Is Your Daughter a Target For Human Traffickers? By Ron Downing

Not that many years ago, a parent's biggest worry was when their teenage daughter began dating. What kind boy is he? What are his intentions? How old is he? These are just a few of the questions that filled a parents mind. Many fathers bragged about purchasing shotguns. These deterrents were proudly displayed at the front door to send a message to the young man. 

It's time to wake up parents there is yet another, bigger and meaner monster out there. No he's not a new monster by any means. This monster has grown by two hundred and fifty percent in the last ten years. This monster preys on young girls and even boys. This monster is better known as human trafficking.

Here are some disturbing issues regarding Human Trafficking for sexual exploitation. Several countries in the world have little or minimal laws regarding the sex industry. In most countries the sex industry is taxed. Those countries that have laws regarding the sex industry are rarely enforced by authorities due to politics and corruption. There are over 137 destination cities; many of these cities are in foreign countries, where the sex industry is heavily promoted. 

Human Trafficking is a global problem, not just third world countries. Human Trafficking happens, even here in the United States. However the focus here is on human trafficking abroad. Eighty percent of human traffic victims are female. 70% percent of these victims end up in the sex industry. These victims are involved either prostitution or for the purpose, of creating pornographic movies. A young lady between the ages of 16- 21 placed in an industrialized country will produce an average income of $87000.00 per year for her owner. It is all about high profit and low overhead, for these criminals.

 Human trafficking is part of organized crime. It reaches far and wide. There are several reasons why these victims are transported to others countries. They are less likely to escape successfully, because of the language barrier, lack of knowledge about the geography of the region. Victims are often shackled when they are not performing, and are kept in a drug induced state. Over a period of time, along with mental manipulation, physical and sexual abuse, the victim will become content with her surroundings and their situation. Typically, just for the sole purpose of survival. There is also the profit side of it. For instance Japanese men, prefer, and will pay top dollar for Caucasian blondes, while maybe French men prefer Asian women. Once your daughter lands on foreign soil it is much harder to rescue her.

 These criminals obtain their victims in several different ways. Recruitment is one of the most common methods. Over 56% of the victims recruited were by men. Surprisingly 42% of the victims were recruited by females, Leaving 2% recruited by teams. The girls are offered well paid jobs, such as modeling. All they have to do is to show up. Girls who have a low self esteem are much easier prey. The perpetrator will give them a lot of attention, personal attention, and love, lavish gifts, complimented regularly. All the things they are lacking at home. Girls are often recruited over the internet via social media or chat rooms. The perpetrator will coerce them into meeting them so that they can begin the recruitment process.  Fear is another tactic used for recruitment. They use fear by abducting the girl off the street rape often follows. They threaten to kill her Dad or perhaps the entire family if she even breathes a word. Then they release her. The girl will go anywhere and do anything this guy wants her to do. The girl will protect her family. Girls may be recruited by dummy corporations, promising high paying jobs in foreign countries they even pay for the flight. This makes it even easier for the criminal. The victim already has a passport and a work visa. Once she lands she is abducted, and entered into slavery in the sex industry. These girls are not only abused by the men they serve, they also receive abuse from their owner.

Girls, more likely to be enslaved, are girls who grow up in single parent homes. Are raised in a home where alcohol or substance abuse is present. Girls who are physically abused, or been a witness to physical abuse. Who have been sexually abused by a family member, family friend, or step father; Girls who have been raped also have a higher chance of being enslaved. They become easy prey because of low self-esteem. They feel unloved, shame, worthless, disconnected with reality. Although, girls who have been raised in stable homes are less likely to end up in human trafficking. It does not make them immune to the crime by any means.

If a victim is fortunate to escape from her trafficker, they often suffer from PTSD (Post Traumatic stress disorder) Sexually transmitted diseases. They will require years of psychological help. Victims often have relationship problems broken engagements, divorce. Surviving victims are also reported to have a fear of people and become reclusive. Of course after what they have been through it should be expected.  

It is estimated that more than two-hundred thousand Americans become a missing person abroad each year. The majority of these victims are women. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation there are over two-hundred seventy million men women and children that are en-slaved in the world today. It is hard to imagine but that would be like taking the entire population of the United States and putting them into slavery.

With High-schools, around the country, already gearing up; sending information home for those senior trips either here or abroad. I would encourage parents to do a lot of research on the trips offered. Ask questions and plenty of them. Where is the company based? How long have they been in business? What is the ratio of adults to teens? Are any adults there from the school making the trip? What about curfews at night. These are just a few things that you should know. Don't just take the words from the flashy brochure. Or the well produced DVD they send you. You need to know, after all this is your daughter or son, we are talking about. Keep them safe.

It is not my intension to scare parents, with this article. The idea is to make you aware of this particular danger that lurks in the shadows. There is a lot of information already on the internet regarding this issue. How often do we just go looking for specific information on a particular subject? Until something like this has already happened to us. It is my hope and prayer that not even one parent who reads this will ever be faced with this situation.