Guatemala would be murdered. According to Special Agent Tricia Whitehill in the LA FBI office, “…these girls and women were physically beaten and were held in apartments so they couldn’t escape” (“Putting a Stop to Modern Day Slavery”). Furthermore, it is unknown how many girls were held captive and for how many years the family was active, which is truly terrifying.

Contrary to popular belief, human trafficking in the United States does not only consist of people being brought over from other countries, but people taken within the borders as well. As Vicki Zito, a mother of a 17 year old girl who was a victim of  sex slavery in El Dorado Hills, California, explained, “The fact is human trafficking is happening…right now in the United States, probably in any city where anybody lives. Just because you don’t know anything about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening” (“What is Human Trafficking?”). Vicky Zito’s daughter was kidnapped from a shopping center in the wealthy community of El Dorado Hills in March 2008 and was subsequently drugged, brought to the Bay Area, and sold for sex on Craigslist by 23 year old Rishi Sanwal, who later received 12 years in prison (Phan). Fortunately Zito was found a little over a week later due to her parents’ involvement in the case, but even still, the situation is daunting when it is estimated that most sex trafficking victims are subject to 10 to 15 buyers per night (“What is Human Trafficking?”). Unfortunately, most victims of human trafficking aren’t known to be missing or in danger and therefore lack quick intervention. Human trafficking for the purpose of prostitution is an inexcusable injustice because victims of this terrifying form of modern day slavery lack their intrinsic right to the freedom of their own body.

Human trafficking in the United States is not only limited to the sex industry. Victims of human trafficking, both male and female, are also brought to the United States for labor purposes. According to the Polaris Project, which is the leading organization to combat human trafficking in the United States, this sort of intensive labor includes agricultural, domestic, hospitality, service, peddling and factory work. Those forced into labor undergo cruel and inhumane treatment and are subject to long hours and little to no wages. As a survivor of labor trafficking in America, Flo Molina explains that she was “…a desperate mother looking for a way to provide for…three children…” and  “was told …[she] would have a good job with good pay and a place where to live.” However, when she got to the factory she “…was locked in the factory and forced to work 17 to 18 hours a day, seven days a week” (“Human Trafficking”). With human trafficking for labor earning $15.5 billion each year in industrialized countries, including the United States, it substantially affects the economy of our country (“Human Trafficking: The Facts”). Unfortunately with the declining economy, labor trafficking is becoming even more prevalent in the United States.

The complex structure of corporate activity, which includes numerous supplier and subcontractor relationships, challenges the ability of companies to monitor their activities around the world. For example, if a clothing company does not carefully review where exactly the clothes are being made and by whom, that company could be inadvertently using human trafficked labor in the United States or abroad.  Businesses should ensure that all elements of their operations, including their products are not contributing to human trafficking; however only 31% of major corporations identified being motivated to address human trafficking in order to “manage risk and maintain the company’s reputation” (“Human Trafficking: Everybody’s Business”).  In laymen’s terms, human trafficking is tolerated by corporations in the United States because with so little of the profit going to labor, it is easier to make more money and with the company’s reputation at stake the illegal labor is easier to hide. Unfortunately because of the lack of resources in human trafficking law enforcement, it is impossible to identify all the companies responsible.

Human trafficking, because of its enigmatic nature, is a hard crime to persecute. It is especially hard to combat in the United States because of the lack of resources and recruitments that are available to human trafficking law enforcement teams. For example, in 2006 it is estimated that there were only 5,808 prosecutions and 3,160 convictions of human trafficking, this means that for every 800 people trafficked, only one person was convicted (“Human Trafficking: The Facts”). Because it proves ineffective to combat human trafficking with the law enforcement already available, one of the only reasonable attempts to deter human trafficking is to raise awareness of the social injustice. As President Obama said in his speech regarding human trafficking at the Global Initiative Annual meeting,  “…the injustice, the outrage, of human trafficking, which must be called by its true name — modern slavery” should “…concern every community, because it tears at our social fabric… it endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime” (Obama). If more people understood the immense problem of human trafficking in the United States, the word could spread for positive action, prevention and awareness. With more knowledge of the issue, people could pressure the lawmakers and lobbyists into budgeting more money for task forces and enforcement. California, the state with the most human trafficking in the United States, is taking strides in combating human trafficking through Proposition 35 which will increase prison terms for human traffickers and use criminal fines from convicted human traffickers to pay for services to help victims. Prop 35 will also require convicted sex traffickers to register as sex offenders and all registered sex offenders to disclose their internet accounts. Prop 35 was voted on this past November in California, and passed with 81% and the most votes in California’s history (Cohen).

However, in states where human trafficking is not as prevalent, there is little media attention devoted to human trafficking cases, and therefore the general public isn’t nearly as aware as they should be about this growing injustice. Although the injustice is not happening as much in a certain state, it is important to maintain awareness and take preventative measure in case human trafficking begins to hit closer to home. One way to help raise awareness is to support the Polaris Project. In 2011, the Polaris team helped pass 18 state-level anti-trafficking bills, reported more than 770 human trafficking cases to law enforcement and provided 141 survivors of human trafficking with assistance, counseling and job training (“Human Trafficking”). However, it is a constant struggle to maintain awareness when “…powerful cultural norms play a role in facilitating human trafficking such as the glorification and glamorization of pimping or the consumer-driven culture that demands cheap goods.” To combat human trafficking, awareness has to be raised so much so that it brings about a change in our culture; however, with the help of organizations such as Polaris, it is possible to truly contest human trafficking.

Human trafficking is one of the largest social injustices in the world. According to economics experts, if the rate of human trafficking continues to grow, it will surpass the drug industry and become the most widespread and profitable illegal industry in the world. With more coverage by the media and more awareness raised about the injustice of human trafficking, it is conceivable that there could eventually be a better solution to the problem. However, until that awareness is raised, millions of people around the world will continue to suffer and with the declining of the economy it will only get worse. As Americans, it should be our mission with the freedom we possess to protect the ones who lack that freedom, and right now, human trafficking victims are slaves that can barely hang on to their own dignity, much less the chance at real freedom.

Works Cited

Cohen, Dan. “Proposition 35 First to Surpass 10 Million Votes Cast in Support.” Vote Yes on Prop 35. CASE Act , 20 Dec 2012. Web. 10 Jan 2013.

“Human Trafficking.” Polaris Project. Polaris Project. Web. 10 Jan 2013.

“Human Trafficking: The Facts.” United Nations Global Compact. Foundation for the Global Compact.Web. 10 Jan 2013.

Human Trafficking: Everybody’s Business. 2009. UN GIFT. Web. 12 Nov 2012.

Obama, Barack. 2012 Global Initiative Annual Meeting. Clinton Global Initiative. Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, New York. 25 Sept 2012. Address.

Phan, Suzanne. “Locals work to stop child sex trafficking.” News 10. Gannett, 19 May 2011. Web. 10 Jan 2013.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. Putting A Stop to Modern Day Slavery. Web. 15 Nov 2012.

“What is Human Trafficking?” United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. UNODC. Web. 12 Nov 2012.

“What is Human Trafficking?” Vote Yes on Prop 35. CASE Act .Web. 5 Jan 2013.