Sydney McCalvin

Dr. Angela Mitchell

UWRT 1104

November 5, 2017

Human Trafficking

As one of the most profitable crimes in the United States, human trafficking is affecting

thousands of lives. Many are coerced into trafficking without knowledge of the traffickers true

intentions. Victims have their lives stolen from them in plain sight. These victims rely on the

U.S. government to help them, but what has the government done to address this crime?

Human trafficking constitutes a global problem. Involving exploitation of individuals

through forced labour, sex, or organ removal, trafficking is an egregious human rights violation

and illegal in many countries (Dandurand, 322). The Senate states that It is a $32 billion global

industry, ranking second only to drug trafficking among the most profitable transnational

crimes (2). Traffickers lie and force victims into acts of labor or commercialized sex. In labor

trafficking, victims are given false promises of an amazing job with great benefits, however,

those promises are often gravely different from the reality of the labor (Polaris). The victims are

forced to work long hours with little pay. Victims also face physical and emotional abuse from

traffickers, making them believe they have no other choice but to work for the trafficker. Victims

of sex trafficking are forced into prostitution . Traffickers lure in victims with false promises of a

job, then violently force victims to engage in commercial sex acts. Many victims are also

manipulated by those who they trust, which can include family members and romantic interests

(Polaris). Human trafficking also affects minors as they too are taken advantage of and are forced

into labor. Children, age 18 and under are at the most risk of trafficking (Polaris). Victims are
deceived by those they trust, given false job promises, and even kidnapped. From this point on,

the victims are forced into labor.

Many immigrants coming to this country are given false promises of a job. When they

come to realize that they were lied to, its a hard process to seek help as they are risking their

lives to do so. While many resort to the national hotline for human trafficking, it turns out low

results, for example In 2014, for example, a federally-funded hotline for trafficking victims

received more than 21,000 calls. During that same period, the Department of Justice secured 184

convictions for trafficking (Reilly, PBS). Only 184 convictions occurred in the same year that

there were 21,000 calls, showing that there is a problem in getting the callers help (Reilly, PBS).

There are also variables in which the calls lead to false accusations. Victims in trafficking are

putting a lot on the line when they call for help, especially if they were coming into work with a

H-2 visa, a working visa (Reilly, PBS). This creates a toxic bond between the victim and the

trafficker as the victim needs them to get their full visa. However, in many cases, the victim

doesnt get what they need, and are led on by their trafficker. This is difficult because if they

speak out against the trafficker, they risk the chance of having to leave the country, losing the

opportunities they came to America for.

The Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2015 seeks to get better training for the

Department of Homeland Security. The Senate states that H.R. 460, the Human Trafficking

Detection Act of 2015, requires the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary) to train and

periodically retrain relevant Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel on methods for

deterring, detecting, and disrupting human trafficking and would authorize the Secretary to

provide training curricula to state, local, and tribal governments, and private organizations upon

request (1). The act reinforces education on human trafficking for the Depart of Homeland
Security, but expands who this intel goes to. By expanding the education, more people will be

able to detect and disrupt this crime. It has the chance to increase trafficking reports as H.R. 460

requires the Secretary to ensure that TSA, CBP, and other DHS personnel who interact with the

public periodically receive training on the most current methods to identify suspected victims

and perpetrators while performing their primary responsibilities (3). This is a great act and it

shows how the government is actively working to better itself. In doing this, our government will

be better equipped to tackle trafficking rings by having more people knowledgeable on the

detection of trafficking. The next step in this would be to educate other institutions, such as

hospitals, churches, schools, and transportation. In Comprehensive Care Model for Sex

Trafficking Survivors by Dr. Naomi M. Twigg, it seeks to educate healthcare personnel to

identify aftercare services for domestic minor of sex trafficking (DMST) survivors provided by

U.S. residential treatment centers (1). Personnel was taught how to establish a safe place for the

victims and providing therapy for an existing trauma. This is a step in the right direction as they

are actively working towards helping victims, but also educating the personnel on detecting and

disrupting human trafficking.

After going through the trouble of seeking help and having the trafficking ring disrupted,

some victims may find themselves behind the bars with their traffickers. Due to circumstances,

its hard for the court of law to distinguish whether or not the crimes were forced or not. To the

average person, it seems quite possible to distinguish whether or not someone is a victim of

trafficking. However, it is difficult to identify perpetrators and victims in this crime as many hide

this is in plain sight. This puts responsibility on communities to be able to identify human

trafficking and report it. The U.S. government should prioritize educating the community on the

existence and victimization of human trafficking. However, there needs to be more reform in the
government itself, as there have been instances where the U.S. has support trafficking. From Joe

Newmans article on this shameful dilemma, he quotes the the Commission on Wartime

Contracting saying it had uncovered evidence of human trafficking in Iraq and Afghanistan by

labor brokers and subcontractors (Newman, Huffington Post). Newman also informs that

thousands of foreign nationals in the U.S. governments invisible army ended up in Iraq and

Afghanistan war zones because they fell victim to human traffickers (Huffington Post). The

U.S. government was responsible for using trafficking victims to work for the troops. Its

surprising that a country who fights for freedom, takes freedom away from others. There needs

to be more background checks for whom the government hires. In this incident, the U.S.

government used cheap labor, unknowingly buying into trafficking.

Seeking reformation in how communities are educated on human trafficking is key to

ending it. With more people educated, it allows for more lives to be saved and even preventing

future trafficking. This also will allow for less victims being convicted for the crimes they were

forced to commit as courts will know how to deal with trafficking cases. The government also

needs to be held accountable for its involvement with foreign trafficking rings. There should be

more urgency on disrupting human trafficking rings not only in the U.S. but also in foreign

countries where the U.S. is actively involved in.

Citations

Twigg, N. M. (2017), Comprehensive Care Model for Sex Trafficking Survivors. Journal of

Nursing Scholarship, 49: 259266. doi:10.1111/jnu.12285

Polaris. Polaris, polarisproject.org/.

Newman, Joe. America's Shame: The U.S. Government's Human Trafficking Dilemma. The

Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 8 May 2012, www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-

newman/americas-shame-the-us-gov_b_1478136.html.

U.S. Congress. Senate, Human Trafficking Detection Act of 2015. Report 114-46

Reilly, Caroline. Human Trafficking: A Crime Hard to Track Proves Harder to Fight. PBS,

Public Broadcasting Service, 29 July 2015, www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/what-is-

human-trafficking-and-why-is-it-so-hard-to-combat/.

Yvon Dandurand. (2017) Human trafficking and police governance. Police Practice and

Research

18:3, pages 322-336.