Human Trafficking

What is Human Trafficking?

Human Trafficking is considered a modern form of slavery which does not discriminate gender, ethnicity, race, age, socioeconomic status among others. It is considered to be a multi-billionaire industry that prohibits freedom to people all over the world regardless of their social stance or preference among communities.

Who is at risk? 

For this question, STOP and think…..are you a human?

If YES--> Then unfortunately you are highly at risk of becoming a victim of human trafficking.

If NO--> Then you are A-OK ;)

GLOBALLY

• According to the International Labour Organization, there are about 40.3 million victims of human trafficking.
• The average cost of a victim is $90.
• The 2 major forms of human trafficking include: Labor Trafficking, Sex Trafficking
• Many are not aware of the dangers due to low socioeconomic status and region.
• Many if not all are tricked into human trafficking with claims of jobs, successful careers, and fixed immigration status to other countries.

IN THE UNITED STATES

• According the U.S Department of Health & Human Services, about 800,000 victims are trafficked into the U.S annually and nearly half of these victims are younger than 18 years old.
• It is also estimated that women are at higher risk than men but as time goes on, the rate of men is also increasing and approximating women rates.
• Likewise, children are also becoming victims with about 50% of the victims reported
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IN CALIFORNIA AND LOS ANGELES

• The impact of human trafficking among women and girls are clearly visible in the statistics of the state of California.
• California is one of states (along with Florida and Texas) most affected by human trafficking.
• Areas like San Francisco and Sand Diego in particular are also considered to be places with high numbers of childhood prostitution in addition to LA.
• The average age for these exploitations for girls is 12-14 and for boys is 11-13
• The life expectancy for these young victims is only seven years after from the date of their capture due to high levels of infectious diseases including HIV/AIDS and even suicide.

How does it affect me or you?

-We are all human entitled to liberty and freedom without restrictions and "owners". Human trafficking should be an issue that is highly looked upon due to the impacts it is causing in many communities and nations regardless of language, ethnicity, race, age, or gender. Therefore, as human beings we should stand up for each other and push our district representatives to focus on more strict laws that abolish this issue in order for our future generations to live a completely free life without the worry of being held as slaves ever again in the future.

What are your views on human trafficking?

Ana Castellanos 

Human trafficking  is a terrible thing that unfortunately happens more and more these days.  Traffickers take advantage of people who are just looking for work to help themselves or their families. It is a issue that need to be dealt with here in America and in countries all over the world. 

Victoria Carpio

I am not well informed, but I believe it’s a problem that needs to continue to be addressed.  I believe it’s important to continue to raise awareness. It’s also important to create movements to rescue victims, and prevent from more people being affected.

Kristina Romo

I think human trafficking can be easily described as modern day slavery. There are many forms of slavery and abuse that fall under the category of human trafficking. People can be used for sexual gratification, soldiers in war, organ donors, drug mules,, etc. Human trafficking has become a lucrative investment for organized criminals especially when the economy takes a downturn. I think more should be done about this issue because every human life is valuable and should not be used for exploitation and oppression.

**Human trafficking is a horrible thing that is difficult to target as a whole but we can become informed consumers and make sure that the products we buy are not being made though forced labor in sweat shops and factories. We can pressure legislators to push for stronger labor laws that will help foreign works to have rights be it if they work in the fields or in domestic jobs. We can advocate for sex trafficking victims by having laws that ensure that they are not forever stuck with criminal records of things they were forced to do. Making sure that those that abuse of sex trafficking victims are held accountable and do not walk free. Raising awareness and making sure our representatives and our senators know that this is an issue that need to be deploy with and that we will not stand for human trafficking any longer.**

References

11 Facts About Human Trafficking | DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-human-trafficking

Human Trafficking Into and Within the United States: A Review of the Literature. (2017, February 2

Human Trafficking. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://blogs.worldbank.org/category/tags/human-trafficking

Making a Difference Among Survivors of Human Trafficking. (n.d.). 

What is Human Trafficking? About the Problem...Human Trafficking Center. (n.d.).