Human trafficking. Those words conjure up images of dark rooms, grainy black and white footage and men speaking a foreign language. This is quickly followed by a Liam Neelon like character kicking his way into the room with guns blazing, killing the bad guys and saving the girls as depicted in the recent film Taken. Unfortunately, human trafficking is not a problem isolated to other countries. It thrives right here in the United States. Depending on which source you read, Human Trafficking is either the second or third largest Criminal Enterprise with approximately $32,000,000,000,000 (Billion) dollars changing hands on a yearly basis or $87,000,000,000 (Million) daily. That is right up there with Drug Trafficking and Arms Smuggling.
Human trafficking is not just an issue relegated to the sex trades. It can take many forms, including forced “contractual” slavery. While more criminal cases were prosecuted last year in the U.S., even more labor trafficking victims were assisted. According to the United States Government Trafficking in Persons Report of 2012, (TIP) “more investigations and prosecutions have taken place for sex trafficking than labor trafficking; however, victim service providers (in the U.S.) reported assisting significantly higher numbers of foreign national victims in cases of labor trafficking than in cases of sex trafficking.” (Parenthesis Added). This may be due to the differences and difficulty level of investigating and proving labor trafficking cases. Sex trafficking, especially that of children, is a clear violation and comes with stiff penalties in the U.S. According to the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act of 2008, those who participate and benefit from these activities can face anywhere from 5 years to life in prison along with significant financial penalties. In some circumstances, mandatory minimum sentences of 10 or 15 years are required.
Unfortunately, it appears that children are being targeted more and more. According the U.S. 2012 TIP report, “NGOs noted increasing reports of children recruited into criminal activity, particularly at the U.S.-Mexico border”. Children are the most vulnerable and need to be protected. In the Federal Bureau of Investigation Law Enforcement Bulletin for 2011, it detailed the class of children victims most at risk:
“Although comprehensive research to document the number of children engaged in prostitution in the United States is lacking, an estimated 293,000 American youths currently are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation. The majority of these victims are runaway or thrown-away youths who live on the streets and become victims of prostitution. These children generally come from homes where they have been abused or from families who have abandoned them. Often, they become involved in prostitution to support themselves financially or to get the things they feel they need or want (like drugs).”
Consequently, it is important to realize that human trafficking is not a problem isolated to other countries. It exists in the United States and is the fasted growing organized crime business.