1

AngieChang,AlinaLee,MaigerLor,MarlenaThao,MaoYang,MeganTorio,SandraXiong
ProfessorFabionar
EthnicStudies96
26February2016
Synthesis:SexTrafficking

Overview
Throughouthistory,therehasbeenanepidemicgoingunnoticed.HumanTraffickingisoneof
themostoverlookedproblemsthatwefacetoday.161countriesareaffectedbythisplague.
Throughthisproject,ourcoalitionaimstoinformtheSacramentocommunityofSex
Trafficking.Ourprojectgoalsaretopreventyoungwomenfrombecomingvictimsofhuman
traffickingbybringingawarenessandwaysofpreventiontotheeyesoftheSacramento
community.

Background

Inourresearch,wefoundsextraffickingdescribedasamodernformofslavery,1andthatitisa
underratedtopic.WealsofoundthatSexTraffickingisprimarilycommittedagainstwomenand
children.2 AlthoughtherehavebeennumerousStateandfederalpoliciescreatedtocombatsex
traffickingintheUnitedStates,3 Californiaisstilloneofthelargestsitesofhumantrafficking,4
whichalsobringsanotherconcerntoourcoalitionbecauseweareallresidentsofCaliforniaand
knowingthatCaliforniaisoneofthetopparticipatorsinsextraffickingisreallyalarming.
Therefore,asacoalition,wedecidedtohelpcreateawarenessofsextraffickingparticularly
gearingtowardswomenandyoungchildrenwithalowincomebackground.

Acorrelationthatisseenamongthevictimsarethattheyaremostlyfromthirdworldcountries
wholivesinextremepoverty.Traffickersareabletoluremostoftheirvictimsbypromising
themmarriageandalifestylethattheyhadalwaysyearnfor.Othervictimswhoaretrafficked
arerunawayyouthswholivesonthestreetsandthentheybecomeprostitutesinordertomakean
incomeforthemselves5.Ironically,thepeoplewhopurchasedthesesextraffickingvictimsare
mostlyfromwelldevelopednationsbecausetherearenostigmaattachedtobuyingsexual
1

"WhatIsHumanTrafficking?"
WhatIsHumanTrafficking?
N.p.,n.d.Web.21Feb.2016.
Ibid.

"III.C.18PROTOCOLTOPREVENT,SUPPRESSANDPUNISHTRAFFICKINGIN
PERSONS,ESPECIALLYWOMENANDCHILDREN,SUPPLEMENTINGTHEUNITED
NATIONSCONVENTIONAGAINSTTRANSNATIONALORGANIZEDCRIME(15
November2000)."
InternationalLaw&WorldOrder:Weston's&Carlson'sBasicDocuments
(n.d.):n.pag.Web.
3

"WhatIsHumanTrafficking?"
WhatIsHumanTrafficking?
N.p.,n.d.Web.21Feb.2016.

WalkerRodriguez,Amanda,andRodneyHill."HumanSexTrafficking."
TheFederalBureau
ofInvestigation
.Mar.2011.Web.16Feb.2016.

favors6.

Significance

Humantraffickingisa$32billiondollarglobalindustrytheworldssecondmostprofitable
criminalenterpriseafterdrugtrafficking.Today,1030millionmodernslavesexistintheworld.
Themostcommonformofhumantraffickingissexualexploitation(79%),followedbyforced
labor(18%).Thesestatisticsarebasedonglobalstatistics.Althoughtherearemanydifferent
formsofhumantrafficking,ourcoalitiondecidedtofocusonsextraffickingofwomenand
childrenbecausetheymakeupthelargestgroupofvictimsinthecaseofsextrafficking.They
aremorevulnerabletobeingtrickedandforcedintosexualservitude.

Thedefinitionofsextraffickingistheexploitationofwomenandchildren,withinnationalor
acrossinternationalborders,forforcedsexwork.Womenandchildrenareforcedtoengagein
commercialsexactsagainsttheirwill.Somecommercialsexualexploitationincludes
pornography,prostitution,sextrafficking,lapdancing,phonesexcompanies,andmanymore.
AccordingtotheTraffickinginPersonsReportof2010,eachyear12.3millionadultsand
childrenaretraffickedworldwide.And40,000to50,000ofthosearetraffickedintotheUnited
States.Andofthispopulation,56%ofthemarewomenandchildren.

Accordingtothis,humantraffickingstillexiststodayandnotmanypeopleareawareofit,
especiallyintheUnitedStates.Americansfrequentlymisunderstoodthathumantrafficking(all
formofhumantrafficking)onlyoccursoutsideoftheUnitedStates.Manyofthembelievedthat
onlyundocumentedimmigrantsandimmigrantscanbevictimsoftrafficking.Infact,theUnited
Statesisthethirdtopdestinationcountyforinternationalhumantraffickingvictims,withupto
17,500victimsbeingtraffickedintotheU.S.yearly.Furthermore,U.S.citizensarealsovictims
ofhumantrafficking.InaccordancetothePolarisProject,theNationalHumanTrafficking
ResourceCenterhasreceivedreportsof14,588sextraffickingcasesinsidetheUnitedStates.
Yetagain,manyAmericansdonotknowthattherearepeoplebeingtraffickedintheU.Sand
thatitishappeningnow,intodaysworld.

Now,ourcoalitionwillbefocusingonsextraffickingspecificallyinCaliforniabecausewelived
inCaliforniaandasfarasweknow,peopledonotthinkthatCaliforniawouldbeaplacefor
humantrafficking.WewanttoletpeopleknowthatitdoexistinCalifornia,aswellasinother
statesandcountry.

Californiaisoneofthenationstopfourdestinationforhumantrafficking.Thisisreally
shocking.Thereasonwhyitisthetopfourplaceforhumantraffickingisbecausetraffickerstake
advantageofthestatesborders,majorinternationalairportsandportsandmajorinterstateand
intrastatehighwaystomovevictimstowheretheycanbeexploitedforthehighestprices.
California'staskforcesinitiated2,552investigations,identified1,277victimsofhuman
6

"SexSlavery/Trafficking:FrequentlyAskedQuestions."
Soroptimist
.SoroptimistInternational

oftheAmericas.Web.17Feb.2016.

trafficking,andarrested1,798individualsbetweenJuly1,2010andJune30,2012.
Inaddition,
Californiastaskforcesstatedthat72%ofhumantraffickingvictimsareidentifiedasAmericans.
Manyofthesevictimsarewomen,children,andmen.Thesenumbersareshocking,however,
therearestillalargenumberofvictimsandpimpsouttherethataretraffickingwomenand
childrenorbeingcoercedintosexualexploitation.Thisiswhyourcoalitionwanttoalarm
residentsinCaliforniaaboutsextraffickingsothattheycouldhelppreventwomenandchildren
frombeingvictimsofsextrafficking.

HereisanexampleofsextraffickinginCalifornia.Inthebook,
NotForSale:TheReturnof
GlobalSlaveTradeandHowWeCanFightIt
,byDavidBatstone,onpg.13,hetalkedabout
LakireddyBaliReddy,awellknownIndianAmericanBerkeley,CAlandlordandrestaurant
owner,waschargedofillegallybringingtwoteenagegirls(theiraverageageare17)anda
youngwomenfromIndiaintotheUnitedStatesandforcedthemintoslavery.Inadditionto
workingthemwithnopay,thereasonhebroughtthemtotheUnitedStateswassothathecould
havesexwiththem.However,acarbonmonoxideleakandledtothedeathofoneofhis
underagegirl,whowas17.Reddywrappedherinacarpet,carryinghertohisvan.However,
BerkeleyresidentMarciaPoolehappenedtosawthescene.ShetrytostopReddyandaskedtwo
motoriststocall911.Despitebeingawitness,thepoliceignoredherandchosetobelieveReddy.
Surprisingly,astoryinaschoolnewspaperledtoapoliceinvestigationthatledtohisarrest.
Moreover,inthiscase,thiswasafamilybusinessmeaningmostifnotallofhisfamily
memberswereinvolvedinbringingthesewomenintotheU.S.andforcingintosexualservitude.

Sextraffickerscanbeanyone.Theycanbestrangers,boyfriends,girlfriends,employers,drug
dealers,familymembers,orothertrustedadults.Furthermore,traffickerstrytoconvincevictims
thattheyowemoneysmugglingfeesandforcedthemtopayitback.However,sectraffickers
findwaystomakeitimpossibleforwomenandchildrentopayofftheirdebtandsothedebts
addsonandon.Sonomatterhowhardtheyworkorhowmuchmoneytheymake,theycan
nevermakeenoughtopayitoff.Thus,theycouldnevergetoutofthisserviceandendupbeing
sexuallyexploitedforyears.

Asaresult,ourtopicisimportantbecausethousandsofwomenandchildrenaretraffickedevery
yearandwedontknow.Therecouldbeapossibilitythatsomeoneweknowmightbeinthe
processofbeingavictimofsextrafficking.Orthatoneofourneighbors(orneighborhoods)
couldbeholdingsexualservitudeintheirhouse.Sextraffickingcouldhappenanywherewithout
ourknowledge.Thus,wewanttoeducateandbringawarenessofsextraffickingtootherssothat
theycouldhelpspreadtheawarenesstomorepeopletoo.Wealsowanttoletpeopleknowthat
sextraffickingisnotonlyhappeningglobally,butalsointheU.S.includingcountriesandcities
intheU.S.

TheProfileofaSexTraffickingVictim

AccordingtotherepresentorsofProp35,theprofileofaSexTraffickingvictimaverageageis
12to14yearsold.VictimsofSexTraffickingareusuallyrunawayorhomelessyouthswhohave
sufferedsexualabuseaschildren.AlsovictimsofSexTraffickinghavediversesocioeconomic
backgrounds,variedlevelsofeducation,andmaybedocumentedorundocumented.