Sex Trafficking in America

"The mechanism of violence is what destroys women, controls women, diminishes women and keeps women in their so-called place." ~Eve Ensler

Most people think of sex trafficking - the trade of women for forced prostitution - as a problem in third world countries. It undoubtedly is a major issue for many countries abroad, where, although illegal, many law officials turn a blind eye to brothels due to bribes and free services. But even here in the United States, a country that claims to be one of the most advanced economically and socially, women and children are held against their will and forced into prostitution rings.

While many victims of this trade were children who ran away, or drug addicts who were lured into the practice by promises of a different job (much the same way women abroad are lured way from their homes), today children aren't just fooled by false promises of modeling jobs, but kidnapped right off the street.

According to the FBI, there are about 100,000 women and children, aged 9-19 with an average age of 11, "working" as sex slaves today in America - the supposed land of the free. Their ordeals begin with what many call a "breaking down" period, which includes verbal abuse, beatings, and gang rapes by the captors. Threats of murdering or maiming their loved ones during this early stage keep the captives from attempting to fight back or escape. And then it's time to bring in the customers.

Day in and day out these captives are forced to have sex with men who pay for their services - money the women never see. Younger children and virgins are especially high priced, and especially emotionally and physically detrimental to the exploited.

When these prostitution rings are finally broken up by police (who somehow have trouble finding them despite pimps' use of the internet to advertise these women), those responsible for these heinous crimes are given sentences that do not compare to the sentences inflicted on their victims. While the victims will never be the same because of their ordeal, and many have such severe PTSD that they are constantly in fear of other men and women alike, the convictions of their captors lead to a few years in prison. One man got just 7 years for his conviction of holding a 15 year old girl and her cousin hostage as sex slaves. The punishment inflicted on him by the girls father was worse (a severe beating including bashing a rock on the captors head). Another man who held a prostitution ring of underage girls received 22 years in prison. While a much better sentence than the aforementioned 7, it again is not harsh enough for what these men do to their captives.

We cannot begin to understand sex trafficking abroad (whose victims' have even worse stories) if we turn a blind eye to the trafficking happening in our own country. The media has given front page news attention to Lindsay Lohan's on again off again relationship with cocaine, yet the women who are in desperate need of our attention and aid are ignored.

In Nicholas Kristof (a fantastic op-ed columnist for the NY Times)'s book Half the Sky, he provides 4 ways to help women without joining law enforcement, or hosting rallies - things any of us can do to help those in need.
-www.globalgiving.org
-sponser a girl or woman through Plan International, Woman for Woman International, World Vision, or American Jewish World Service
-sign up for email updates on www.womensenews.org and www.worldpulse.com
-Join the CARE Action Network at www.can.care.org
The last one is the one I find most important. It provides assistance in speaking up and out against the injustices facing women by talking to policy makers and basic citizen advocacy.

One voice can be heard. A million can't be ignored.