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Anna Hamburger
Chris Tomlinson
Honors English 1
14 May 2010
Human Trafficking: Humans are not for Sale.
Human Trafficking is a form of modern day slavery that is quickly on the rise.
Human Trafficking includes; mail order brides, forced labor like on a farm in a factory,
and prostitution usually of minors. Because slavery was abolished over 150 years ago,
damages the human body and Human Trafficking is a major offensive of any citizen’s
rights, human trafficking should be stopped.
Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 it was supposed to abolish
slavery, but this didn’t happen until the 13th and 14th amendments were added to the
constitution, because the Emancipation Proclamation hadn’t been approved by
congress. It has been a long time since slavery was abolished, far too long for it to still
be around, especially in the United States. In a recent press conference Attorney
General Eric Holder said, “Of course, there is no more basic human right than freedom
from slavery. It is enshrined in the 13th Amendment of our Constitution. And it is the
very first right recognized by international law. Yet, in its modern form of trafficking, this
cruel practice persists on an enormous and alarming scale,” (National Conference on
Human Trafficking). This means that every United States citizen should not be faced
with slavery in any form whether modern or traditional, it is indeed illegal.
Human trafficking can cause physical and psychological damage to any victim.
Most commonly what can be found in the patient after a human trafficking experience,
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especially rape or prostitution, would be PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,
PTSD is a mental that is caused by any traumatic experience usually something similar
to a car accident but in this case physical or emotional abuse. A victim of PTSD may
have symptoms like: flashbacks or nightmares of the incident, insomnia and trouble
remembering things related to short term memory, (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia).
Here is a personal account from a victim of human trafficking, “I didn’t know what I was
getting myself into. I have been raped and beaten many times and I still have these
memories that will be with me for the rest of my life. I was 14 years old. I did not try to
tell anyone because I was scared,” (Register Staff). These show two examples of how
trafficking can effect a person psychologically. In a new study they have found that
trafficking can also affect a person physically as well, because of psychological
damage. “In those who do experience it, (PTSD) there is growing evidence that actual
physical changes occur in the brain. The hippocampus, a structure that lies deep in the
brain and that is associated with memory, has been found to be smaller in PTSD
victims,” (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). Though this is not proven to happen
100% of the time, it is still eye opening that abuse can change an organ. Child victims
also face a lower life expectancy from not only physical and psychological damage, but
also the risks of sexually transmitted disease and a higher risk of murder, (Register
Staff). There are a lot of risks that get involved with human trafficking; some probably
aren’t even discovered yet.
Slavery and forced servitude are direct violations of the 13th amendment, but
sometimes it is hard to see where it crosses the line from labor to slavery. “Marrying a
mail-order bride from a foreign country is not illegal. But if that bride is forbidden by her
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husband to go anywhere alone, or if her immigration documents are controlled by her
husband, it could be a case of human trafficking,” (Nappi). Another example could be
anytime a prostitute is under the age of 18 or is a minor, Grudic says. "If you have a 17year-old girl on the street doing prostitution, she is a victim of trafficking," (Nappi). If
anything is forced where the rights of freedom have been stripped away, it is a form a
trafficking.
Another form exists where workers from other countries come to American in
search of the American Dream, though this rarely ever happens. They get tricked into
working somewhere, for lower wages than they original thought, or without the stability
they were promised. “In bigger cities, immigrant men and women are forced into labor
at ethnic restaurants, nail salons and massage parlors that double as sex centers.
Some are overworked as nannies in affluent families,” (Nappi). The people who agree to
this have no idea what is in store once they leave their home, or sell their farm to move
to America. Many times they never see their family again and are unable to send money
over to them as they originally plan. These people were denied equality as well as
freedom.
There are many things people can do to stop and even prevent Human
Trafficking, whether supporting foundations or the recent proposals for tougher laws that
deal with foreign work policies, immigration, prostitution and slavery. Anyone can help
by educating people what is and erasing judgments on immigrants and prostitutes.
Even though slavery was outlawed years ago, a form of slavery is on the rise, called
Human Trafficking, the criminal act of slavery should be stopped because slavery was
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abolished, it is harmful to the human body and it is an offense to any citizen’s rights.
Stop being inhuman, stop human trafficking.
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Works Cited
Ban Ki-moon, Ban. “Today’s slavery practices must be eradicated, Secretary-General
says.” M2PressWIRE 25 Mar. 2010: n. pag. Newspaper Source. Web. 9 May
2010. <http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=16PU1932582036&site=ehost-live>.
Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. “Post-traumatic stress disorder.” Columbia
Electronic Encyclopedia. Primary Search. Web. 13 May 2010.
<http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=prh&AN=39014350&site=ehost-live>.
Nappi, Rebecca. “Sold into silent slavery: Preventing human trafficking has become a
full-time job.” Spokesman-Review, The (Spokane, WA) 9 Jan. 2010: n. pag.
Newspaper Source. Web. 9 May 2010. <http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=2W61791833201&site=ehost-live>.
National Conference on Human Trafficking, Eric Holder. Attorney General Eric Holder
Speaks at the National Conference on Human Trafficking. Confrence on Human
Trafficking. Arlington, Va. 4 May 2010. Newspaper Source 4 May 2010: n. pag.
Newspaper Source. Web. 6 May 2010. <http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=nfh&AN=16PU1860041470&site=ehost-live>.
Register Staff, Abbe Smith. “Bill to shield child prostitutes touted in Senate.” New Haven
Register. New Haven Register, n.d. Web. 7 May 2010.
<http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2010/04/25/news/new_haven/
doc4bd3b5e07a5fa364395395.txt>.
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The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. “Constitution of the United
States Amendments 11-27.” The National Archives. The U.S. National Archives
and Records Administration , n.d. Web. 9 May 2010. <http://www.archives.gov/
exhibits/charters/constitution_amendments_11-27.html>.