Running Head: THE WAR ON HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Policy Brief Paper: The War on Human Trafficking

Jennifer Diaz & Rochelle Granados

California State University, San Bernardino

June 15, 2018

HSCI 660D: Advanced Topics in Health Science & Human Ecology

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Executive Summary

Human trafficking has become a “modern-day slavery” in which it has affected the

human and personal rights of individuals (Mace, Venneberg, & Amell, 2012). In the United

States, slavery has been banned since the Civil War, in which the Thirteenth Amendment and the

treaty of the Slavery Convention of the League of Nations, have been created to ban slavery

(Mace et al., 2012). Despite the Thirteenth Amendment a modern-day slavery has arisen at is

more commonly referred to as human trafficking. Human trafficking is defined as, “The illegal

practice of procuring or trading in human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or

other forms of exploitation” (“What is Human Trafficking?,” 2018). To decrease the level of the

problem, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act

were created in banning forced labor goods, assisting victims, and creating better laws to fight

trafficking of any sort (What are the statistics on human trafficking of children?, n.d.).

As a recommendation, certain laws should be modified to suit the problem at hand, such

as the Trafficking Victims Protection Act by, “adding human trafficking specialists to U.S.

Attorney’s offices throughout the country who will help to gain justice for victims and hold

perpetrators accountable” (2018). The modification of laws, resources, and time will help place

stricter law enforcement and investigations in producing a greater number of trafficking cases.

“According to the State Department, there were only 439 trafficking convictions in the United

States” (2018). Although there was a low number registered, it can be certain that many cases are

not accounted for due to the complexity of human trafficking, thus a need for more involvement

from the government and the public. Due to this becoming the case, it can be recommended to

allocate government funds for programs and enforcement in educating the public on this matter.

With the public becoming knowledgeable on what the matter consists of, it can help to create
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more involvement by helping, “identify and undertake these complex cases, leading to more

prosecutions for trafficking crimes” (2018).

Context and Importance of the Problem

Human trafficking is one of the fastest illegal business in the world. Humans are a

growing commodity; in 2005 there was revenue of $30 billion dollars reported by the

International Labour Organization (ILO.org). Comparatively, in 2014 the revenue reported as

$150 billion a year (International Labour Organization, 2017). Over the last decade, this issue

has become prevalent. International Labour Organization reports, “1 in 4 victims of modern

slavery are children” (ILO.org). However, the problem with data is the underreporting of human

trafficking, which does not allow for an accurate representation of data.

Human trafficking is a violent action that can sometimes be life threatening. It is essential

to understand that human trafficking can occur anywhere, and not just in third world countries,

this crime exists in the United States. There are vulnerable populations specifically targeted but

the policies that are implemented today are not effective enough to impact this issue. It is

detrimental to bring awareness to adults through education, in order to help identify signs of

human trafficking and be able to locate resources for further assistance for vulnerable

populations.

There are many forms of human trafficking and not only does it necessarily consist of

controlling someone physically but also the use of psychological manipulation. Traffickers may

use fear, drugs, threats, and isolation from their family to control the victim physically. Human

trafficking constitutes of domestic servitude, agricultural work, sex coercion and any other labors

that will bring in profit (humanrightsfirst.org). The National Center for Missing and Exploited

Children reports that commercially exploited children are traumatized by their traffickers by
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mentally manipulating into thinking that they are providing them love and affection and that they

cannot find this affection elsewhere (missingkids.org).

As previously mentioned, the general assumptions are that human trafficking they may

have an idea that it only occurs in third-world countries or that it is someone being transported

from another country. The truth of the matter is that it also happens domestically in the United

States and the United Nations data indicated that the U.S is the designated nation for trafficked

victims (Mace et al., 2012). With human trafficking becoming a fast-growing illegal industry, the

current approach addressing human trafficking is not meeting its need anymore. There were

“2,105 of the 7,621 human trafficking cases recorded in 2016 involving U.S. citizens” (What the

U.S. Can do to Continue Fighting Human Trafficking in 2018, 2018).

An individual may constitute human trafficking for various reasons despite of how strong

labor laws may be. There is an interest in people to traffic individuals due to supply and demand,

there is a high demand to obtain people and force them to conduct acts with little to no pay.

There needs to be a comprehensive curriculum that teaches youth human trafficking education in

a school setting. In doing so, this will help raise awareness and prevent the youth to not fall into

the hands of dangerous people. It is crucial to provide the youth with the tools necessary to help

distinguish the signs in order to decrease the risk of human trafficking for themselves and others.

The average age that a young girl is trafficked at is ages 12-14. Youth may be considered to be

the most vulnerable population for human trafficking due to a variety of reasons. At an early

stage in life, they may experience abuse, neglect, homelessness, etc. "Research findings estimate

that between 33 and 90 percent of victims of commercial child sexual exploitation have

experienced these types of abuses” (Williamson & Prior, 2009). Evidence also suggests that

lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBTQ) youths can be up to five times more likely than
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heterosexual youths to be victims of trafficking due to the increased susceptibility that comes

with the feelings of rejection and alienation that are often experienced by LGBTQ youths" (U.S

Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth and Families,

2014).

Critique of the Policy Options

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) allows for victims of human trafficking

by conducting the “3 Ps,” which includes prosecution, protection, and prevention. Prosecution

makes sure that the abusers are being jailed for exploiting human for profit. Protection is used for

protecting the victims with any necessary care such as housing, medical care, and witness

protection program. Lastly, prevention focuses on raising awareness about the cruel aspects of

human trafficking so that the cycle does not continue. Comparatively, Justice for Victims of

Trafficking Act of 2015 intent is to appropriate $25 million each year from 2015-2019. These

grants will be disbursed throughout the states. In addition, $5,000 will be fined to the person

convicted with any type of human trafficking activity.

It is reported that the United States’ government authorized the T-visa for 1,168 foreign

nations that are human trafficking. However, there are about 14,500-17,500 foreign nationals

trafficked each year (fighslavery.org). The data shows the discrepancy in the U.S failing to

effectively enforce TVPA. The amount of victim reporting is very minute and being reported,

there requires to be an improved method to identify victims, track victims and provide them with

the necessary services. In addition, there needs to be stricter regulations of laws put into place

locally in order to diminish these crimes. The large number of victims is illustrating the

discrepancy in the U.S failing effectively to enforce TVPA. There is a limit amount of data that

analyzes the prevalence and components within the homeless, runaway, and welfare systems.
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Due to young individuals being a vulnerable population, there is a need in creating urgency to

enact policies that will meet their specific needs to prevent their age group from becoming a

human trafficking victim.

The “National Human Trafficking Hotline had received 13,897 calls” (2018). Although

there is an estimate that the number will double by the end of 2018, there is still a large number

of victims not accounted for due the complexity of human trafficking. As the data shows, the

policies enacted need to be modified in accordance to the progression of this crisis, because the

policies being used now are not alleviating the situation, only letting it get worse as the number

of victims continue to rise. Across the states, human trafficking policies may vary which is why

it is crucial to extend the laws across the nation.

Policy Recommendations

Although there is an existence of laws in place for the protection of young individuals

against human trafficking, it still occurs at high rates. Specific measures demand to improve our

law to help in fight the war against human trafficking, especially with youth. Educating youth on

human trafficking should be part of the curriculum to help the youth learn basic cognitive skills

to help identify dangers or potential threats. As previously stated, ages 12-14 youth are

considered the most vulnerable population in the human trafficking dilemma. If education took

on a more significant role in empowering youth to prevent this issue from continuing happening,

then there would be an impactful outcome showing that youth are aware and may “engage and

raise awareness” (“Prevention, Prosecution, and Protection - Human Trafficking, UN Chronicle,”

2010).

A second measure that can be taken is through community participation. This may be

done by, “equipping these groups with an abundance of resources to help them identify different
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kinds of human trafficking, understand how it affects local communities, and learn how to help

prevent it from happening” (“Prevention, Prosecution, and Protection - Human Trafficking, UN

Chronicle,” 2010). By creating a concerned and involved community, members within that

community may become a liaison to government agencies and organizations who seek the same

mission related to child trafficking. In addition to involving the community, the implementation

of research within communities is important in having supportive data that may maintain the

facts of the issue firmly. By doing research, there is, “strong potential to contribute immensely to

our key objectives: prevention of trafficking, prosecution of traffickers and protection of victims”

(“Prevention, Prosecution, and Protection - Human Trafficking, UN Chronicle,” 2010). In

implementing education and community activity, individuals, organizations, and the government

may produce a more impactful outcome to end child trafficking in the United States.

In conclusion, it is recognizable to say that the war against human trafficking is far from

over. There is a great need to emphasize new policies that modify to the day and age of human

trafficking in America, especially in youth who are most vulnerable. The implementation of new

ideas and collaboration may help create a gateway to the development of new and improved laws

that target youth directly and specifically. It is essential to create policies that will help victims

participate in investigations and prosecutions to report against their trafficker, especially minor

victims that may feel as if they may not approach authority. There needs to be a relationship

between law enforcement and victims to make sure that they are comfortable to testify.

In addition, with laws explicitly targeting youth on the issue, the implementation of

educational programs may benefit in decreasing the number of cases through prevention

methods. Educational programs may be given to youth and communities across the nation to

identify signs and gain further knowledge about the issue through research as well. It is essential
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to be able to research in order to understand the need and learn how to address it. If one thing is

clear, much work is still left to be done to combat human trafficking in America, especially in

youth.
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References

Celia Williamson & Michael Prior (2009) Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: A Network of Underground

Players in the Midwest, Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 2:1, 46-61, DOI:

10.1080/19361520802702191

Forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking (Forced labour, modern slavery and human

trafficking). (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2018, from

https://www.mensenhandelweb.nl/system/files/documents/15%20apr%202014/Zimmerman

%202003.pdfhttp://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/lang--ja/index.htm

Trafficking Victims Protection Act. (2017, March 04). Retrieved from https://fightslaverynow.org/why-

fight-there-are-27-million-reasons/the-law-and-trafficking/trafficking-victims-protection-

act/trafficking-victims-protection-act/

Human Resource Development Toward a Solution. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 14(3),

333–344. https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422312446053

the definition of human trafficking. (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2018, from

NCMEC Analysis. (n.d.). Retrieved June 15, 2018, from

http://www.missingkids.com/ourwork/ncmecanalysis

Mace, S. L., Venneberg, D. L., & Amell, J. W. (2012). Human Trafficking: Integrating

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/human trafficking

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children, Youth and Families.

(2014). Guidance to states and services on addressing human trafficking of children and youth in

the United States. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/acyf_human_trafficking_guidance.pdf
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What are the statistics on human trafficking of children? (n.d.). Retrieved May 29, 2018, from

https://www.arkofhopeforchildren.org/child-trafficking/child-trafficking-

statistics

What the U.S. Can do to Continue Fighting Human Trafficking in 2018. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/blog/what-us-can-do-continue-fighting-human-trafficking-

2018