The Chains That Bind

There is a critical need for more attention to be brought to the issue of sexual human trafficking in today’s society. In researching sexual human trafficking many sources are currently available. This is a recent development; a result of women voicing their enslavement. The atrocity has been occurring for a very long time, but was undisclosed. The time is now to take action, any sort of preemptive action, to stop this horrendous crime from continuing.

In 1862, Abraham Lincoln declared after the Union’s victory at Antietam that slaves would be granted freedom (Murphy). History has shown us in our rough and tumble existence that slavery has been prevalent throughout the ages. It has been known to exist since as early as the 18th-12th century B.C. in the Shang Dynasty of China.

According to the online Encyclopedia Britannica:
In addition, the Chinese practiced self-sale into slavery, the sale of women and children (to satisfy debts or because the seller could not feed them), and the sale of the relatives of executed criminals. Finally, kidnapping seems to have produced a regular flow of slaves at some times. The go-between or middleman was an important figure in the sale of local people into slavery; he provided the distance that made such slaves into outsiders, for the purchasers did not know their origins.
Modern day slavery does not seem much different than the practice the Chinese made of it centuries ago. We, as American citizens, have seen programming or learned about slavery in our history classes; little did we know that it still exists within our borders. Some people may happen to catch a glimpse of a news report about “sex-trafficking”, but it is commonly associated with young women and children of foreign countries.

An article written in 614 Magazine posted on Gracehaven.org best describes this horrible crime against society, “Human trafficking, according to the UN’s definition as laid forth by 2000’s Palermo Protocol, focuses on the exploitation of human beings - be it for sexual exploitation, other forms of forced labor, slavery, servitude, or for the removal of human organs.” There has always been a constant fear in a parent’s mind of their child being kidnapped, but the terror has not been as drastic when taken into consideration the prevalence to sexual human trafficking in today’s modern era. The UN states, “Trafficking takes place by criminal means, through the threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of positions of power, or abuse of positions of vulnerability” (Denino). The criminal aspect flows into every aspect of human trafficking: recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring and the receiving of such persons. The definition of human trafficking not only applies to the international trade of persons—it also is applied domestically (Denino).

The fact that this happens under our very noses is appalling. These young women and children being forced into this unfortunate existence may even be our own neighbors. “There are more than 15 court cases in recent Ohio history involving human trafficking, including a bust of more than 50 pimps in a child sex-trafficking ring in Toledo” (Denino). The youngest survivor was six years old when she was found in 2006 here—in Columbus, Ohio—in our community. A community where just around the corner from my own home there is a home which is an Ohio historical landmark from the Underground Railroad. In an article on ABCnews.go.com entitled “Teen Girls’ Stories of Sex Trafficking in the U.S.,” “The FBI estimates that well over 100,000 children and young women are trafficked [domestically] in America today. They range in age from 9 to 19, with the average age being 11.”

Victims of sex-trafficking are not limited to runaways or those who have been neglected/abandoned by their families. Teenagers and pre-teens are in an area of confusion at that period in their life and can easily be lured away from their ‘happy’ homes.

Child predators are everywhere--lurking around every corner. There are many different venues in which predators may initiate contact with their victims, the most common being face-to-face and the use of the Internet.
On a weekly basis, sex offender notifications arrive in mailboxes statewide to give notice to residents within the infiltrated neighborhood that someone who has been convicted and released from prison is living within the vicinity. Child predators are watching our children walk home from school, targeting those young girls whose parents seem to not care what their daughters are wearing--even targeting young men as well.

The Internet has also become an instrument in facilitating this abhorrent crime against society. ‘Joe Pimp’ is on a computer surfing the social networking sites, such as Myspace.com, attempting to convince ‘Tamera Teenager’ that they are the best thing since sliced bread. Their motive: to lure that young, impressionable girl into her own personal hell.

The loss of morals in today’s society has greatly affected the way that young people knowingly, or unknowingly, make themselves targets. The popular culture has impacted the ideals of American society. The economic status of our country within the past thirty years, if not longer, has driven households to become dual-income earning in order to survive day to day living. With the rise of both parents working, that leaves little attention for the children and they are left to their own devices: television, the internet, film, video games and their groups of friends. The psychological damage inflicted by the lack of face-to-face attention from parents drives children to derive that attention from another source. It is a roll of the dice as to what that source might be and who it may be coming from.

Human trafficking is an appalling abuse of basic human rights that affects the most vulnerable among humanity. The victims are baited into a situation and unwittingly find themselves held hostage for deplorable things, in equally deplorable living conditions. “The United Nations Office of Drug Control and Crime Prevention estimate that approximately 2 million women and children are trafficked each year” (Burke). This daunting number is only on the rise and increasing at an alarming rate. “It is further estimated that global trade in women as merchandise for sex industries generates between seven and twelve billion dollars annually” (Hughes).
Innocent children who become trafficked frequently are subjected to not only physical violence, but mental and emotional abuse. The physical violence alone could cause gross injury or death. “Children are hit, beaten with fists and with objects, and raped in order to ensure their compliance with the expectations of their captors. It is not uncommon for children who have been trafficked into sex slavery to be forced into sex acts with up to 20 men daily” (O’Connell). The physical and psychological torment that the victims of this heinous crime have endured is reprehensible. In addition to the numerous accounts of violence and repeated raping, there is the psychological damage from being torn from their parents or caregivers along with the threat of continuous harm to themselves by their captors. Survivors of sex slavery often suffer from depression, drug abuse, post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Child victims have said they feel as if they are worthless and are ashamed. “Another common reaction to an abusive and dangerous situation is to identify with the abuser” (Burke). It is also feasible that victims of sexual human trafficking as a child will grow into the “business” as well, possibly seeking children out, just as they were besieged.

In our modern society, there should be no allowance for these vile circumstances for those targeted by such predators who would sell them into sexual slavery. In my affiliation with staff from Gracehaven (www.gracehaven.org), I have built a relationship with a young woman who, herself, was a victim of sexual human trafficking. Like the many that I have read about, she too was a vulnerable little girl, conned into the illusion of a better life, drugged by her captors and repeatedly raped. A beautiful little girl’s hopes and dreams shattered by the sadistic machinations of a couple deluding her into the idea of a happy home and a successful modeling career.

Where has culture changed so drastically to allow the slimy underbelly of society to rise into such daunting positions of power? It is heartbreaking to read and hear the accounts of these young women and children. As a Christian woman I am torn between being angry and sad. I think about what I can do and I become distressed with what little I have available to make a difference.

Where there is darkness; there is light. I have a voice and I am calling out to all, not just mothers, fathers, or grandparents; I am calling out to all of humanity. We have all been children and to think what our lives may have been like, or even if we have endured this regrettable crime to speak up and bring awareness to the issue. If there is a young person that someone may suspect is a victim of sexual human trafficking, it is our duty as a human being to make someone aware.
It takes just one person to make a difference in another person’s life. As cliché as it sounds, contact your Congressman or woman, your Senator, the Governor and even the President and First Lady of the United States. There is a need for laws to be made in order to protect those who may be, or have been victimized by such atrocities.

Sadly, children who are rescued from their enslavement are shuffled into juvenile detention centers and charged with prostitution. Seriously, would these judicial figures think that a six year old would willingly prostitute themselves? There are numerous short term shelters scattered across the United States that provide respite for minor children. However, in this country, we have only three operating long term programs. One of these three is located in Toledo, Ohio. These long-term programming homes provide the assistance to minors who are victims of sexual human trafficking. Dr. Jeff Burrows and Theresa Flores (a victim of sexual human trafficking herself) of Gracehaven have dedicated themselves to the overwhelming need for action. Gracehaven will be opening a fourth home for human trafficking victims outside of Columbus, Ohio this coming spring. We are fortunate to have one, and soon a second, in Ohio. However, overall there is a general lack of federal, state and local funding for such programs like the one in Toledo, Ohio and that is a disgrace.

It is a rewarding experience to volunteer to make a difference in another person’s life. I implore you to contact local agencies that educate the community, do your own personal research on this startling subject, volunteer and if you can…donate to a qualified organization. The time for action is now…get involved with an organization that provides some sort of assistance to these unfortunate victims. Why don’t you walk a mile in her shoes? Literally.


Works Cited:

Burke, Mary C. “Child Sex Trafficking.” Brief Report-Child Sex Trafficking. Web. 01/14/2010.

Denino, Kae. “Breaking the Chains.” 614 Magazine, 2009. Web. 01/07/2010.

Hughes, Donna. The “Natasha" Trade: The Transnational Shadow Market of
Trafficking in Women. Journal of International Affairs, 2000. Web. 01/14/2010.

Murphy, Gerald. “Africans in America.” Judgment Day Part:4 1831-1865. Web. 01/07/2010.

O’Connell, Julia. Children and the Global Sex Trade. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press. 2005. Print.

Poulson, Kevin. “Pimps Go Online to Lure Kids into Prostitution.” Wired, 2009. Web. 01/10/2010.

“Slavery.” Slaving Owning Societies. Web. 01/07/2010.

“Teen Girls’ Stories of Sex Trafficking in the U.S.” ABC News Primetime, 2006. Web. 1/10/2010.