Erickson 1

Wynter Erickson

Professor Bown

English 2010

April 13, 2017

Not a Product

Sex trafficking, in every single way, is a disgrace to humanity. Millions of innocent

people in this world have suffered from this disgrace to humanity for a very long time, and even

today, millions more are becoming victims even as you read this. Here in America, we value

freedom and human rights. We have a history that was ravaged by slaverys dark and violent hold

on our people. Our ancestors suffered greatly to bring us to where we are today, to bring us the

complete abolition of slavery. Yet, we do little to stop the slavery that today, still resides just

below the surface of our sight. The natural man has little interest in the events that do not effect

them directly, and so, few people have taken it upon themselves to make a change to that which

does not affect him, but destroys the lives of countless others. If one of these people is you, let

me ask you a question. Imagine yourself having been taken away from your home against your

will, forcefully addicted to drugs to ensure your cooperation, and relieved of the right to your

own body, being subjected constantly to countless strangers who do not value you or your body,

but rather what they can get out of it. This can and has happened to anyone, and the probability is

high that you or someone you love may be subjected to it. So, the question I would like to ask is,

if ever you or someone you love should become a victim of sex trafficking, would you want

something there to spark a light of hope that there is freedom in your/their future? Most people

would answer yes to this question and there are many people who are still waiting for this light

of hope. But where is the change without the effort?

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In an article written by Michelle Pardee titled Identifying Domestic Minor Sex

Trafficking she states The US Department of Health & Human Services estimates that between

100,000 and 325,000 American youth are at risk for sexual exploitation, and author Simon

Hedlin says that 2.4 million people around the world are being trafficked, eighty percent of

them for purposes of sexual exploitation. Stop and think about that for a minute. 2.4 million.

That is a lot of people, and many of them below the age of 18 years. Every year, these numbers

increase as the traffickers become bolder and richer and the demand becomes, well, more

demanding. There is a way to bring these number down. By keeping eyes open and our minds

alert, we may be able to see beyond our own everyday lives and see the evil that lurks all around

us, and rescue those who have been subjected to it. In February of the year 2017, a flight

attendant in California, U.S noticed a young girl around the age of 14 or 15 with greasy blonde

hair board the plane with a well dressed man who acted defensive whenever addressed. The

flight attendant, suspicious of the man, slipped a note to the young girl through a bathroom door

and the girl answered saying she needed help. In a Daily News newspaper article written by

Nancy Dillion called Flight attendant uses secret message to rescue teen girl from human

trafficking on Calif. Flight Ms. Dillion recounts the happenings of that day and says, The

attendant quietly alerted the pilot, she said, and when the plane touched down in San Francisco,

police were waiting for the man in the terminal. Through the awareness and bravery of that one

flight attendant, a girl was saved from the icy grips of fate and is now on her way to a better life.

It doesnt take a lot to notice such events, only a clear mind, an open eye, and determination to

make a change to the lives around you.

I use to be one of those people who was oblivious to the evil workings of greedy and

disgusting people, and I will admit that I liked remaining ignorant of the truth. But now that I
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know it, I can put myself out into the world and fight against it. To bring this horrible system that

goes against all American, or human, values to a stop. Now days, everything is about profit.

What you can get out of everything. Only what you can get out of it. Because our focus has

changed to this way of thinking, lives are being destroyed. What we need to learn to understand

is not everything is about you. What we need to learn is that whether it is you, me or they who

are subjected to this so called business, no one is a product.

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Works Cited

Dillon, Nancy. "Flight Attendant Rescues Teen Girl from Human Trafficking." NY Daily News.

N.p., 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 18 Apr. 2017.

Hedlin, Simon. "Can Prostitution Law Reform Curb Sex Trafficking? Theory and Evidence on

Scale, Substitution, and Replacement Effects." University of Michigan Journal of Law

Reform, vol. 50, no. 2, Winter2017, pp. 329-386. EBSCOhost, libprox1.slcc.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=lgh&AN=121278623&site=eds-live.

Pardee, Michelle, et al. "Identifying Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking." Clinical Advisor, vol. 19,

no. 6, June 2016, pp. 26-31. EBSCOhost, libprox1.slcc.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=ccm&AN=115982953&site=eds-live.