The Reality of Human Trafficking: A Modern Day Slavery

 

What do human trafficking victims look like and who are the perpetrators?

There are several roles within the sex trafficking industry that hold their own mythology. Below, you will find a few facts about each role that are meant to address some of the misconceptions within the public at large about the people involved in this industry.

The Trafficker:

  • Is an extremely dangerous and violent person who has mastered the art of conditioning victims  through deceit, punishment, and torture.
  • Is not concerned with the mental and physical health of his victim at all.
  • Values only the profit and money the victim can produce, and not the victim.

The Buyer:

  • Does not care for or is concerned with the well-being of the victim
  • Is often and unstable and violent person looking to have their victims fulfill a personal sadistic pleasure
  • Often has personal pleasures that include extreme and socially unacceptable sex acts, including sex acts with children in particular

The Victim:

  • Is treated like a physical product to be transported from location to location to be sold and re-sold continuously
  • Is ultimately disposable and replaceable in the eyes of their trafficker
  • Has an average seven-year life expectancy after entering the sex trafficking world
  • Female victims account for the highest homicide victimization rate of any set of women ever studied

The Takeaway:

  • The three players in the the sex trafficking industry hold very different power levels and have very different motives, all of which are usually nefarious.
  • Buyers are not simply lonely individuals but people who don’t mind exploiting another person for their personal and often perverted gains.
  • The victim lives a life of slavery, is often a child when they start, is often subjected to repeated rapes and has an average of a seven year lifespan within the sex trafficking industry.
  • Female victims are disproportionately impacted and murdered at the highest rate in the sex trafficking industry.

See more indicators of human trafficking here.