Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2012

Abstract

Human trafficking is, sadly, a part of the fabric of the 21st century global community, but it has different goals than those of sex trafficking. One expert defines human trafficking as “‘an opportunistic response’ to the tension between the economic necessity to migrate . . . and the politically motivated restrictions on migration”. To give an idea of how widespread sex trafficking is, understand that it is now more profitable for criminals to sell women for sex than it is to sell drugs. Drugs are disposable and finite. Women can be resold over and over and over again. These “commodities” are not as expendable as drugs. Sex trafficking is multifaceted but can be viewed from the basics of how the crime is defined. The definition of the severe form of sex trafficking is defined as being “severe” if force, fraud, or coercion is involved. The other definition is noted as not being “severe” if no such force, fraud, or coercion is present or if the victims cannot prove such. This paper uses the two-tiered definition’s portion that does not require a showing of force, fraud, or coercion because that definition examines the exploitive nature of this entire criminal activity. By distinguishing between victims of this heinous industry who are able to show force, fraud, or coercion and those who are not, we are essentially giving the traffickers an “out” in being able to argue that the victim somehow cooperated or agreed to be trafficked.

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