Sex trafficking victims face brutal and repeated acts of sexual violence. Siddharth Kara, author of Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery, notes that rape is often used to initiate victims into sexual slavery (12). He describes "breaking" periods in India, since Mumbai "brothel owners [express] a preference for the girls who had already been broken. . . [t]he initiation period [is] thus a cold business decision. Break the girls first; enjoy greater profits later" (59). Kara also points out that rape, as well other forms of physical and sexual violence, can be used as punishment and to control victims throughout their entire time as sex slaves (193). In her book, The Road of Lost Innocence, Somaly Mam describes the horrific sexual abuse she endured as a sex slave in Cambodia, and writes that "the brothels have grown large and more violent. We find women chained to sewers. . . When I was young we were terrorized with snakes and heavy fists, but these girls suffer a more brutal sort of torture" (166).
While trafficking for forced labor may not have obvious connections with and does not always involve sexual violence, sexual abuse can be used as a method of control. A young woman who was trafficked to the UK for domestic servitude told authorities that she was sexually assaulted by her trafficker. According to Women and Global Human Rights, in Kuwait, "Because of the isolation and the stigma of sexual assault, most domestic workers face many obstacles and are deterred from reporting employer abuse to the authorities." Labor exploitation victims, particularly female migrant workers, are particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse.
Though human trafficking and sexual assault/abuse are different, they share similar dynamics and root causes. Understanding the intersections and connections between the two is important for addressing victims' and survivors' needs and tackling the roots of these forms of abuse. Ultimately, sexual violence and human trafficking both involve treating people as less than human, and involve using force and violence to achieve their ends.
Human Trafficking is indeed the fastest growing crime and also it is the second largest criminal industry. Millions of people are being sold to this business. I believe that people should be informed about this crime. Over 800,000 people are trafficked across borders every year. We should all try to raise awareness about this crime. As well as take the people that commit this crime into a serious manner. Some criminals that commit this crime are let off easy that are very bad. So if these terrible people are caught they should be taken into a serious manner. Also human trafficking can happen in places you wouldn't expect. In foreign countries women have even been trafficked in the cafés of airports. This crime is a very terrible crime and when this happens to someone it changes their life forever. No one should have to go through this. Even if one person is saved, than that is an accomplishment. If everyone is informed about this then they will inform others and hopefully less crimes will occur. Although some people may benefit from this crime, such as help the country it is still no where near expectable. As I said before, no one deserves to go through this horrid crime and an end should be put to it.
ReplyDeleteHuman Trafficking is indeed the fastest growing crime and also it is the second largest criminal industry. Millions of people are being sold to this business. I believe that people should be informed about this crime. Over 800,000 people are trafficked across borders every year. We should all try to raise awareness about this crime. As well as take the people that commit this crime into a serious manner. Some criminals that commit this crime are let off easy that are very bad. So if these terrible people are caught they should be taken into a serious manner. Also human trafficking can happen in places you wouldn't expect. In foreign countries women have even been trafficked in the cafés of airports. This crime is a very terrible crime and when this happens to someone it changes their life forever. No one should have to go through this. Even if one person is saved, than that is an accomplishment. If everyone is informed about this then they will inform others and hopefully less crimes will occur. Although some people may benefit from this crime, such as help the country it is still no where near expectable. As I said before, no one deserves to go through this horrid crime and an end should be put to it.
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