Human trafficking is defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transporting, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, slavery, or forced commercial sex acts” (SEC. 103 (8) Trafficking Victims Protection Act, 2000). Currently in the United States human trafficking is the second largest crime next to drugs (MSNBC). According to the US State Department, an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 immigrants are trafficked into the United States each year; this number does not include the thousands of American citizens that are also trapped into our country’s sex slave operations.
Human trafficking is the second largest crime in our country with its roots in Texas. One in five trafficking victims are in Texas and Houston serves as the central port for human trafficking (TABC). Immigrants are “brought to Houston, beaten and raped, drugged into submission before being sent to clandestine bordellos all over the country” (Carroll, 2009).
Human trafficking is slavery. It is unacceptable that slavery is so blatantly occurring in the United States. Our country stands on equality and that everyone has the right to equal treatment in the workforce. It is a widely accepted value that reasonable working hours for one person are 40 hours per week. When an employee works beyond 40 hours they are viewed as going beyond the standard and receive incentives for their extra work such as overtime or recognition. Human trafficking victims do not receive these basic rights such as days off from work and holiday vacations. Women must work seven days a week every week of the year. These victims face the damaging psychological factors of sexual abuse in addition to exhaustion and unreasonable working hours.
Human trafficking is about forced labor and servitude. Women are forced into performing sexual acts against their will for money they will never personally receive. Their freedoms are taken away and they are modern day slaves trapped in the sex trade within our own borders. This modern day slavery begins in the state of Texas and therefore it is our responsibility to make it stop.
Several bills have been submitted to the Texas Legislature this session pertaining to human trafficking. The most difficult problem with reducing this crime is the strict regulations that make it almost impossible to prosecute any violators. The current bills, SB 98, SB 24, and HB 7 all propose methods for law officials to be able to crack down on those trafficking individuals for labor and sex crimes. SB 24 suggests a 47 member Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force that would include the governor and many statewide law officials. The law also increases jail time for offenders to 25 years, automatic life sentences to repeat offenders, and a felony for those who traffic children. Prior to this law, human trafficking was limited to sex trafficking. This law will increase the definition to also include labor trafficking. The law will also provide a certain measure of legal protection for victims, giving children forced into prostitution provisions similar to sexual assault cases. The bill has passed and will be enacted into law.
Attorney General of Texas. 2010. Attorney general convenes human trafficking prevention task force.
Carrol, S. 2009. Houston Chronicle. Tighter laws on traffickers get results. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6626053.html
Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking. 2006. Does human trafficking really happen here?
MSNBC. Sex slaves: Texas. Aired November 8, 2010.
http://news.change.org/stories/victory-texas-passes-tough-anti-trafficking-law
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2011/mar/24/texas-senate-toughens-human-trafficking/
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