Section 1: The What and Why,
An Introduction to Trafficking
1.1 What is Human Trafficking?
Federal laws define human trafficking as “the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation.” [1] Frankly, this definition has become quite outdated. Human trafficking has evolved to not only be a physical crime, but a psychological and mental one. This evolution of trafficking has been largely propelled by the advent of new technologies, communication(s), and social media platforms. You can read more about this through the articles on our "Publications" page.
Nevertheless, the definition mentioned previously is helpful for us to understand the two primary subcategories of human trafficking: labor trafficking and sexual exploitation (which we will touch on throughout this curriculum). And because human trafficking involves the force, fraud, or coercion into labor or sexual exploitation, it is important to remember that minors are automatically victims if they are engaged in any form of a commercial sex act. [2]
[1] Polaris
[1] Defined by International Labour Organization (ILO)
1.2 What are the subcategories of Human Trafficking?
*Note: the percentage of subcategories are not necessarily reflected in every jurisdiction. These statistics may vary from country to country and state to state.
The most common forms of human trafficking include labor and sex trafficking, with forced labor being the biggest sector of trafficking in the world (according to the United States Department of State).
The International Labor Organization estimates worldwide that there are 246 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 involved in debt bondage, forced recruitment for armed conflict, prostitution, pornography, the illegal drug trade, the illegal arms trade and other illicit exploitative activities. However, these statistics likely fail to cover the scope of all exploited victims, due to the relatively discrete nature of human trafficking and the difficulties in actually reporting the crime.
1.3 Why should you care?
Human trafficking is pervasive and very much real. It is the only industry in which the supply and demand are the same; people demand the sale of people. And worse, it is happening right now all around you––just in various, new forms. The average age of entry for sex trafficking victims is 19. Young adults are the most vulnerable and targeted group in the trafficking industry because they are easier to control, and less demanding when placed in different working conditions.
The FBI estimates that over 100,000 children and young women are trafficked in America today, and more than 300,000 young people in the US are considered "at risk" of sexual exploitation. Moreover, human trafficking was only made illegal in the United States in 2000. Through the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the federal government aims to prevent violence against trafficking victims and penalize traffickers. Since then, the scope of the legislation has expanded through reauthorizations to provide greater support and service to victims.
[1] Information from Polaris - @ Human Trafficking Center 2014
[1]https://polarisproject.org/blog/2016/01/the-average-age-of-entry-myth/
[1] https://www.asmlawyers.com/realities-about-human-labor-trafficking-in-california/
[1] https://www.asmlawyers.com/realities-about-human-labor-trafficking-in-california/