Sex trafficking, defined by Polaris Project, is a form of modern slavery that exists throughout the United States and globally.
Try to imagine selling someone into sex trafficking. These people, who are usually female and young children, are sold. Let me say that again, they are sold. They are bought into a life they don't want to be in. Some families will sell their children into it to receive money for proper living.
Trafficking isn't happening in one or two countries, it is happening everywhere. It's happening in the United States. It's happening in Russia, China, Uzbekistan, and so many more places. There are children, girls, and boys, who are sold into this industry every day. The victims of trafficking go through more than rape. They face starvation and torture. Day to day, they face threats. Some threats are towards their family's lives and others towards their own.
Trafficking is a bigger industry than we realize. There are 20-30 MILLION people in this form of slavery. Yes, you read that right. A mighty portion of those millions of people is children and women. They can become romantically involved which causes more emotional damage. The person who they become involved with forces them into the prostitution.
People can be involved in the trafficking for any time as short as a few days to as long as years. No matter how long they are there, they are scarred for the rest of their life. Emotional damage comes from this industry. It comes from an industry that you were either sold into or manipulated into. Some will come out damaged enough to never want a relationship. One person survived sex trafficking after being raped 43,200 times. That may seem like an insane number, but when you are forced to have sex multiple times a day, it is no longer that big. Other people seem to block all of it out. They don't think about it, they don't talk about it.
We try to avoid topics like this. It's uncomfortable. We like to think it doesn't happen where we live. Here's the truth- it happens everywhere. It happens in some places more than others. We don't like to talk about somebody who is forced into something as awful as sex trafficking. Yes, it is uncomfortable. Yes, it is isn't fun to talk about. We need to bring this topic to the surface though. It gets swept under the rug all the time. A typical thought of "Oh, it doesn't happen here, so it can't be real." seems to glaze minds. We can't let that happen.
Sex trafficking is hurting an abundant number of lives. Sex trafficking can no longer be the topic we sweep under the rug. It's time to stop pretending because lives, in general, are hurting. Trafficking isn't some other countries thing. It's happening all over the world.
