Sex
Trafficking
Leslie
K. Penny
Module
3 Written Assignment 2
Chancellor
University
Abstract
Business organized
crime threatens the safety of our communities, subjects many to torture and
death, and threatens our economy and national security. . Big
businesses of organized crime of our era include prostitution, drug
trafficking, contraband smuggling, gambling, business racketeering,
pornography, just to name a handful. The
organized crime business this essay will focus on is sex trafficking and why
organized crime is so involved in it.
Sex
Trafficking
Business organized crime threatens the safety of our
communities, subjects many to torture and death, and threatens our economy and
national security. The threat of organized
crime is not only within our borders but comes from criminal organizations such
as Russian, Asian, Italian, Balkan, Middle Eastern, and African collectives (Finklea,
2010). Big businesses of organized crime of our era
include prostitution, drug trafficking, contraband smuggling, gambling,
business racketeering, pornography, just to name a handful. The organized crime business this essay will
focus on is sex trafficking and why organized crime is so involved in it.
Unfortunately, human sex trafficking is a current form of
slavery that has an estimate of victims,
domestic and international, into the millions ranging from mostly females and
children who are thrown into the commercial sex industry for hardly any pay or none
at all (Hill, 2011). Human sex trafficking isn't just in countries
like Eastern Europe or Asia like we see in those Dateline specials. In fact, "human sex trafficking and sex
slavery happen locally in cities and towns, both large and small, throughout
the United States, right in citizens' backyards" (Hill, 2011).
According to the FBI, human sex trafficking is the "fastest-growing
business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the
world" (Hill, 2011). The majority of this issue is international
with victims being taken from Southeast Asia, the former Soviet Union, Central
and South America, Asia, the Middle East, and Western Europe (Hill, 2011). However, it is a major problem domestically
because not only are we getting international victims, we have interstate
victims as well (Hill, 2011).
It is hard to calculate how many domestic women, men, and
children are used as sex slaves and prostitution because this in an illegal
activity. However, the FBI reports
"an estimated 293,000 American youths currently are at risk of becoming
victims of commercial sexual exploitation (Hill, 2011). Some victims are run always, thrown away
youths who already live on the streets for survival and are easy targets for
prostitution who come from abusive families or have been abandoned (Hill, 2011). While others come from forced abduction,
pressure from parents, or through deceptive agreements between parents and
traffickers (Hill, 2011).
As horrific as it sounds, this is a big business that is
only maintained due to the demand of this illegal business. The operation today of human sex trafficking
is more organized than ever before and just as violent (Hill, 2011). The operation includes "criminal
networks" who "transport these children around the United States by a
variety of means-cars, buses, vans, trucks, or planes-and often provide them
counterfeit identification to use in the event of arrest" (Hill, 2011). Their "goods" have a high value and
are treated like animals by being drugged, terrorized, raped repeatedly, emotional tactics, and
financial methods to maintain control over their victims" (Hill, 2011). Victims eventually are "broken" and
submit to the demands of the traffickers and if they are hooked on drugs, which
is the sole intent of traffickers, then the victim will do anything they are
told to get their high (Hill, 2011).
Why is organized crime involved in human sex trafficking? Because it is a highly lucrative multibillion
dollar business no matter the fact that it "is one of the world's most
shameful crimes and one which robs people of their dignity and basic
rights" (Human Trafficking: organized crime
and the multibillion dollar sale of people, 2012). It is important to point out that besides sex
trafficking, "hundreds of thousands of victims are also trafficked for
forced labor, domestic servitude, child begging or the removal of their
organs" (Human Trafficking: organized
crime and the multibillion dollar sale of people, 2012). As long as there is a demand for it, human
sex trafficking will continue to thrive.
One particular family that was brought in the forefront a
few years ago was the Gambino crime family who was charged with multiple
criminal offenses including the sex trafficking of a minor (Organized
Crime and Human Trafficking, 2010). According that source, the above mentioned
case was "among the first federal cases targeting organized crime groups
with human trafficking offenses in the United States (Organized
Crime and Human Trafficking, 2010). Human sex traffickers do whatever they can,
no matter who they exploit, to maximize their profits and "it is not
always a standalone crime, but often wrapped up within other crimes" (Organized
Crime and Human Trafficking, 2010).
To conclude, human sex trafficking is one that us law
abiding citizens find so horrific that it breaks our hearts and puts the fear
in us for all potential victims and yearn for the safe keeping of current
victims. This particular crime is one
that will never be legalized, for good reason of course, and therefore, will
continue to be big business as long as the demand is there. Add to the fact that organized crime
syndicates can easily find the supply needed for that demand and maintain their
business.
Works Cited
Finklea, K. M. (2010, 12 22). Congressional
Research Service. Retrieved 07 19, 2013, from Organized Crime in the
United States Trends and Issues for Congress:
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R40525.pdf
Hill, A. W.-R. (2011,
03). The FBI Fedearl Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 07 19, 2013,
from Human Sex Trafficking:
http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/march_2011/human_sex_trafficking
Human Trafficking:
organized crime and the multibillion dollar sale of people. (2012, 07 19). Retrieved 07 20, 2013, from United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime:
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2012/July/human-trafficking_-organized-crime-and-the-multibillion-dollar-sale-of-people.html
Organized Crime and
Human Trafficking. (2010, 04 28).
Retrieved 07 20, 2013, from Polaris Project:
http://www.blog.polarisproject.org/2010/04/28/organized-crime-and-human-trafficking/#comment-5404
No comments:
Post a Comment