Asking Big Questions

An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 women and children are trafficked into the United States each year (www.iast.net). Sex trafficking is a huge problem in the US today for women and children. In addition, It is estimated that children as young as seven years old are being exploited everyday. The severity of sex trafficking in the United States is very high. The punishment’s that are given are not harsh enough for the pimps or the men paying for these services compared to the trauma these women and children are experiencing.
Most pimps are sent to jail but there has not been a case of the death penalty for these exploiters. Many people believe that these men are horrible people and need to be killed. The death penalty is an emotional topic and many people don’t think that it is right. The fact that these men force women and children into having sex with strangers is inconceivable. A 2003 study in the Netherlands found that, on average, a single sex slave earned her pimp at least $250,000 a year (randomhistory.com). Obviously there is a high demand for these services and pimps are making a lot of money. In addition, pimps treat these women as slaves and objects. For example, a girl who had been sexually abused since a child was conned into trusting her new pimp. He trained her to think she could trust him, but he forced her into having sex. If she didn’t bring home the right amount of money he would beat her and once he even tried to bit off her finger.
The enforcers of these punishments are the justice systems and sex trafficking state and federal laws. The pimp is arrested and then taken to court to have their trial. Sometimes these crimes are so severe, that the pimps are sent to the Supreme Court. Sometimes these people are only sentenced to five years in prison. The federal law that protects these victims is called the Victims Protection Act. Many different states have made their own human trafficking laws. The pimps are not getting what they deserve because there are not enough organizations that are dedicated to these crimes. In order to fully protect these victims and make sure that the pimps are held accountable, non-profit organizations, law enforcement and knowledge in the community is important in the battle in these crimes against women and children.
The men who pay for these services are perpetuating to problem and giving pimps more power. The men who are paying for these services need to be more aware that they are exploiting these women. They are exploiting them sexually, emotionally and psychologically. According to Human Rights Team, trafficking is estimated to be a $7 billion dollar annual business. This is an example of supply and demand buissness that is not for a good cause. If the men who contribute to human sex trafficking cared about the health and well being of these victims, this would not be such an epidemic. However, they do not care about these victims and only care about the money and their sexual pleasure.
The pimps are not being held accountable for their actions. They are trafficking these women illegally by harboring, recruiting and exploiting them (CNN opinion). There are many organizations and law enforcement agencies that want to help these victims, yet they need to come together in the fight against human sex trafficking. This would not be considered a problem if there were not pimps and traffickers contributing to these crimes. We need to hold pimps more accountable and have organizations come together in the fight against human sex trafficking.