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Lezli Barbour
Phillips
English 3 Honors
1 May 2015
Human Trafficking:
Forced Labor or Notion of Choice?
The sale of women and children account for the majority of human trafficking globally,
with Southeast Asia acting as the industrys largest illegal hub. Approximately 225,000 women
and children are trafficked from this particular region every year. There is very little known
about the background and nature of human trafficking, mainly due to the difficulty in collecting
reliable and true useful data. Sex trade and human trafficking are few of the most widely spread
and fast growing crimes in the world. Sex trafficking, forced labor, and peonage are only few of
many forms that human trafficking takes (Curtis). According to the United Nations Protocols to
Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, human trafficking is defined as the use of
force, coercion, abduction, fraud or deception to exert control over another person for the
purposes of exploitation (Hughes). Sex trade takes a huge toll on not only the individuals
participating, but the family members left behind as well. Victims become mentally, emotionally,
and physically unstable, leading to a very unhealthy lifestyle. Family members left behind feel
there is no hope in getting their child back because of the threats, high security, and large
corporation in which trafficking takes place. Enforcing human trafficking laws needs to happen
quickly, or else we will lose many women and children to sex trade.

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The lack of attention to this large issue is so low that it causes victims and even
traffickers to essentially lose their sense of humanity. People at the top of the trafficking chain
are drooling and clenching onto the idea of wealth and fame, also known as pimps or Johns. It
is a competition on who can traffic the most girls, bring in the most money, and still maintain an
unknown identity to the police. Child sex trafficking is a dangerous form of slavery that can lead
children and women too, to suffer lifelong emotional and physical exhaust. Sex tourism is a
flourishing worldwide industry in which children are forced into a life of prostitution; serving
adults who travel to foreign countries for the sole purpose of engaging in illegal sexual conduct
with Juveniles. As Jo Dozenna states regarding women and children in the sex trade, They are
passive, nave, and ready prey for traffickers. The lack of attention even falls guilty on the
officials as well, as they tend to ignore this issue. Victims sometimes find themselves exploited
even by officials as well, because there is a fine line in these industries of what formal and
informal work is (Sorajjakool). Therefore, some cannot access the mechanisms they would need
to use to escape. Fear takes over, which is very normal in potential runaways. Quoting Lisa
Curtis, Human Trafficking in South Asia hinders socioeconomic development of the region and
contributes to violence and corruption of society, harming both individuals and the state. An
estimated 17 million people are trafficked in South Asia today (Curtis). Although apparent
racket takes place, officials tend to brush it off their shoulders and ignore the situation as a
whole. Trafficking is not widely reported in Thai News, even though trafficking flourishes there.
News of such incidents are only picked up by international correspondents, and has only recently
been started to be reported on Thai News. This causes a huge swirl of confusion in many people,
and leaves the traffickers to believe what they are doing is important to anyone surrounding.

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Post-traumatic stress is another huge effect that lack of attention causes. The journey
across the Bay of Bengal to Thailand takes just under a week. All the while, the boats are filled
with helplessness and misery of victims, many of which claim had been forced onto the boat
against their will. They are being beaten and abducted, then eventually sold to the traffickers.
Almost all of the ships are packed full, as it is a main goal of the agents to do so (Hawley).
Imagine being in their situation. Working conditions are not safe whatsoever for these sex slaves,
and that affects them very negatively. Sleep and nutritional deprivation start to fall into play, they
are given the choice to sleep or eat and most choose to sleep for they have weak work ethic when
not fully rested. Long working hours, eventually take a toll on them. The lack of attention to this
emerging issue has severely affected many women, men, and children and more attention toward
this issue needs to take place immediately.
Threats, high security, and big corporations make it nearly impossible for sex slaves to
escape or get help. All three things also make it extremely difficult for family members to even
attempt to help or escape. Many pimps threaten to kill family members and sex slaves if they
attempt to try to get help or escape. Before starting work, the women are forced to give up all
information regarding themselves including passport, address, bank account numbers, family
information, etc This is another huge reason most are afraid to reach out for assistance and
help to escape. The sex trafficking industry is so large that many dont even think twice when
they see women on the streets. The roads are brimming with ladies up and down. Having such a
large corporation makes it almost unachievable to help sex slaves escape, because the pimps
have high security. They also tend to be pros at disguising themselves as the common man,
taking a stroll along the street on a normal day. Many say that the women choose to be where
they are, but there are many facts that show this simply isnt true.

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The notion of choice causes disputes between many in regards to the world wide issue.
Feminist Jo Dozenna claims that prostitutes volunteer to do such acts, and is therefore capable of
making decisions on whether or not to vend their bodies for money. The victims that are forced
are from developing countries therefor are deemed and unable to contemplate and decide
actions (Laing).
By assuming that sex work only takes place between white males and young
exotic females, such organizations see sex work as a plight to Western feminist
sensibilities. In fact, as the scholar Elina Penttimen writes: the third world
prostitute has been produced though as is expressive of a larger

system of

power, in which the prostitute performs care and interest and takes the position
of the truly feminine and exotic other.
Sexual exploitation has sparked many debates such as some people feel that women
voluntarily go into prostitution to support themselves as well as their families. Poverty,
unemployment, inequality of genders, and social transgression are what most post conflict
societies are defined by. This ideally makes society more likely to have an environment for
sexual trafficking to swell (Szablewska). Although that is a valid point, many sex slaves are
tricked into trafficking, and the lack of knowledge and awareness that the victims have towards
the situation makes tricking them even easier. Former prostitute who went by the code name
Em said, Somehow I thought I would be working as a painter, as I was before in Moscow. I
even took my painters uniform. When I arrived a woman asked me angrily Why do you have
that uniform with you? You are working for me now (21st Century Sex Slaves). This isnt rare
to happen to many victims, and it is deeply upsetting to see how easily traffickers reel them in,

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and hook em like fish. They arrive and are crushed to find out that they are the new victim of
forced sexual labor.
Most believe that human trafficking provides a social relationship, as well as make the
women and children feel special, and cared for. In A Companion to Contemporary Documentary
Film, Alexandra states Sex work can be understood as bipolitical production in that it directly
produces social relationships and forms of life (Juhasz). Majority of pimps provide everything
a sex slave could possibly need. From food, to clothes, to shelter, they provide it all. It is very
understandable that this could offer security and warmth to them, although they tend to forget
what happens when they dont do exactly as they are told. Facts have been revealed about
beatings, mainly from the pimps beating them for not earning an acceptable amount of money for
the night. This causes confusion and frustration amongst the slave, yet they continue to refrain
from reaching out for help. There are definitely other ways women could make them feel better
about themselves, such as trying to nanny, attending social events, and even try getting help from
social services. By allowing themselves to be subjected to just support themselves or make
themselves happy should never be a last resort the sex slaves settle for.
Oppositions claim there are laws already passed stating that trafficking is illegal.
Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam should be praised for their anti- human trafficking laws,
which have prohibited all forms of human trafficking says Naparat (Kranrattanasuit). Sure that
is true, but on record how many cases have been thoroughly looked through and actually fallen
through to prosecute? Little to none. Slaves are afraid to speak out and give testimonies because
of the strict pimps, which leads back to the little attention point made before. Thailand is the
most crowded and known for trafficking, yet very little action is taken to prevent this from
occurring. Officials either look the other way, or give up on the situation as a whole.

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Its definitely time for a change. Enforcing laws and prosecuting offenders is only the
first huge step that needs to be taken towards this large issue. No matter how high security,
officials should never give up and turn their heads. Secret organizations can be made to try and
help slaves reach out without fear of being caught. Having a low key corporation would offer
comfort and security to the sex slave, which many long for while trapped inside the trafficking
circle. This would make it much easier for us to find out more information on human trafficking,
how it works, and essentially leading us to the main leader behind it all. Monitoring the main
areas for suspicious activities is somewhere to start, for it might show helpful evidence that could
be used in court, proving the horrid acts taking place in the flourishing cities. We have to start
somewhere, and secret organizations, high monitoring, more effort, enforcing the law, and most
of all more attention is only the beginning.

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Works Cited
Curtis, Lisa, and Olivia Enos. "Combating Human Trafficking in Asia Requires U.S.
Leadership." The Heritage Foundation. N.p., 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 21 Apr. 2015.
Hawley, Samantha. "Bangladesh the New Frontline for Human Trafficking." AM. ABC, 20 Oct.
2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
Hughes, Conor, Ngan Dinh, James Hughes, and Margaret M. Fazio. "Human Trafficking in
Southeast Asia: Results from a Pilot Project in Vietnam." IZA. N.p., 20 Nov. 2014.
Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
Juhasz, Alexandra, and Alisa Lebow. A Companion to Contemporary Documentary Film.
Malden, WA: John Wiley & Sons, 2015. WorldCat [OCLC]. Web. 19 Apr. 2015.
Kranrattanasuit, Naparat. ASEAN and Human Trafficking: Case Studies of Cambodia, Thailand
and Vietnam. Vol. 109. Boston: Leiden, The Netherlands, 2014. International Studies
in Human Rights. WorldCat [OCLC]. Web. 4 Apr. 2015.
Laing, Mary Whowell. Queer Sex Work. New York, NY: Routledge, 2015. Routledge Studies in
Crime and Society. WorldCat [OCLC]. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.

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Sorajjakool, Soraj. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs. Vol. 33. Humburg, Germany:
Giga, 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015.
Szablewska, Natalia, and Clara Bradley. Social Justice Within Transitional Justice: The Case of
Human Trafficking and Sex-Work in Cambodia and Myanmar. Vol. 4. N.p.: Springer
International, 2015. WorldCat [OCLC]. Web. 18 Apr. 2015.
21st Century Sex Slaves. Dir. Dugald Maudley. National Geographic, 2012. Web. 17 Apr. 2015.
Netflix.