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Autumn Gardner-Larson

Ms. Steiner

English 10 p.6

12 March 2020

Not for Sale

A girl gets promised a better life, a safe home and a promise to get taken care of instead

she gets trapped in one of the worst crimes ever. She may have gotten abused or neglected, may

have not even had a father figure. So when a pimp lures her in with all these promises, it's

appealing to her because she never had it. Pimps go for victims that are desperate and are having

a hard time at home. Sex trafficking is a crime which involves pimps kidnapping victims and

forcing the victims to engage in sex acts that they didn’t have a choice against. Although some

may say that sex trafficking is already well known becuase of new articles, news channels,

school helath classes and billboards. Sex trafficking may be just be disregarded as prostitution

and may think the victims want to engage in the sex acts, when really they dont want too.

However sex trafficking is a bigger problem than everyone thinks because the amount of people

involved in the crime is horrible, so many more than people think. Sex Trafficking also affects

the victims physicaly and mentally.

The amount of victims involved in sex trafficking is horrible. The pimps most likely go

for young women and girls. In the article, “Ignorance and Complacency Promote Sex

Trafficking” Zoba states that pimps lure in 600,000-800,000 us citizens a year. Half of them are

children and come from up to 32 different countries (Zoba). So many people get involved and
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they don’t even know until it’s too late. This can come from simply meeting someone at a bar to

getting a direct message on a social media platform. Victims can even get kidnapped and not

know where they are. The victims soon get their phones, wallets and IDs taken away to prevent

them escaping. To think that children get involved in this is sick. Slavery was bad back then but

now it’s worse for example, an author stated “Numbers in the U.S. domestic sex market reach the

hundreds of thousands. ‘There are more slaves alive today than all the people stolen from Africa’

(Bales). That’s bad to think about because everyone thought that slavery ended. But really it’s

hidden under a mask. Not enough people know about this crime and it just gets disregarded as

prostitution when it’s so much more than that.

People may think that in sex trafficking the victims are only forced to participate in sex

acts. Unfortunately, the victims may get beat or abused if they don't make the amount of money

they need. The pimps may be strict and get mad if the victims don't meet the requirements. For

example, In the article “Sex Trafficking Threatens the United States.” Goodson states that the

victims get beat for entertainment in some cases. People may pay to watch this happen, people

like to see this. This causes the victims to have scars and bruises and have to find a way to cover

them up (Goodson). This is a crime that pimps should be put in jail for the rest of their lives for.

This may be used as a method to scare the victims into not wanting to try to escape. By doing

this, the pimps will have the victims as long as they want. The victims may stay in houses with

other girls that are involved. These girls may have drugs and alcohol. The drugs can cause

physical abuse because they make you tired and you won't be able to act the same. The victims

get addicted to the drugs and soon need them to survive. For example, In the article “Sex

Trafficking Threatens the United States.” Goodson states that girls in the houses have also
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introduced Satanism to the other girls. In this, they may practice rituals and hurt themselves since

they have no idea what they are doing. The victims may also give themselves tattoos that are

permanent. One girl gave herself a tattoo of an upside down cross and once she was rescued she

realized what she had done to herself (Goodson). The victims may not understand what they are

doing because they may have been brainwashed by the pimps. Satanism may also brainwash the

victims by the rituals and the other stuff involved. The victims will go to any measure to forget

what's happening to them so they turn to satanism.

The victims undergo not only physical abuse but they undergo mental abuse. The pimps

may make the victims feel like they are not people anymore. The pimps take away the victims

dignity and soon the victims feel like they have no more self worth. For example, in the article

“Sex Trafficking the United States.” Goodson states that a victim named Susannah was saved

from the awful pimp. As she was recovering she finally realized she was a person, and even

screamed “I am a Person! ''(Goodson). The pimps take away the victims rights and take away

their will to live. It makes the victims forget who they are. When the victims lose their dignity,

they may just want to please the pimps and always want the pimps to be approving of their

behavior. At first, the victims get treated with so much love and respect. They may get fancy

things and they get everything they want. Soon, everything goes to waste, they are trapped with

the pimp and no considered property. SOme victims may get branded so they know which pimp

they belong to. For example, in the article “Sex Trafficking is a Worldwide Problem” Weaver

states that the pimps lure in the victims with promise of a better life. They promise money and a

nice house. Another method is promising the victims with a good job that pays good money.

Once the victims agree to the so called promise, the pimps turn it around and tell them what's
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actually happening. Then it's too late to do anything about it because they're already in the pimps

control (Weaver). This can mess with their mental health because it can give them trust issues. It

can make the victims feel as if they can't trust anyone anymore. When they get rescued they may

have a hard time knowing what's real and what's not real. It can make them be very cautious.

Although some may say that sex trafficking is already well known bevause of news

stories and health classes in school, sex trafficking is a bigger problem becuase most poeple may

not pay attention to news articles, they also think that sex trafficking isnt common in U.S.

However, most sex traffiking happens in the United States. For example, in the article “Sex

Trafficking is a Worldwide Problem” Weaver states thousands of teens are at risk at sex

trafficking right now. This business” is the 3rd largest money making crime in the United States

(Weaver). This is sad because everyone thinks the United States is a perfect place. It seems like

the place everyone wants to come with all the propaganda and advertisements. Just in general,

people coming to visit from other countries may think its perfect. Unfortunately, the U.S. has

layers and sex trafficking is hidden in those layers. Sex trafficking is a huge problem and maybe

if there was awareness brought to it, it wouldnt be a problem anymore.

Sex tarfficking changes peoples lives drastically wether its mental or physical change, it

matters. Sex trafficking vicims need to have a voice in whats happening to them. They need to

have the right to be heard, they have the right to have their stories heard and be free.
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Works Cited

Goodson, Jennifer. "Sex Trafficking Threatens the United States." Prostitution and Sex Trafficking,
edited by Louise Gerdes, Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010435206/OVIC?u=nvk12&sid=OVIC&xid=b3562119.
Accessed 7 Mar. 2020. Originally published as "Exploiting Body and Soul: Sex Trafficking Is Big
Business Around the World—and the Root of That Business Is Closer to Home than You Might
Think," Sojourners, vol. 34, Sept.-Oct. 2005, p. 20.

"Human Trafficking." Gale Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Gale, 2020. Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/PC3010627106/OVIC?u=nvk12&sid=OVIC&xid=773a0d8f.
Accessed 7 Mar. 2020.

Weaver, Erin. "Sex Trafficking Is a Worldwide Problem." Slavery and Human Trafficking, edited by
Noah Berlatsky, Greenhaven Press, 2016. Opposing Viewpoints. Gale In Context: Opposing
Viewpoints,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010985210/OVIC?u=nvk12&sid=OVIC&xid=ced54dce.
Accessed 7 Mar. 2020. Originally published as "Human Trafficking Not Just a Global Problem;
Issue Impacts Montgomery, Bucks Counties," The Reporter, 11 Jan. 2014.

Zoba, Wendy Murray. "Ignorance and Complacency Promote Sex Trafficking." What are the Causes
of Prostitution?, edited by Louise Gerdes, Greenhaven Press, 2007. At Issue. Gale In Context:
Opposing Viewpoints,
https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/EJ3010461212/OVIC?u=nvk12&sid=OVIC&xid=6b17e718.
Accessed 7 Mar. 2020. Originally published as "The Hidden Slavery," Christianity Today, vol. 47,
Nov. 2003, p. 68.
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