Rebecca Slowik
12/02/13
Proposal Argument
Advanced Argumentative Writing
Rhetorical Situation

Subject/Claim: The weak legislation applied to sex trafficking in Florida as well as the
lack of awareness among Floridians has allowed for the issue of sex slavery to capitalize
in Florida, especially among minors, those vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation.
Nationally, Florida ranks in the top five states involved in sex slavery. Florida’s high
national ranking calls for an imperative change in Florida’s dealing with sex trafficking
and the exploitation of minors.

Audience: The audience for this project is the discourse community of the Florida
Coalition Against Human Trafficking (http://www.stophumantrafficking.org/index.html).
The FCAHT is an anti-trafficking organization, based out of Florida, with a mission to
provide assistance to trafficking victims of Florida, spread awareness of the signs of
human trafficking, and present guidance to agencies involved in confronting human
trafficking. Individuals within this organization are well networked and connected with
agencies, groups, organizations, and community service providers in the position to
implement change among Florida’s sex trafficking issue. A vital factor in promoting
change to an issue is to first reveal why the issue is problematic and deserving of
attention from those in position to create change. The FCAHT holds the ability to
collaborate and join forces with groups and individuals authorized to effectively deal with
human trafficking in Florida.

Occasion (exigence) and kairos (timeliness): For most Floridians, sex slavery is not
considered a top current state issue. Economic struggles, job loss, debt, and problems
within the real-estate market hold more weight as forerunning issues necessary for
implemented change as immediate attention and awareness of these problems have been
applied. The lack of pertinent attention placed toward human exploitation has allowed for
an issue such as sex trafficking to advance and develop into a serious problem due to the
public’s general unawareness of its high activity and the government’s ineffective
handling of it. A stricter application of legislation involving sex slavery in Florida is
essential as the issue has placed Florida as a top state in the US engaged in the sexual
trafficking of persons. This issue must be fully confronted now before it gains more
momentum and continues as a harmful and dangerous activity plaguing the streets of
Florida, especially targeting minors and those manipulated into trafficking.

Purpose: action or change in thinking you want to take place
The purpose behind this project is to offer FCAHT research and new ideas behind
tackling sex trafficking in Florida. The FCAHT’s connections within the community
provide a framework for spreading awareness of the issue to the residents of Florida as
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Rebecca Slowik
12/02/13
Proposal Argument
Advanced Argumentative Writing
well as contacting officials in position to alter the state’s current regulations involving
sex trafficking. This research paper could trigger the application of different tactics and
plans used by the FCAHT in confronting sex trafficking in Florida.

Writer: the ethos you bring to the argument and the vantage point from which you
will write as a member of a particular discourse community to an external audience
within a particular demographic or as an individual with a set of experiences and
needs to a specific discourse community, such as an organization.
I am a Legal Studies student planning on going to law school and practicing law in
Florida. So far, the area of law of highest interest and consideration for me has been
legislation dealing with human exploitation. I have researched the issue of sex slavery
specific to Florida and have also written papers on the issue. My educational as well as
personal studies have equipped me with necessary understanding of the legal system and
how change is brought about.

Medium: explain the genre and medium used to convey the argument, and why you
chose that medium, as well as how well it fits the rhetorical situation.
I would like to write a research paper containing the sex trafficking information I have
collected through my Commonplace Book while also applying to the paper the
knowledge gained through my Legal Studies major. I chose this medium because I
believe a research-based paper is a more professional choice of medium for an
organization such as the FCAHT. The paper would effectively combine useful research
as well as personal ideas and thoughts on Florida’s handling of sex trafficking. I would
also like to incorporate an analysis of past Florida cases involving sex trafficking.
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Rebecca Slowik
12/02/13
Proposal Argument
Advanced Argumentative Writing
Proposal Argument
My name is Rebecca Slowik and I am an undergraduate student at the University of
Central Florida. I am working towards a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies with a minor in
Writing and Rhetoric. A writing class I am taking this semester has given me the opportunity to
select an issue to research throughout the duration of the semester. My studies for this semester
have been largely focused on human trafficking and the implementation of this issue in the state
of Florida. Before I began focused research on human trafficking (specifically sex trafficking) in
Florida, issues of social injustice and human exploitation have weighed heavy on my thoughts
and heart. The information I have gathered through research has opened my eyes to the
immensity of the issue, solidifying my desire to be more proactive in my efforts of educating
myself on human trafficking as well as spreading awareness of this issue that seems to have
flown under the radar in our country.
I came across your website for Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking while
researching active Florida human trafficking advocacy groups. Your coalition’s high
involvement with the local and state community in addressing Florida’s association with human
trafficking piqued my interest, especially considering your location: my hometown of Sarasota,
Florida. The Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking agency is an excellent organization
putting forth much effort and energy into the fight against human trafficking in Florida. Your
website, www.stophumantrafficking.com, provides effective information for viewers interested
in not only learning more about the issue of human trafficking and it’s activity within Florida but
also for those intending to get involved with the mission. According to your website, “efforts to
combat Human Trafficking in Florida are due to law enforcement, the Florida Coalition Against
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Rebecca Slowik
12/02/13
Proposal Argument
Advanced Argumentative Writing
Human Trafficking, the Center for the Advancement of Human Rights and other service
providers located throughout the State.” Your agency’s involvement with community service
providers, law enforcement agencies, governmental officials, civic groups, and victim service
providers reveals the power and impact your agency holds in the local community as well as the
state as a whole.
Sources gathered through research have introduced me to the history of sex trafficking in
Florida. In order to devise new plans of confronting an issue, one must first be familiar with how
the issue came to be, why it is still an issue, and what has been done and is currently being done
to decrease and ultimately eliminate the issue. According to a speech given by Dr. Mohamed
Matter at a conference on ‘Slavery in the 21st Century’ hosted by University of Central Florida,
“Congress on October 28, 2000 passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. The Act
changed the U.S. policy in several ways. The Act changed the criminal justice policy of the
United States. The Act for the first time recognized trafficking as a specific offense, whether
trafficking for sex or trafficking for labor… And the Act recognizes trafficking as a serious
crime: Under the Act, you get 20 years imprisonment, and the 20 years can be increased to life
imprisonment if you are trafficking a child under the age of 14. And if you are traveling with the
intent to engage in illicit sexual activity with a child, you commit a crime under the Sex Tourism
Prohibition Improvement Act of 2002, which amended the 1994 Child Sexual Abuse Prevention
Act. The Sex Tourism Act is now part of the Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the
Exploitation of Children Today Act of 2003, or ‘Protect Act’, Section 105 ‘Penalties Against Sex
Tourism.’” The application of law to an issue as large as sex trafficking has proven to be a
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Rebecca Slowik
12/02/13
Proposal Argument
Advanced Argumentative Writing
difficult task. If the disintegration of human trafficking depended purely on legal actions put into
place, then human trafficking would not still be a forerunning issue in Florida.
A social injustice such as human trafficking needs to first be considered an issue worth
putting energy, time, money, and focus into in order for the issue to encounter friction and
opposition severe enough to create change. In general, human trafficking has been overlooked
and under-considered within the United States. Before I applied myself to research regarding the
issue, I myself originally thought of human trafficking as a problem among people outside of the
United States borders, in countries with weak economies and corrupt governments. Awareness of
the severity of human trafficking in Florida must be spread and seen as a forerunning issue
necessary for community involvement. With that said, human trafficking is a fitting issue for
college student involvement. College students possess a certain mindset of possibility and
enthusiasm crucial to the implementation of change within a society. If a well-connected agency
such as Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking teamed up with college advocacy groups
throughout Florida, a new surge of energy would accompany the efforts already in place.
After researching human trafficking advocacy groups active on Florida college campuses,
I was surprised to find the amount of Florida universities with an advocacy group in place. Each
advocacy group has an online medium, whether it be a website, Facebook, or Twitter account,
available for people to access. Two advocacy groups in particular have integrated into multiple
Florida universities. These two groups are known as International Justice Mission and Students
Against Slavery. International Justice Mission has an active chapter at University of Central
Florida as well as University of Florida. According to the ijm.org website, the International
Justice Mission is a “human rights agency that brings rescue to victims of slavery, sexual
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Rebecca Slowik
12/02/13
Proposal Argument
Advanced Argumentative Writing
exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare
professionals work with local officials to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to
prosecute perpetrators and to ensure that public justice systems - police, courts and laws effectively protect the poor.” Both International Justice Mission chapters at University of Central
Florida and University of Florida have active Facebook pages dedicated to interacting with the
student body through posts, updates, and links. The University of Central Florida chapter has a
committee comprised of a president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer responsible for
heading up the agency on campus. The University of Florida chapter, according to their
Facebook page, exists to “raise funds to support IJM’s work, participate in activities to raise
awareness about human rights abuses, and pray for IJM’s staff and the victims of injustice that
they serve.”
Students Against Slavery is an advocacy group with a vision to “band together with
fellow college students to improve the overall condition of global slavery. With our collective
effort, we plan to better inform the public of the current conditions of slavery and collect money
to donate to a worldwide charity organization that facilitates the freeing of slaves on a daily
basis,” according to the Students Against Slavery at UCF Facebook page. Students Against
Slavery has an active chapter at University of Central Florida, Barry Law School, and Stetson
Law School. Each school keeps members informed and updated through a Students Against
Slavery Facebook page. According to Barry Law’s Student Against Slavery Facebook page,
“Our chapter is focused on creating awareness and promoting action to end human exploitation
in both labor and sex trafficking. Being the first law school chapter, our goal is to educate law
students on the legal issues of human trafficking and gaining awareness for current and future
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Rebecca Slowik
12/02/13
Proposal Argument
Advanced Argumentative Writing
attorneys and judges, with their power in the legal community to help victims and prosecute
criminals.”
Aside from International Justice Mission and Students Against Slavery, independent
advocacy groups aimed at addressing the issue of human trafficking have formed at other Florida
universities not yet mentioned. Florida State University has the Center for the Advancement of
Human Rights, University of South Florida has the End It Movement, Florida International
University has the FIU 4 Freedom group, and Florida Gulf Coast University has the Human
Trafficking Awareness Partnerships, Inc. agency. University of Central Florida also has The
Human Trafficking Awareness Program, connected to the UCF Global Perspective. Each
advocacy group listed above is linked to the respective group’s Facebook page or website in
place for that particular university.
As a college student with an interest in law, I am at an age and position in my life of
flexibility and availability enabling me to commit myself to a cause. For human trafficking to be
tackled in Florida, I firmly believe the collaboration of student advocacy groups with agencies
such as your own would provide motivation and fresh insight and would also increase the level at
which awareness is spread. The amount of Florida campuses with a human trafficking advocacy
group in place is a strong indicator of present interest of the issue among students. The joining of
your agency’s experience in approaching the issue with the energy, vision, and zeal found among
college students would create a strong force capable of decreasing the activity of human
trafficking in Florida.
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Rebecca Slowik
12/02/13
Proposal Argument
Advanced Argumentative Writing
Works Cited
Unknown. “Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking.” HTAC. Sarasota Traffic Humans
Awareness Task Force. Web. 15 November 2013.
<http://www.stophumantrafficking.org/activism.html>
Mattar, Mohamed. “Trafficking in Persons in the United States: The Case of Florida.” Protection
Project. The Protection Project, 2012. Web. 14 November 2013.
<http://www.protectionproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/US-Florida-Case.pdf>
Unknown. “Who We Are.” International Justice Mission. International Justice Mission, 2012.
Web. 30 November 2013. < http://www.ijm.org/who-we-are>
“Students Against Slavery at UCF.” Facebook. Facebook, 2013. 28 April 2011. Web. 29
November 2013. < https://www.facebook.com/SAS.UCF>
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