Relate to: CHANGE

Child sex trafficking is far too common throughout Southeast Asia, Middle East, Western Europe, Africa, Central and North America. 1.2 million children are trafficked each year in addition to those already captivated; 14,500-17,500 are trafficked into the U.S. each year (International Crisis Aid). In order to decrease the number of child victims, people need to take action. We need a significant change; a change that will have a strong enough, and lasting effect to save innocent beings from being manipulated used, abused, and thrown away as waste. Whether this change is by law enforcement, medicine, social workers, politicians, or celebrities, these child victims need a voice. They need somebody to reach out to them and stand up for them because they are unable to do so themselves.

The “Trafficking Victims Act of 2000” makes it illegal to recruit, allure, or obtain a person for commercial sex acts, or to benefit from such activities. This law pertains to victims of any age and doesn’t require a victim to travel oversees or cross-state. Anybody who traffics victims in violation of this law could face life in prison. Similarly, in 2003, “The Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section” was created. The goal of CEOS is to bring those who traffic children to justice. CEOS works to prosecute cases under federal statutes prohibiting international and interstate sex trafficking. The following link outlines federal statutes against sex tourism: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/smart/pdfs/18_usc_index.pdf. Not only are there people who profit from trafficking, there are those who patronize it as well. The statute “Transportation of Minors,” holds accountable those who benefit and arrange travel of children. The specific legal code is 18 U.S.C. § 2423(b) and it holds a 30 year maximum prison sentence.

Besides actual legal law, “Shared Hope International” is a group formed by Linda Smith who was a member of U.S. Congress in the early 90’s and represented Washington State. She has taken a strong position against child sex trafficking through various alliances (War Against Trafficking Alliance, Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, DEMAND.). She also wrote a book and created a documentary on child sex exploitation. Smith is an example of change for child sex trafficking. SHI rescues and restores the lives of child victims internationally. The goal of SHI is to prevent sex trafficking by educating and brining awareness to the world. SHI also works collaboratively with the U.S. government in preventing child sex trafficking through laws and financial aid. There are TONS of information on SHI through the website sharedhope.org. This organization is changing the face of child sex trafficking each day.

Because the government is taking action by creating and enforcing new and existing laws, it helps make the change needed in regards to sex tourism. Federal law gives prosecutors the resources to bring those who commit the crime to justice. There are also many different organizations, movements, and alliances available to protest slavery. People need to get out there and take action and make the change for the children. These child victims are innocent, young human beings and they need our help!

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Resource Guide

Here, I have listed 15 resources that I have found great interest in. I think these sites can help you learn and understand the global issue of child sex trafficking in more detail. They include foundations, news reports, statistics, scholarly journals, videos, and so forth on worldwide sex trafficking.

1. http://demiandashton.org/ I saw this link through Twitter, and I thought it was great two prominent celebrities are making a large effort to stop child sex slavery worldwide. They’re bringing awareness to a global issue rather than their fame.

2. http://www.sharedhope.org/ My father had told me about a woman named Linda Smith who is the founder of “shared hope,” which helps rescue women and children from sex trafficking internationally. Her website is very intriguing.

3. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/slaves/etc/stats.html A great link by “Frontline,” which shows statistics and numbers by UNICEF on sex trafficking as well as provides links to other related websites.

4. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/02/11/national/main6196454.shtml Recent 2010 story by CBS’s Katie Couric on child sex trafficking in the United States, specifically Ohio. Like this link because it shows the reality of our own country.

5. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4038249/ I like this link because it includes an interview with Colin Powell over sex trafficking and some stories of young victims. Also, includes video of a Dateline investigation in Cambodia.

6. http://www.humantrafficking.org/ Great website. Allows you to chose almost any country to get information on sex trafficking. Provides news, stories, numbers, initiatives and so forth on this issue. Very broad, but very helpful!

7. http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/rpt/47201.htm Government site. Lists anti-trafficking programs for certain fiscal years, offers links to learn more about each global program.

8. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2071/stable/1049185?&Search=yes&term=child&term=sex&term=trafficking&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dchild%2Bsex%2Btrafficking%26wc%3Don%26dc%3DAll%2BDisciplines&item=21&ttl=1503&returnArticleService=showArticle Scholarly journal on the sex trade industry. Very academic and insightful. Study examines current state of child sex trafficking and other forms of sex exploitation internationally.

9. http://www.ecpat.net/EI/index.asp A popular international organization against child sex exploitation. Tons of great information available. Sight extremely helpful and aims to protect children’s rights.

10. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2071/stable/20069727?&Search=yes&term=history&term=child&term=sex&term=trafficking&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dchild%2Bsex%2Btrafficking%2Bhistory%26wc%3Don%26dc%3DAll%2BDisciplines&item=16&ttl=1227&returnArticleService=showArticle Scholarly journal which discusses immigration benefits to secure the prosecution of traffickers. Also, an academic writing that I liked because it offers a lot of educational information on human rights.

11. http://ntserver1.wsulibs.wsu.edu:2071/stable/2661415?&Search=yes&term=history&term=child&term=sex&term=trafficking&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicResults%3Fhp%3D25%26la%3D%26wc%3Don%26gw%3Djtx%26jcpsi%3D1%26artsi%3D1%26Query%3Dchild%2Bsex%2Btrafficking%2Bhistory%26sbq%3Dchild%2Bsex%2Btrafficking%2Bhistory%26dc%3DAll%2BDisciplines%26si%3D26%26jtxsi%3D26&item=33&ttl=1227&returnArticleService=showArticle Scholarly journal by The American Journal of International Law on international trafficking especially women and children. Discusses some international protocols and laws on trafficking.

12. http://children.foreignpolicyblogs.com/human-trafficking-and-slavery-related-movies-and-documentaries/ Like this link because it offers a list of movies and documentaries on human trafficking by the Foreign Policy Association. Also provides related links on the side about slavery, child right’s, trafficking, fair trade, etc.

13. http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Child-Sex-Trafficking-The-Facts Oprah’s website offers a list of facts about child sex trafficking. Also provides videos on modern day slavery and links to foundations. Nice to see another prominent public figure bringing awareness to the issue.

14. http://www.apneaap.org/ Another strong foundation to end world sex slavery. Helps girls, women, and children in red-light slums to get access to education and safe housing rather than prostitution. I like this site because it focuses more on the Hindi culture.

15. http://www.uri.edu/artsci/wms/hughes/demand_rome_june04.pdf This site is by a professor on the history of child sex trafficking. Discusses a 2004 conference in Rome to fight trafficking. Provides the text of his very informational speech.


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Poverty, human disposability.

Child sex trafficking is a type of manufacturing. People are manufacturing a product or object, to be used, passed on, and eventually disposed of because it’s now “unusable.” But these products/objects are young, innocent human bodies’ not plastic, cheap toys. The issue of global child sex trafficking relates to course concepts because it’s a perfect example of dehumanization and disposability. All around the world, children are given up or sold to sex tourism because their parents do not want them or they cannot support them. A majority of this business occurs in developing or third world countries where incomes are below poverty level. These countries are weakly constructed with the lack of a strong government and few resources. There’s no education system, health care, and people are starving. Thousands are also slaving in sweatshops to make $3 a day or less. All these aspects contribute to the future of children and their role in their communities.

In class, we asked the question why women are treated the way they are in factories of developing countries. People said because they’re “obedient,” and “submissive.” Women workers become seen and used as waste in third world factories; they’re used up and thrown away. This relates to child sex trafficking because children are seen the exact same way. They’re easily bossed around. They’re passive beings with no voice. That’s why it’s so easy for the sex trafficking industry to flourish. Workers take advantage of the weak and vulnerable to create large profits for themselves. Hence, children who are victims of sex trafficking are seen as unimportant and unworthy. But, according to class discussion all of these statements or beliefs can be viewed as myths and are social constructions. Yet many of these “stereotypes,” are all due to a country’s economic conditions.

Overall, the poverty circumstances make it feasible for sex trafficking to occur. Globalization, opening of markets, ease of transportation/movement around the world has changed drastically in the last 50 years. This makes the ability to traffic humans much easier. The poverty conditions and lack of education allow and encourage trafficking because of the need for families to provide for themselves. Parents give up their children because they know they can’t support them. There’s a great lack of worldly knowledge. Children believe they’re really going to work somewhere or parents really believe they’re giving up/selling their child to a better life. Yet, they end up being fooled. Children probably wouldn’t be forced into trafficking if their country’s conditions weren’t so poor. There’s mismanagement and abuse of power by government diverting funds and resources from people instead of the betterment of their own country. Obviously I have mentioned this already but, living and working conditions; lack of development, education, government control, security; and corruption are all factors tied into poverty and globalization. And each factor contributes to the child sex trafficking industry, making it easier for children to be taken and transported until “unusable.”





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Victims

Children who are victims of sex trafficking usually come from struggling families. By struggling, I mean poor, jobless, or low-income families who cannot provide for their members and who are fighting for survival. There are also the instances when children are born into poverty, or are abandoned at birth. From day one, these children have no sense or choice of freedom and know nothing better than prostitution. On the other hand, children are lured into prostitution by what they think are going to be decent job offers. Most of the countries involved in heavy trafficking are extremely poor, third world, and have annual average incomes less than $300. This is why child exploitation is so common because it creates profit; children are sold for sex (usually by their parents or other family acquaintances) to meet economic means. They are manipulated and controlled by their “bosses” or “pimps.” If they try to escape or disobey, they are punished (beaten, neglected for days, threatened their families would be killed, etc.). In most cases, these victims are too poor they have no way out. Moreover, they have no voice. They are condensed to specific housing- usually small, squished, hidden brothels, with numerous other young children and are lied to about location. They are treated inhumanely and starved while the sex industry flourishes. Ages can range from five to 18 years old and a majority of victims are young girls. From stories I have read, most of these children were “taken” at early ages and escaped in their late teens.

Here, I have provided some brief profiles on some children who were once prostituted.

-One interview by Dateline NBC focused on a 14 year old female from Cambodia. She was lured into sex trafficking when a woman approached her walking home from school and asked her to work in a café. The café turned out to be a brothel and she had no money to get home. She was forced to have sex with older men, usually American. “She forced me, and I was scared. I did not want to be with those men, but being beaten was worse.” She tried running away but got caught and was constrained with no food or drink for three days and then sold to a different brothel. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4038249/

-Another 14 year old female from Nepal was drugged by her foster brother and sold to prostitution. She woke up far from home, owned by a man who also owned other young girls. “Girls in the brothel suffered terribly. Many of them are locked in dungeons in utter darkness, unable to tell if it is day or night, unable to talk to anyone at all, their only contact--the men that use them.” http://www.sharedhope.org/what/storiesofhope.aspofhope.asp

-In Italy, a 13 year old Albanian female dated a 21 year old man (never seen again) who locked her in their hotel room and a group of men entered beating and raping her. She was sold to prostitution twice until she was “unusable,” and was threatened that her mother and sister would be raped and killed if she didn’t obey. Police raided her brothel and she was deported back to Albania. http://www.state.gov/g/tip/c16482.htm

-A 12 year old female was sold into sex slavery by a family member in India. She was locked in a room where she was tortured if she didn’t serve the men 24 hours a day. She served 10 to 20 men a day for a few years until she escaped. When she returned to her family, they wanted nothing to do with a prostitute. http://www.sharedhope.org/what/storiesofhope.asp

These stories break my heart, but I think in each of these cases, the girls escape at some point by running away or by police raids. However, not every child is this lucky. Clearly there are many commonalities of sex trafficking within countries. Almost all of the victims are young, poor, female teenagers (race not an issue) who are manipulated into sex tourism then exploited and constrained to unhealthy, horrible, living conditions. When I looked for stories, I was surprised to find none about young boys--I may need to look further into this fact. But the idea that most of these children were once deemed “unusable” is repulsive; they were sexually exploited enough times they were no longer pleasurable or worthy.

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History

Worldwide, there are numerous children who are being unaccounted for in the growing statistics of child sex trafficking and sex exploitation. These children are lured, manipulated, and/or abuducted into sex slavery for "sex-for-profit" where they are abused physically, mentally, and emotionally. Many countries are entering this "industry" to gain revenue and simulate economy. It has been said this is a $7 billion a-year business; it's a phenomenon that affects all countries. International agencies and law enforcement are working on improving the fact each day. There's no question child labor has been a concern for centuries internationally and in the national community. Women, men, and children have been sold against their will from the earliest times.

Dating back to 3000 BC- 300 AD can be the first noted history of slavery, forced prostitution, and sexual exploitation in Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Persian cultures. Women were seen as inferior to men and social class was a determinant to whether one was a victim of such slavery. During the Middle Ages, most religions saw sex exploitation as immoral, but the Roman Catholic Church tolerated it because it was a minor sin compared to rape or sodomy. Not until mid-1400's European slave trading began in Africa. African men were exploited for labor while women were exploited for labor and sexual services. They were easily movable. Most of these women and female children were helpless slaves taken from their families. They were seen as seducers to white males- servants for pleasure and profit. Along with African sex slavery was an outbreak of syphillis which brought new awareness to sex toursim. In 1885, worldwide attention began to focus on forced prostitution due to the raised age of sexual consent from 13 to 16 in Britain. The definition of "child consent" was a constant struggle during this time period. Whether or not a child was mature enough to seduce or consent to sex was problematic. Children were commodoties and sources of income; therefore they were pimped by their parents for sex labor. Men paid big fees to be with young girls and it became a common practice during the Victorian era. Sex tafficking then increased greatly across the world in the 19th and 20th centuries. Globalization and western tourism boomed making sex trafficking more prevalent and acceptable. Obviously there are masses of historical information about sex trafficking which range from country specifics, laws, inequality, and numerical statistics.

So what are the numerical statistics of sexually exploited children in the world? After researching international figures on child sex trafficking, I found outrageous records by UNICEF. There are an estimated 1 million children being sexually exploited in Asian alone; 800,000 in Thailand; 400,000 in India; and 60,000 in Philippines. Since mid-1970's, about 30 million women and girls have been sexually exploited in Southeast Asia. In other countries, 500,000 children have been exploited in Brazil; 200,000 in Canada; and up to 2 million in the United States. The difficult part about gathering such statistics is that it's hard to account for every abused child because countries have contrasting laws pertaining child prostitution and who is considered a minor. It's shocking that some countries allow child prostitution. These numbers are unbelievable and it clearly shows how much of an international problem this really is. The common trend worldwide is children have been, and are continuously taken advantage of for people's pleasure and benefit. Is there anything more government systems can do to put a stop to child sex trafficking or will it always be human nature to use and abuse those weaker than you? The history of this issue is huge in complexity, it can't be covered in one blog. Do research!

Some resources that were helpful: JSTOR and EBSCO databases from WSU Libraries.

TAKEN: Child Sex Trafficking

Ever since I saw the movie "Taken," I couldn't get over how serious sex trafficking was portrayed as business. I wasn't sure whether the movie overly exaggerated the severity of Europe's human trafficking industry. Child sex trafficking can also be known as sex tourism and prostitution; all of which occur everyday around the world. Recruiting, smuggling, transporting, buying, selling and so forth of young innocent human beings is selfishly outrageous. Victims emphasize the definition of "disposability." In general, human trafficking is the second largest world crime after illegal drugs. According to CNN online, global commercial sex exploits one million children annually. Unfortunately, 100,000- 300,000 children in America are victims each year.

Child sex trafficking is not a primary topic often discussed in comparative ethnic studies courses (or at least, not in classes I have had). Many people are unaware of the actual issue itself. I personally would like to learn more about this world-wide problem and allow others to become more knowledgeable in this area. In a strange way, I find this topic very interesting and engaging. I think there's a whole array of things that can be learned about global inequality and the global economy through child sex trafficking. There are many questions about this issue I wish to find answers to. A useful resource for understanding this problem across various countries is http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries. Also, http://ifsw.org/p38001883 provides images of child trafficking international routes.

I believe sex trafficking of children relates to themes of this globalization and inequality course because it has everything to do with institutions, race, economies, and social inequality. This issue is very broad and common throughout the world, yet it can also be viewed as one of the most under estimated crimes. These children's lives are considered unimportant and unworthy. They are being exploited by their own countries by mobsters, gangs, etc. and can't ask anybody for help. Their pesonal dignity, and more importantly their freedom and health are being robbed in sickening ways. Where and what is the justice for this type of crime? Government systems are not doing enough, fast enough to stop this business from growing each day. I hope by the end of this semester, I'll be more familiar with this issue and that it'll also become a primary choice when discussing global matters. Children are our future, we should be protecting them, not exploiting them.