Human Trafficking

Human trafficking, or the illegal trade and exploitation of people for services including slavery, labor and prostitution, is the fastest growing illegal industry in the world. The annual revenue from the industry is believed to be between 4 and 9 billion dollars a year and has reached its highest point in years. Every year thousands of people are kidnapped, deceived, or sold into a life of slavery and although it has not garnered much attention in the U.S. it is estimated that there are currently nearly 10,000 forced laborers in the U.S. (46% of those being sold into prostitution) and nearly 14,000 are smuggled into the country every year.

However human trafficking is nothing in the U.S. compared to other countries around the world. It is estimated that 2/3 of women and children who are forced into prostitution through human trafficking come from western Europe (Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Greece). And in Africa thousands of young boys are recruited as child soldiers and young girls are forced to become sex slaves as punishment for their family's offenses. There is believed to be nearly 60,000 child prostitutes in the Philippines, 50,000 Iraqi refugee women working in brothels across Syria, and 200,000 Nepali girls sold into prostitution in India.

The numbers here are outstanding, heartbreaking and unacceptable. Questions to think about:

1.) How can we as countries join together to try to stop human trafficking?

2.) How will international laws make it difficult to bring an end to trafficking?

3.) What measures do you think the U.S. needs to take against trafficking and to bring more awareness about the issue?

If you haven't already seen it, here's a trailer for the movie "Taken" about a man who's daughter is kidnapped and sold into prostitution. It's a scary glimpse of something that is not fictional and is going on right here within our borders.