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Darcee Young

Professor Broadbent

Writing 39C

24 May 2018

AP Draft

People are being bought and sold as sex slaves right before our eyes and criminals are

being let off with minimal punishment. Upon his arrival at a hotel in response to a fake sex ad,

former high school chemistry teacher Jerry Marfe was arrested for attempted sex with a young

teenage girl. Although Marfe was attempting to commit the illegal crime of buying sex with a

minor, he only was given the sentence of 15 days in jail and 10 years on probation where he is

only supervised, ​USA Today​ (Cassidy). This is only one of the many instances where criminals

of sex trafficking do not receive adequate punishment. Many believe that sex trafficking is

something that happens in other countries. In reality, however, it is insidious and rampant,

occuring underneath our noses on home soil.

What is Sex Trafficking?

Sex trafficking strips young men and women from their freedom as their are forced to sell

their body for sexual actions. Although sex trafficking violates the individual’s basic human

rights, it is a growing crime that makes billions of dollars. Sex trafficking is a result of the

demand of sex and sexual acts from sex buyers and the instability of an individual’s life which

makes them more vulnerable. Because those that buy sex are willing to purchase it for large

amounts of money, the sex trafficking industry flourishes. Sex traffickers primarily prey on

vulnerable young girls under the age of 18 through false promise, fake modeling contracts, being
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kidnapped, through a “boyfriend” who is often an older man, the Internet, or a family member,

says Kimberly Kotrla and Beth Wommack, “Sex Trafficking of Minors in the U.S.: Implications

for Policy, Prevention and Research” (Kotrla and Wommack). By falling into these traps, both

women and young girls are indebted and are forced provide sexual “services to repay debt to

traffickers who often impose high interest rates, withhold payment, and charge for housing, food,

transportation, and other basic supplies” (“The Economic”). In addition to robbing young women

and children from their freedom, sex

trafficking imposes negative and

severe psychological and physical

effects such as broken bones from

abuse, anxiety, depression and

PTSD (“The Economic”). Sex

trafficking victims are constantly

abused and in a study conducted by

Jody Raphael and colleagues, “Pimp Control and Violence: Domestic Sex Trafficking of

Chicago Women and Girls,” “a total of 76 percent of the women experienced slapping, 52

percent experienced forced sex, and 51 percent experienced punching” (Raphael et. al). It also

poses a threat to everyone in the community because increasing the spread of STDs says Janice

Raymond and colleagues, “Sex Trafficking of Women in the United States” (Raymond et. al).

The issue of sex trafficking is a serious and prominent problem in the United States that

is not easy to solve due to numerous obstacles. One complication is the fact that sex trafficking

itself is difficult to define. Many see sex trafficking as another form of prostitution because they
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both involve a woman's body being

sold and bought for sexual acts says

Galma Jahic and James Finckenauer,

“Representations and

Misrepresentations of Human

Trafficking” (Jahic and Finckenauer

33). On the other hand, those that

advocate for a distinction between human sex trafficking and prostitution argue that sex

trafficking victims should not be identified under the same terms as prostitutes. Supporters of

this argument hold a unifying idea that not only are sex trafficking victims being forced into

performing sexual acts whereas sex workers enter the sex industry voluntarily, but also that sex

trafficking victims and sex workers under prostitution have different needs. For example, Jahic

and Finckenauer explain that “victims of trafficking may require immediate and intensive

medical and psychological treatment, while sex workers may be more in need of education about

STDs and personal safety” (Jahic and Finckenauer 34).

Sex trafficking still exists today regardless of the numerous attempts have been made to

combat sex trafficking. One solution to sex trafficking is to educate sex buyers about the harmful

psychological effects purchasing sexual acts have on its victims as well of society explains Iris

Yen “​Of Vice and Men: A New Approach to Eradicating Sex Trafficking by Reducing Male

Demand through Educational Programs and Abolitionist Legislation​” (Yen). However, the

problem with this solution is that solely education will not cause the majority of men to change

their mind about buying sex. It is difficult to change their behaviors and attitudes if they do not
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experience a consequence. Another approach to solve the problem of sex trafficking is to target

and arrest sex buyers. This is done when sex buyers are discovered through fake sex ads that will

lead them straight to the police explains Nicholas Kristof “Targeting the Johns in Sex Trade”

(Kristof). However, after they are arrested, they are given very little jail time for being the

driving force behind the sex trafficking problem.

My solution will by targeting the root cause and demand of sex trafficking, sex buyers.

solution would be that in addition to targeting and arresting sex purchasers, the government

needs to instill a mandatory and more severe punishment of at least 20 years of jail time, which

is similar to the punishment sex traffickers are given. This will deter sex buyers from fueling the

sex trafficking industry in a more effective way because in addition to being tricked into being

caught and arrested, these criminals are given the punishment that they deserve.