Human slavery in the twenty-first century is a more prominent issue than many would think. Slavery during our time today is otherwise known as human trafficking which can be defined as “Using force, fraud, or coercion to compel someone to perform labor (such as factory work, in restaurants, hotels, construction, and as domestic servants) or engage in a commercial sex act”(Seattle Police Department). Traffickers use power over victims to force them into the system and keep them there. Trafficking may occur right in front of civilians eyes, in restaurants or hotels, forced labor is not uncommon. One of your servers at a restaurant could have been a victim of human trafficking. Sex trafficking especially is widespread and a fast growing crime that not only affects America deeply, but many other countries.
The types of people that are targeted for modern human slavery are usually women and children, but anyone can be a target. In terms of forced labor, illegal immigrants may be targeted for cheap labor. Traffickers will threaten to send them back to their countries or report them in order to coerce them into forced labor. You may see victims at restaurants, hotels, construction, child or home care “nannies”, etc. Women especially are being trafficked everyday and oftentimes out in the open. Traffickers search for vulnerable people to make their victims. They search around large group homes and high schools. Predators will pray on young people who may have low self esteem, they will compliment and groom the victims.
Our community partner is Ken Gilmore, he works with an organization called Guardian Group. Guardian Group is a group involving former military personnel, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals all working together to prevent sex trafficking in the United States. They offer training to those looking to make a difference and provide helpful information in noticing trafficking. Guardian Group also works with law enforcement throughout the country to bring sex trafficking cases to their attention and collaborate in solving cases. By using their expertise and the power of knowledge, Guardian Group has educated four hundred and ninety-three individuals, identified five victims, and processed seven cases.
When interviewing Mr. Gilmore, he provided very useful and interesting information about his work and what sex trafficking is. He informed us that many large criminal groups have developed a side business of sex trafficking or have made that their main “product”. Groups such as Isis, the Mafia, Tri-ads, MI6, and American gangs such as the Bloods and Crips are all associated with sex trafficking. Relating this to the power lens, these groups are viewed sometimes as untouchable and hold extreme amounts of power over their areas. Due to this immense power, law enforcement often times is unable to get involved or people are too afraid to report the crime. The case he is working on is a girl who was taken from her home in Iraq by Isis, and is now being sex trafficked. In Syria, Iraq, Iran and many other Middle Eastern countries, Isis is the most powerful group around. Isis follows the Qur’an which is a sacred Islamic text. The Qur’an states that it is okay to bring harm to those following other religions, the girl taken by Isis was Christian. Mr. Gilmore states that Isis members entered the victim’s home the day before her kidnapping and said they were going to take her. Then the next day they came and followed their promise. The victim’s family couldn’t contact the authorities or try to run without more repercussions from Isis. Showing the extreme power the group has over the country. Mr. Gilmore and others with Guardian Group are working to find her location and rescue her from this tragedy.
Mr. Gilmore then explains how sex traffickers manipulate girls to stay. He says it’s similar to an abusive relationship, they break down the victims and make them feel unworthy of help. They make them feel powerless through physical assault such as rape, that creates shame. Traffickers will mentally abuse women which can turn a victim into a complete shell of a person. Sometimes traffickers will also trick girls into thinking they’re in love and having a relationship with them. Guardian Group’s website explains it in stages: grooming and breaking, which maintains power and control. They use slanderous words such as, “ Statements like: “You are just a whore now “”No one will believe you “”Your family won’t love you anymore “”You are the one committing a crime” may be used.”(Guardian Group). This diminishes any fight girls being trafficked may have left in them, which is why many don’t reach out for help.
https://www.taosnews.com/stories/human-trafficking-is-predatory-exploitation,57070
The next question is, why is modern day human slavery not being covered by the media or brought to the public’s attention more? Mr. Gilmore says that law enforcement contributes to this issue because sex traffickers are very hard to catch. Most trafficking cases require immense amounts of resources that police departments don’t always have. Human trafficking cases also entail much more time and effort, they’re hard to follow, and often require certain expertise. Trafficking is also rarely reported due to the power and control certain groups have over not only victims but communities. With all the power that the media has, why not use it to spread awareness? In Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves to Death” he describes the media nowadays as “The Age of Show Business” where media is now meant to entertain rather than provide straight information. Postman brilliantly states, “There is no murder so brutal, no earthquake so devastating, no political blunder so costly–for that matter, no ball score so tantalizing or weather report so threatening–that it cannot be erased from our minds by a newscaster saying, “Now. . . this.” The newscaster means that you have thought long enough on the previous matter (approximately forty-five seconds), that you must not be morbidly preoccupied with it (let us say, for ninety seconds), and that you must now give your attention to another fragment of news or a commercial.”(Postman, pp.99-100). Proving that even if human trafficking was covered more by the media, people still wouldn’t really absorb the information.
When comparing human slavery of the past and present, there are disturbing commonalities. Slavery in our past was much more widespread and visibly brutal, but now the torment is hidden. In Ronald Takaki’s “A Different Mirror” He discusses the hidden origins of slavery. Takaki provides information about Thomas Jefferson, how he owned hundreds of slaves and had sexual relations with many young female slaves. Takaki points out, “During that time my mother became Jefferson’s concubine.” In 1789, Jefferson wanted Sally Hemmings to return with him to Virginia. “She was just beginning to understand the French language well, and in France she was free, while if she returned to Virginia she would be re-enslaved. So she refused to return with him. To induce her to do so he promised her extraordinary privileges, and made a solemn pledge that her children would be freed at the age of twenty-one years.”(Takaki p.70). Sally Hemmings was 15 years old when she became Jefferson’s concubine, around the age that most girls enter the sex trafficking chain. Jefferson used his power to coerce Hemmings to stay with him, shockingly similar to the methods traffickers use today.
Clearly, human slavery is not over, we are still repeating events from the eighteenth century when we are in the twenty-first century. Will human slavery ever end? As a modern society, we need to educate ourselves about this widespread issue. We need to recognize the severity of our daughters, mothers, and young sons being enslaved and tortured. Police forces need to put trafficking cases as a main priority, and communities need to learn the signs of human trafficking. Thanks to Ken Gilmore and others apart of Guardian Group, this problem is being combated. But in order to solve an epidemic like this, much more involvement and help is crucial. If we don’t face this soon, human slavery may never truly end.
References:
Gilmore, K. (2020, February 10). [Personal interview by the author].
| Guardian Group. (n.d.). Retrieved February 18, 2020, from https://www.guardiangroup.org/what-is-trafficking/ |
| Human Trafficking Power and Control Wheel. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2020, from National Human Trafficking Hotline website: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/sites/default/files/ HT%20Power%26Control%20Wheel%20NEW.pdf |
| NYC’s sex trafficking epidemic. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2020, from New York Post website: https://nypost.com/2018/04/17/ how-sex-traffickers-hunt-for-victims-and-brainwash-them/ |
| Postman, N. (1985). Amusing Ourselves To Death (20th Anniversary ed.). Penguin Books. |
| Seattle Police Department- human trafficking. (n.d.). Retrieved February 16, 2020, from Seattle.gov website: https://www.seattle.gov/police/about-us/ human-trafficking |
| Book | Takaki, R. (2008). A Different Mirror (Revised ed.). Back Bay Books.Created : 02/18/20 11:50PMNote : This is a copy of a preformatted citation | 0 New |
Human Slavery 