Slavery and arranged marriage are abolished more than a century ago. You may think that this was an end of an era, but human trading just went to the new level. It is not as exposed as it used to be as it is illegal nowadays, but this industry is actually still on and its worth is estimated to $32 billion annually. No matter how safe you think you and your family are, there are some facts you need to know about human trafficking in the US.
According to the statistics provided by US Department of Justice, there are over 13 million of victims. Most affected are females especially under the age of 18. They are most often used as sexual slaves and sold to brothels where they are locked up and made to serve as many customers as they need. They have treated worse than slaves 100 years ago, and the worse, but most common thing that can happen is for them to develop Stockholm syndrome.
There is no specific way of recruitment, so there is actually no specific measure of precaution. There are many cases where women and girls are recruited by their own family members. Some women marry the men whose job they are not that familiar with, and it turns out later that they are working for them as their personal prostitutes. And how many cases did you heard about, where the mother sold her own daughter or made her work as a prostitute. Most simple way is just random kidnapping women and children on their way to work or school.
Recruited women are usually locked in secret rooms or a basement, but more frequently publically exposed where their owners are watching their every move so there is no way for them to escape or look for a help.
Human trafficking and forced labor are both considered federal crimes and are leading to greater sentences. The problem is that not every case of human trafficking is reported and not that many victims manage to escape and are willing to take charges. On the other hand, as we previously mentioned, many underage and young victims develop Stockholm syndrome and they grow up to identify with their kidnappers. If you are eager to know more about human trafficking and forced labor, there are 16 statistics about human trafficking in the US that you would want to check out.
