What impact does sex trafficking have on our society and how deeply are we affected?
To answer my overall inquiry question, I have to answer a few other questions. One of the last questions I have is, “how are people forced or tricked into sex trafficking?” This is one of the most important questions I have, as I want to bring awareness and safety to the people who will view my project. It is important to know how and why people are trafficked to see how deeply our society is affected by trafficking.
How are people forced or tricked into sex trafficking?
- Traffickers look for vulnerable people (1)
- Easy to exploit
- Things that can create vulnerability in victims
- Political Instability
- Political conflict, wars, and violence create fear and give people fewer options for survival
- Children may be separated from family=no one to guide or protect them
- Political instability= homelessness, loss of family, loss of safety which traffickers take advantage of
- Political Instability
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- Poverty
- People will go to greater lengths to provide for themselves/family
- Traffickers will offer false opportunities, claiming the victim’s circumstances will improve
- Racism and Colonialism
- Racism=systemic barriers, like limited access to employment, education, and housing which causes more areas of vulnerability
- People fighting for basic rights due to racism and colonialism are preyed on by traffickers
- Gender Inequality
- Many cultures believe women are less then men, meaning they are paid less, have less access to health, property, education, and have fewer rights
- These are just vulnerabilities traffickers will use to their advantage
- Addictions
- Traffickers may keep control over their victims through addiction
- Traffickers may sell substances to vulnerable people, then force them into labor or sex
- Gang Involvement
- Exploiting people is less risky than other trades like drugs or weapons for gangs
- Females in gangs often enter as girlfriends then get sold for sexual acts within or outside the gang
- Many people are born into gangs so there is an expectation to contribute to the family business
- Online Vulnerability
- The internet is an easy way to traffic people
- Traffickers will often create ways to lure vulnerable people into meeting in person
- Traffickers usually have compromising photos of their victims to have even more control, threatening to share these photos online or to family/friends
- Poverty
- The two most common ways traffickers work (2)
- Drawing people in with affection and love
- Access to glamorous lifestyles
- Using violence and sexual assault to break their victims into submission
- Drawing people in with affection and love
- Most victims are isolated from family, friends, or any people/places that are familiar to them
- They are moved around from hotel to hotel, province to province
- They are sometimes kept on very rural properties
- It is extremely difficult to escape trafficking, as victims are cut off from the rest of the world and are often physically unable to leave
- When a victim is in public, they are often too afraid to ask for help (3)
- They have been thoroughly manipulated/threatened by traffickers
- People believe that trafficking only happens to those who are poor, which is untrue
- Though trafficking will often happen to people who are worse off, it can happen to anyone who makes unsafe descisons
- Talking to sketchy people in person/online
- Putting yourself in vulnerable positions, such as joining the wrong crowd or getting into substances
- Though trafficking will often happen to people who are worse off, it can happen to anyone who makes unsafe descisons