# data[].attributes.headline
                       Defining the Problem: What is Sex Trafficking?

# data[].attributes.subject
                       Defining the Problem: What is Sex Trafficking?

# data[].attributes.body
SEX TRAFFICKING according to the U.S Trafficking Victims Protection Act, is defined  as an occurrence of when someone uses force, fraud or coercion in order to cause a commercial sex act with an adult or minor.

COMMERCIAL SEX acts include pornography and or any sexual encounter performed in exchange for materialistic value- money, drugs, etc.

# data[].attributes.headline
                                   Recruitment: Who is Vulnerable?

# data[].attributes.subject
                                   Recruitment: Who is Vulnerable?

# data[].attributes.body
False Romance: Trafficker seduces child and creates an illusion of love.

Better Life: Promise of material items, money, and success.

Homeless: Individuals have an increased likelihood of becoming trafficked with no other options. The homeless may feel as if there exists no other option.

Another popular  technique employed in the recruitment process is the use of older women. Trust is easier to build when the perpetrator sounds/looks less threatening (Casarella-Espinoza, Michelle)

The growth of the internet, social networking and the increased usage of electronic devices for communication has significantly impacted the manner in which sexual predators commit sex crimes and recruit people for sexual exploitation.
(Kendall)

Electronic communication also allows sexual predators to validate their actions, store their contraband (like child pornography) and obtain benefits from commercial sexual exploitation.
(Kendall)

# data[].attributes.headline
                                 What happens to the Perpetrators?

# data[].attributes.subject
                                 What happens to the Perpetrators?

# data[].attributes.body
U.S. federal government and all 50 states have passed laws criminalizing human trafficking and supporting the prosecution of human trafficking perpetrators.

From 2000-2015, 1,876 suspects have been prosecuted for federal human trafficking offenses (Farrell).

Although trafficking laws exist, prosecutors may be hesitant to push trafficking charges due to a lack of evidence. Traffickers don't always have contact with victims, make it difficult to put a timeline together that proves beyond a reasonable doubt.

Victim testimony is a necessity in charging perpetrators. Unfortunately, victims are hesitant in testifying because it allows for further victimization.

In one study conducted, more than half of the victims who cooperated with prosecutors refused to as the case progressed. Victims are fearful of their perpetrators and opt out to save themselves (Farrell).

# data[].attributes.headline
                Additional Information/Stories/Anti-Trafficking Groups

# data[].attributes.subject
                Additional Information/Stories/Anti-Trafficking Groups

# data[].attributes.body
Since 2007, Polaris has received reports of over 20,000 sex trafficking cases in the U.S. alone.
1/6 runaways are likely coerced into sex trafficking.
The underground sex economy is estimated to be in close approximation to $290 million in Atlanta Georgia alone (2018).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Sex traffickers use threats, manipulation, lies, debt bondage, and other forms of coercion to compel adults and children to engage in commercial sex acts against their will. Under U.S. law, any minor under the age of 18 years induced into commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking - regardless of whether or not the trafficker used force, fraud, or coercion.

The situations that sex trafficking victims face vary dramatically. Many victims become romantically involved with someone who then forces or manipulates them into prostitution. Others are lured in with false promises of a job, such as modeling or dancing. Some are forced to sell sex by their parents or other family members. They may be involved in a trafficking situation for a few days or weeks, or may remain in the same trafficking situation for years.

Victims of sex trafficking can be U.S. citizens, foreign nationals, women, men, children, and LGBTQ individuals. Vulnerable populations are frequently targeted by traffickers, including runaway and homeless youth, as well as victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, war, or social discrimination.

Sex trafficking occurs in a range of venues including fake massage businesses, via online ads or escort services, in residential brothels, on the street or at truck stops, or at hotels and motels.

Key Statistics

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sex traffickers use threats, manipulation, lies, debt bondage, and other forms of coercion to compel adults and children to engage in commercial sex acts against their will. Under U.S. law, any minor under the age of 18 years induced into commercial sex is a victim of sex trafficking - regardless of whether or not the trafficker used force, fraud, or coercion.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Michigan Organizations - Michigan Abolitionist Project (MAP)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Michigan Abolitionist Project engages in efforts to support survivors of human trafficking which may intersect with legal, financial, and clinical/social services, among others. While MAP advocates for the support of survivors and seeks to connect individuals to appropriate resources, the actions of MAP and its employees, Board of Directors, volunteers, and community group members should not be taken as professional legal, financial, clinical/social service, or other professional advice or recommendation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
1-888-373-7888. We’ll Listen. We’ll Help. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call now.

# data[].attributes.headline
                 We have a Problem: An industry that relies on People.

# data[].attributes.subject
                 We have a Problem: An industry that relies on People.

# data[].attributes.body
Approximately 14,500-17,500 people are trafficked yearly in the U.S.
80% of these individuals are sexually exploited.

The illegal nature of sexual trafficking creates an environment difficult in assessing an exact number of individuals being trafficked.
Men, women, and children become vulnerable to trafficking when:

Smugglers allegedly promise their victims a better life.

Individuals aren't in a country legally.

Economic hardships are present.

Children run away from home

Major sectors of sexual exploitation in the U.S include:

Prostitution and commercial sex work (makes up 23%-66% of this market)

Other sex work including exotic dancing, porn, and entertainment (makes up 3%-30% of this market)

# data[].attributes.body
Albonetti, C. A. (2014). Changes in federal sentencing for forced labor trafficking and for sex  trafficking: A ten year assessment. Crime, Law and Social Change, 61(2), 179-204.  doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1007/s10611-013-9507-1.

Bromfield, Nicole F. “Sex Slavery and Sex Trafficking of Women in the United States.” Affilia, vol. 31, no. 1, 2015, pp. 129–139.

Casarella-Espinoza, M. (2015). Whose fault is it anyway? comparison of victim blaming attitudes towards sex trafficking and sexual assault across gender and two ethnic groups (Order No. 3639712). Available from Social Science Premium Collection. (1620539430). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1620539430?accountid=39473.

“Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States.” Dec. 2013

Dempsey, Michelle Madden. “Decriminalizing Victims of Sex Trafficking.” SSRN Electronic Journal, 2014.

Farrell, A., DeLateur, M. J., Owens, C., & Fahy, S. (2016). The prosecution of state-level human trafficking cases in the united states. Anti - Trafficking Review, (6), 48-70. Retrieved from             http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1803048692?accountid=39473

Farrell, A., Owens, C., & Mcdevitt, J. (2014). New laws but few cases: Understanding the challenges to the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases.Crime, Law and Social Change, 61(2), 139-168. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1007/s10611-013-9442-1.

FARRELL, AMY and REBECCA PFEFFER. "Policing Human Trafficking: Cultural Blinders and Organizational Barriers." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 653, no. 1 (2014): 46-64.

Greenbaum, Jordan, MD. "Child Sex Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation." Advances in Pediatrics 65, no. 1 (2018): 55-70.

Greer, B. T., Cotulla, G., & Seddighzadeh, H. (2016). Should sex traffickers be subject to sexually violent predator laws? Journal of Criminal Psychology, 6(3), 121-133. Retrieved from             http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/docview/1841760271?accountid=39473.

https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/gvsu/detail.action?docID=817149.

Jackson, Crystal A. "Framing Sex Worker Rights: How U.S. Sex Worker Rights Activists Perceive and Respond to Mainstream Anti–Sex Trafficking Advocacy." Sociological Perspectives 59, no. 1 (2016): 27-45.

Kendall, Virginia M., T. Markus Funk, and Richard A. Posner. Child Exploitation and Trafficking: Examining Global Enforcement and Supply Chain Challenges, and U.S. Responses. Second ed. Lanham, [Maryland]: Rowman & Littlefield, 2017.

Logan, T. K., Robert Walker, and Gretchen Hunt. "Understanding Human Trafficking in the United States." Trauma, Violence, & Abuse 10, no. 1 (2009): 3-30.

Marcus, Anthony, et al. “Conflict and Agency among Sex Workers and Pimps.” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 653, no. 1, 2014, pp. 225–246.

Mcdonald, W. F. (2014). Explaining the under-performance of the anti-human-trafficking campaign: Experience from the united states and europe. Crime, Law and Social Change, 61(2), 125- 138. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.gvsu.edu/10.1007/s10611-013-9511-5.

Muftić, Lisa R., and Mary A. Finn. “Health Outcomes Among Women Trafficked for Sex in the United States.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, vol. 28, no. 9, June 2013, pp. 1859–1885.

Sources (Middleton)

Richards, Tiffany A. "Health Implications of Human Trafficking." Nursing for Women’s Health18, no. 2 (2014): 155-162.

U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, www.state.gov/documents/organization/282798.pdf.

“Polaris.” Polaris, polarisproject.org/.

Walsh, Shannon Drysdale. "Sex Trafficking and the State: Applying Domestic Abuse Interventions to Serve Victims of Sex Trafficking." Human Rights Review 17, no. 2 (2016): 221-245.