Traffic In Women

Hannah Christensen, Nicole Novotny, Logan Molnar

Definition:

“Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery involving the illegal trade of people for exploitation or commercial gain” as defined by Homeland Security

Early History of Sex Trafficking

• Has been going on for centuries

• Became a political issue in the early 1900’s

• In 1902, the International Agreement for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic was created

• Purpose: "prevent the procuration of women and girls for immoral purposes abroad" (www.protectionproject.org).

Underlying Reasons For Trafficking:

Economic issues

• poverty

• economic inequality

• wage and labor repression

Social Issues

• gender inequality

• racism

• violence against women

• denial of women’s rights

Underlying Reasons For Trafficking:

Political issues

• Corruption of political values

• Organized crime

• Militarization

• Lack of legal assistance

Examples of Common Women Trafficking

• Promise of a reliable job

• False marriage proposals turned into a bondage situation

• Being sold into sex trade by parents

• Being kidnapped by traffickers

Economic Facts of Trafficking

• According to Stop Traffick Fashion, the “total market value of human trafficking is over $32 billion”

• More money than Google, Nike, and Starbucks made in a year combined

• $15.5 billion is made in industrialized countries (such as Norway, Australia, Switzerland, Netherlands, and the United States)

• Average cost of a slave is $90

Top Countries Known for Trafficking

10. China9. Ghana8. Uganda 7. Nepal6. Sri Lanka 5. India4. Pakistan3. Haiti2. Brazil1. Bangladesh

Trafficking in the United States

• There were 2,085 reported number of

cases this year (2015) of sex trafficking

out of the 2,795 cases of all types of

trafficking

• 2,340 of those cases were women

• Since 2007, there have been a total of

21,434 cases

Trafficking in the United States

California (478)

Texas (214)

Florida (191)

New York (141)

Ohio (137)

New Jersey (86)

Georgia (81)

Michigan (81)

Arizona (75)

Virginia (73)

Nevada (72)

Maryland (64)

Illinois (61)

Pennsylvania (56)

Washington (56)

North Carolina (52)

Colorado (40)

Massachusetts (39)

South Carolina (36)

Tennessee (36)

Kentucky (32)

Minnesota (31)

Louisiana (31)

Oregon (30)

HUMAN TRAFFICKING CASES REPORTED BY STATE (2015)

Signs of Trafficking

• Individuals have false travel or identity papers

• Think they are bonded by debt

• Have limited or no social interaction

• Limited contact with their families

• Work excessive and long hours

Philosophical Analysis

Rubins in “The Traffic Of Women: Notes on the Political Economy of Sex”

• Sex trafficking is closely associated with the sex/gender system

• “society transforms biological sexuality into products of human activity, and in which these transformed sexual needs are satisfied.”

• Views women’s role in a capitalistic society

• women are supplying a capitalistic society without seeing the benefits they are contributing to the society as a whole

• Believes that the role women play in a capitalistic society is a historical pattern

• originates from gift-giving culture, the kinship system, and the incest taboo

• applies the Marxist Theory to the effect of women sex trafficking

Philosophical Analysis

Relationship of Rubin’s Thesis to Modern Day Sex Trafficking:

• Correlation between a gift-giving society

• the roots of gift giving are noticeable in sex trafficking

• not only in sex trafficking, but in society as a whole

• example: A father giving his daughter away for marriage

• The oppression of women is made into today’s kinship system

• Kinship creates the foundation for society, creating inequality that is built up into the sex trafficking world

• creates standards and traditions for different cultures

• reinforces gender roles

Contact Information

National Human Trafficking Resource Center

SMS: 233733 (Text "HELP" or "INFO")

Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week

Languages: English, Spanish and 200 more languagesnhtrc@polarisproject.org | www.traffickingresourcecenter.org

Works Cited

"About Human Trafficking." Stop Traffick Fashion. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://stoptraffickfashion.com/about-us/about-human-trafficking/>

"Hotline Statistics." National Human Trafficking Resource Center. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://www.traffickingresourcecenter.org/states>

"Human Trafficking Trends in the United States." Polaris. 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/resources/human-trafficking-trends>

"Our Mission." The Protection Project. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://www.protectionproject.org/>

"Root Causes of Trafficking." U.S. Catholic Sisters Against Trafficking. Web. 17 Sept. 2015

<.http://www.ipjc.org/links/USCSAHT%20-%20HT%20and%20Root%20Causes%20module.pdf>

Works Cited (cont.)

Rubin, Gayle S. The Traffic in Women: Notes on the "Political Economy" of Sex. Monthly Review, 1979. Print.

Samant, Shreya. "Top 10 Countries Infamous for Human Trafficking - List Dose." List Dose. 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://listdose.com/top-10-countries-infamous-for-human-trafficking/>

"Sex Trafficking." Women and Global Human Rights. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://faculty.webster.edu/woolflm/trafficking.html>

"What Is Human Trafficking?" Homeland Security. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaign/what-human-trafficking>

"What Is Human Trafficking?" City and County of San Francisco: Human Rights Commission. Web. 17 Sept. 2015.

<http://sf-hrc.org/what-human-trafficking#Examples of Human Trafficking>