American like to think that human trafficking is not a problem in the United States. The facts state that human trafficking is a serious problem in this country, however nobody is willing to do anything about it. What is this country's legislature going to do about it? Government officials would like to think that human trafficking does not occur in America. They do not want to accept that America has the same problems as third world countries. As more cases occur the public has witnessed legislation passed to prevent human trafficking. What can we do to stop modern day slavery?
Oklahoma, Texas, and other Midwest states have seen an increase in human trafficking. These states have made an effort to do something about it. America's human trafficking problem has grown in the Midwest due to immigrants traveling from Mexico. Immigrants are forced into work, because what else are they to do. Oklahoma state statutes explain that persons convicted of human trafficking should receive a minimum sentence of five years and a fine no more than ten thousand dollars. A minimum sentence of five years is pretty harsh, but the heinous nature of the crime fits the punishment. Oklahoma also has laws in place to deal with the victim succumbed by trafficking. Human trafficking in literal terms is a form of prostitution. If it is known that a human has been trafficked they cannot be convicted of prostitution or other criminal means. They are not processed through the system because they were forced or coerced into committing a crime.
It is a terrible phenomenon that has struck America pretty hard. Illegal immigration is a huge problem in this country only to be stifled by smuggling immigrants across for barbaric means. Research has been done showing rarely are humans used for commercial sex exploitation. This does not mean they are not exploited while being held as a slave. Mahidol's University of Population and Social Research found that sexual assault and rape were common among human slaves. (Feingold) Globally human trafficking may not be meant for commercial sex, but here in America it is a different story. I was reading an article on the relationship between human trafficking and the Superbowl. An article was posted on Fox New's website that explained the correlation between the Superbowl and child prostitution. This immediately opened my eyes, because America does not see this problem on television or advertisements. The article stated that during the Superbowl in 2010 an estimated 10,000 children were exploited by sexual means. (Prann) This shows that human trafficking in America is more focused on commercial sex as opposed to labor.
As I was writing and doing research for this blog it was hard solid evidence of this problem. America has laws on drugs and murder, but human trafficking is a violation of a human's freedom. Children's lives are being ruined in front of our eyes. The more America continues to learn and notice this phenomenon the more likely America will stand up against it.
Feingold, David. "Human Trafficking." Foreign Policy. 10 2005: 26-30, 32. Print.
Prann, Elizabeth. "Indiana passes human trafficking law in time for the Superbowl." Fox News. N.p., 02/02/2012. Web. 6 Mar 2012. <http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/02/human-trafficking-law-passes-before-super-bowl/>.
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