Child Sex Trafficking

Child Sex Trafficking

Political and socio-economic instability that characterizes most societies and countries has resulted into inhuman practices as members of these families fight to enhance their economic stability. Due to these factors, most of the family and community members have been envied to migrate to other economically stable countries. However, the restrictive immigration laws in these developed countries have barred their effort which in turn has made them involve into illegal avenues that would give them opportunities to move to such countries. In most cases, illegalized institutions have taken control over these disadvantaged groups by promising them safer immigration avenues and better employment opportunities. However, this in turn, has led to human trafficking especially child sex trafficking in various countries.

The write up discusses the child sex trafficking in United States and India comparatively. It also reveals and discusses the major organizations dealing with child trafficking in each of these countries. Furthermore, the paper summarizes the ways of addressing child sex trafficking in the U.S. and India as well as identifying some of the practices that could be utilized in the local, national, and international level in addressing the child sex trafficking.

According to Burked (2009), child sex trafficking is any form of movement of a child that inhibits threats, violence, and abuse of power for the purpose of sexual exploitation. She notes that children are normally the future hope of the society and the world as a whole. Generally, children are the main inspiration to humanitarian activities that are involved around the world. However, children are normally subjected to sexual threats and violence which generally affect their well being. She notes that a part of children who live in conflict ridden families and societies, most of them are continuously forced into sex trafficking which affects both their physical and psychological well being.  She points out that child sex trafficking has been the atrocious activity that continues to violate the child’s rights.

Burked (2009) points out that child sex trafficking which is basically the commercial sexual exploitation of a child involves the treating of a child as sex object in enhancing financial gain. She points out that various factors such as low social status, political and economic instability, and the natural disaster usually affect most of the families, societies and country as a whole and make children become more vulnerable. Each of these factors generally affects the child’s political and socio-economic status which in most cases deprives him or her of basic human rights. According to her, child sex trafficking normally incorporates inhumane child activities which subject the child into prostitution, pornography, and sex tourism. For instance, she points out that the report by Human Rights Watch and the State Department of the United States dated 2006 estimated that over 300, 000 children are normally trafficked across the borders for economic exploitations.  Moreover, she notes that the report projected that over 50% of the children who are trafficked across international borders are commercially and sexually assaulted.

As pointed out by Burked (2009), any child who is subjected to sex trafficking in most cases faces intense physical violence which results either into injury or death. She points out that the fierce and forceful violence that the sexually trafficked child experiences from his or her captors is intended to make him or her co-operate as a sex and commercial object in enhancing financial gains. Furthermore, she points out that most of the children who have been sexually trafficked and exploited are normally physically challenged or psychologically traumatized. It is evidenced that child sex trafficking still remains the largely practiced taboo in most of the societies. It is practiced with the intension of integrating the social and economic status of the captors. However, it is important to state that subjecting a child to sex trafficking in any way does not fully solve the problems that are emanating from the society for which they justifiably engage their children.

The write up discusses the child sex trafficking in the United States and India comparatively. It also reveals and discusses the organization in each of these countries that primarily deals with child sex trafficking. Furthermore, the paper summarizes the ways in which child sex trafficking can be addressed both in the U.S. and India. Moreover, it contributes some of the practices that could be engaged in the local, national and international level in addressing the child sex trafficking.

Comparison of Child Sex Trafficking in the U.S. and India

According to Hart (2010), despite the massive difference in religion beliefs, culture, wealth, political influence, and power between Americans and Indians, they all tend to be the destination countries for child trafficking. She points out that such comparison is only essential if various factors that make the U.S. and India a child sexual trafficking destination are fully exploited. The report released by Trafficking in Persons (TIPS), a U.S. state department, in 2010 considered the U.S. a destined country for the child sex trafficking. She points out that despite the 2002 enactment of Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) which agitates for children’s rights, it is estimated that more than 17, 500 children are annually trafficked to the United States.

Hart (2010) points out that more than forty four percent of the children trafficked in the United States are sexually assaulted either for forced labor or forced prostitutions. This shows that child sex trafficking is still an eminent problem that affects most of the children population in the United States despite the TVPA standards. Additionally, she points out that despite the availability of vulnerable children in the U.S., child sex trafficking is still actively practiced in the country.  Bales & Soodalter (2010) note that it seems that child sex trafficking tends to become a cultural taboo among the U.S. societies. This is because they would rather exploit foreign children sexually than the readily available runaway and homeless children.

As Finklea, Fernandes & Siskin (2011) point out, the demand for child sex trafficking for financial profit by sex traffickers who are known as the “johns,” in the U.S. continuously increases day in day out. They note that “typical johns” are married adults of more than thirty years old who are full-time employed with no previous criminal records. They point out that since child sex trafficking displays an efficient market that fully satisfies the “johns,” in the U.S. they normally demand for foreign virgins or girls who are thirteen years old and less. This has resulted into a rotational cycle of child victims within the cities of the United States especially when they are once imported. They note that each day, the pimps who are the children’s sex salesmen ensure that the demand for children for commercial sex is met so as to improve on their profits.

On the other hand, Fernandes & Siskin (2011) identified that the growing demand for migration and the insurgence restriction that legalizes immigration into the U.S. have been viewed as the major causes of child sex trafficking in America. They note that the economic stability of the U.S. which offers various employment and educational opportunities normally entice children to emigrate either legally or illegally to the country. However, the children who manage to migrate into America are normally unable to cope with the higher economic standards and therefore become forced victims of sex slavery.

Similarly, India has been a destination for child sex trafficking for decades. According to Hart (2010), unlike the U.S., the Indian government has not fully complied with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) which in turn has resulted into continuous child sex trafficking in the country. She points out that just like the US authority their counterpart in India has not been able to present an accurate evidence of the increase of child’s rights violation activity in the country but rather speculated on the estimated figures. She however notes that India is a destination for child sex trafficking with the practice taking the form of forced labor and corresponding commercial sexual exploitations. Just as in the U.S., she points out that India, which comprises of readily available vulnerable children is characterized by the movement of children cross the major cities for commercial sexual exploitations.

According to Huda (2007), child sex trafficking is as actively practiced in India as in the U.S. She notes that India the practice has become the arena for tourist attractions which are even practiced at the religious centers. Similarly to the U.S., she points out that 90% of child sex trafficking in India is internal which in most cases comprise of importation of the disadvantaged social economic girls in the region for forced prostitution. She notes that Nepal and Bangladesh have become the main regions which continuously provide children especially girls to India sex salesmen who mostly buy them for forced prostitution. According to her, the economic, educational and population retrain in India have restricted the number of the readily available Indian girls who can take part in the vice. This has instead resulted into importation of foreign children for sexual satisfactions. There is thus an annual sexual trafficking of more than 10,000 Nepal and Bangladesh children into India. She points out that unlike the U.S. whose main child sex trafficking victims originate from Thailand, Mexico, Philippines and India, the Indian child victims majorly come from Nepal.

Huda (2007) points out that the extreme poverty in Nepal and Bangladesh has made girl child sex trafficking to be a taboo which primarily benefits the Indian johns. Unlike, the U.S., the Indian johns who actively engage in child sex trafficking tend to associate the practices with the psychological and social ideals of the beauty it represents. For instance, she points out that the lighter skin of Nepali girl-child normally presents them as more attractive as compared to the Indian counterparts. She notes that, just like the U.S. johns, the Indian johns are educated adults who have well paying jobs in the major cities. Moreover, she points out that the child sex trafficking industry is a profitable industry among the Indian pimps which earns them more money than even the society’s annual earning. For instance, the sale of one Nepal girl for sex trafficking is potentially enough to bring in an amount more than $1, 1100 annual per-capita income of the Nepal (Hart, 2010). Because of its booming nature, child sex trafficking is an activity that is intended to continue in India especially from the Nepal and Bangladesh region.

Organizations in the U.S. and India that Deal with Child Sex Trafficking

According to Kotria & Wommack (2011), End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT-USA) is the major organization in the United States that addresses child sex trafficking in the country. They point out that ECPAT-USA is a part of the ECPAT global network which is situated in Brooklyn in New York in 157 Montague Street. The Ending Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT-USA) is a network of organizations and individuals whose mandate is to work together in eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of the children. They point out that the primary goal of the ECPAT-USA is to make sure that each and every child, irrespective of race, religion, color and gender, in the United States is protected from all forms of commercial sexual exploitations. Moreover, they note that ECPAT-USA ensures that all the fundamental rights of the children are adhered to and respected in American societies.

Smolenski (2012) points out that ECPAT-USA services involve researching, training, creating awareness of child sex trafficking, and developing policies that help in advocating for child’s rights. He points out that those ECPAT-USA services, in addressing the child sex trafficking in the U.S., operate under three distinct areas. First, the organization conducts research on children who are sexually exploited by American who travel in their foreign countries. Second, he points out that ECPAT-USA normally researches on the number of the children who has been trafficked in United States from other foreign countries. Moreover, the organization also researches on the local American children who have been trafficked and sexually exploited within the country.

Smolenski (2012) points out that ECPAT-USA normally trains in laws enforcement both at the national and community level. The major aim of this program is to create awareness of child sex trafficking and how to respond to such acts. He points out that the organization has successfully conducted “Lend a Hand Campaigns” that are intended to offer not only medical, but also personal funding assistance for child victims of sex trafficking. However, he notes that the main challenge that normally undermines the organization’s work is lack of direct service providers to basic national and local institutions. Moreover, the organization monitors the major child sex trafficking borders in the United States so as to responsibly curb the menace of eruption.

On the other hand, Krishnan (2012) notes Prajwala as the anti-child sex trafficking organization that is situated in Andhra Pradesh town in India.  She points out that the main goal of Prajwala is to prevent children from venturing into sexually related activities that are perceived to make them prone to sexual exploitations.  She points out that the organization engages itself in prevention, rescue, rehabilitation, and advocacy services as measure to curbing the menace. For instance, Prajwala normally initiates community based prevention programs that are intended to not only educate, but also mobilize the community in fighting the child sex trafficking menace. According to her, these programs which in most cases target the adolescent girls in India are normally based on voluntary participation. Moreover, she notes that Prajwala members do not only stand against child sex trafficking, but they offer community and national based rehabilitations for the children who are victims of sexual exploitations.

The Website, Movie and Book about Child Sex Trafficking

The American Bar Association handbook authored by Klain Eva, Kloer Amanda and Eason Diane entitled, “Meeting the Legal Needs of Child Trafficking Victims,” best suits this topic.  In this book, the authors present a pretense falsified promise of offering better -paid jobs and corresponding good lives as the main approach which has continued to lure children into sexual exploitations. According to Klain, Kloer & Eason (2009), and Indian Neelam at the age of sixteen came to the U.S. to stay with her aunt in Boston who had promised her parents of sending her to better school in the U.S. They point out that once Neelam was enrolled in the U.S. school, her aunt started mistreating her. Neelam could do domestic chores until past midnights. Since Neelam could not sustain the intense domestic suffering posed by her aunt, she decided to relocate back into India. On her return, Neelam was raped by her uncle who later sold her as a co-worker for sex trading. This in turn resulted to Neelam becoming a street woman in the U.S. where she commercially traded for sex exchange.

On the other hand, Hart (2009) points out  the film, “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp”, which was directed by Craig Brewer and won 2006 Academy Awards, and which illustrates involvement of child sex trafficking. She points out that the film which showed a pimp who dreamt of becoming rapist depicts fancy cars, jeweler, and clothes show off by the pimp who had earned a lot from child sex trafficking. She points out that the pimp who continuously attended these luxurious showing offs, engaged into child sexual trafficking. This took the forms of the use of deadly weapon for child kidnapping as well as sex exploitations. It is very clear from the film that there is a huge profit gain from child sex trafficking that continuously attracts people to engage in the activity.

Moreover, Sarah Harris’s article “My First Brothel Raid” (which can be accessed at Vice website) presents Sarah Harris’s ordeal and encounter with child sex trafficking in South India. Harris notes that the South Indian incident, which took place in one of the Mysore restaurant, showed police raiding and capturing young girls who were being used as co-sex workers for their pimps. She points out that these young Indian girls willingly travelled to Mysore under the direction of a pimp from which they engaged in prostitution at the city restaurants. According to her, one of the girls narrated to have been sold off by her family member for prostitution so as to enable the family secure money for food. She notes that five of the Indian girls who were captured were transferred to rehabilitation centers in Bangalore as others who had been detained by the police were in the process of being released. This incident clearly shows how children are vulnerable to sex trafficking especially in times of economic instability.

Different Ways Used in Addressing Child Trafficking in both the U.S. and India  

According to Hart (2010), the U.S. has strongly engaged law enforcement on child sex trafficking that is primarily intended to curb and completely eliminate the vice. She points out that the U.S. government has continuously encouraged the incorporation of child victim-centered approaches from the community, the state and finally to federal law enforcement agencies. She notes that the U.S. has incorporated intense penalties for the child sex traffickers which range from mandatory minimum jail term of 10 years to life imprisonment. Moreover, she points out that the U.S. government has adequately funded the Department of Justice (DOJ) under which the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit lies. This body has managed to continuously prosecute child sex traffickers. She notes that by engaging in active prosecution and punishing of child sex traffickers, the U.S. is clearly voicing out that child sex trafficking is a serious crime that should not be accepted and practiced in the country.

On the other hand, Hart (2010) points out that the Indian authority has actively engaged in reforming the police departments and the Supreme Courts which in most cases have undermined the fight against child sex trafficking. For instance, in 2007 Indian government established an effective anti-child trafficking police unit in curbing the menace. She notes that Indian government has created a central anti-trafficking law enforcement department which collects and analyzes data corresponding to child sex trafficking. Additionally, she points out that this state’s department does not only identify problems causing child sex trafficking, but it also monitors actions that are being taken by the government in addressing the issue. Moreover, she notes that the Indian government continues to support anti-child sex trafficking campaigns that are intended to create the awareness of the vice from the community to nation level.

Effective Approach of Addressing Child Sex Trafficking

Child sex trafficking can be effectively and potentially curbed through the creation of adequate and reliable employment opportunities. According to Shinkle (2007), poverty has been the main contributing factor in child prostitution. She points out that with the creation of adequate and reliable employment opportunities, most families would be able to meet to pay their mortgages and effectively cater for their children education.  Additionally, she notes that acquiring of education in the society is important not only to enhance its economic standards, but also to enable the child to gain adequate knowledge on his or her primary rights. Moreover, having  effective employment opportunities, a family or a society could be able to invest in various economic sectors which do not subject the children to sex trafficking in times of economic instability.

Contributions of How to Address Child Sex Trafficking

The community, nation, and international society should be educated and sensitized on the negative effects of child sex trafficking so as to create awareness and be motivated of being alert in curbing the menace. This would enable the stakeholders to monitor irregular movement of child sex traffickers in the region from which they can be captured and prosecuted. On the other hand, parents and children who intend to migrate to other countries should be educated on migrations rules and policies which may subject their children to sexual exploitations.

On the other hand, there should be effective establishment of rehabilitation centers both in the local, national and international level. Such centers should primarily offer medical and financial assistance to the child victims of sexual exploitations. The centers should also incorporate effective counseling units that will not further subject the child victims into more psychological trauma. Moreover, parents should be educated on the importance of practicing family planning for them to be able to limit themselves to having the number of children which they can economically sustain.  This will help to ensure that children are not vulnerable to prostitutions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the write up has highlighted child sex trafficking as an inhuman practice that is still common in the United States and India. It has noted that various factors especially economic instability have continuously promoted the child sex trafficking in the two countries. The write up has also pointed to the need for states to create adequate and effective job employment opportunities. This will curb the economic instability that has primarily fueled child sex trafficking. Moreover, there is need for states to enhance effective police and judicial systems that would effectively prosecute and punish child sex traffickers in a way that would discourage future involvement of the crime. Furthermore, the paper has pointed out the need for various stakeholders to participate in creating awareness and sensitizing the members at the community, national and international level.