Sexual Exploitation of Women in the Developing World Essay

Sex trafficking is a global problem that involves the exploitation and abuse of girls as well as women. This paper will discuss the problem, with an emphasis on the views expressed by Paola Monzini in her book Sex Traffic: Prostitution, Crime and Exploitation. The paper will look at the causes, consequences and prevalence rates of sex trafficking and will consider the impact of such factors as globalization and women’s poverty in perpetuating the problem or making it worse. The paper will conclude with a discussion of the ways in which a human rights perspective might translate into positive action to eliminate the trafficking of girls and women.

Sex trafficking is essentially systemic rape for profit. Force, fraud and coercion are used to control the victim’s behavior which may secure the appearance of consent to please the buyer (or john). Behind every transaction is violence or the threat of violence (Axtell par. 4). Just a decade ago, only a third of the countries studied by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had legislation against human trafficking. (Darker Side, par.1) Women, children, and even men are taken from their homes, and off of the streets and are brought into a life that is almost impossible to get out of. This life is not one of choice, it is in most times by force. UNODC estimates that the total international human trafficking is a

Every year thousands of people of all genders, race, and age become victimized in sex trafficking. These people who become victims are usually vulnerable and are living in poverty structured areas. Many countries around the world are dealing with this serious issue, even in the United States. The United States federal law has defined sex trafficking as an act, “in which the commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age” (Polaris Project). Sex trafficking is not only seen as a crime but is also seen as a business of supply and demand to many people. This business makes a profit of about 9.8 billion dollars a year. In recent events it has been shown that sex trafficking increases during big sporting events. As a result, some actions have been taken to combat the issue, but not enough. Therefore, due to the fact that sex trafficking is a worldwide issue and it is increasing over time; I will argue how there needs to be changes to the approach we have on the issue of sex trafficking.

Most people throughout the world would think of slavery as an issue of the past, but sex trafficking is today’s form of “modern day slavery” (Countryman-Roswurm, 2014). Sex trafficking has become the fastest growing and most profitable criminal enterprise in the world due to the fact that people can be sold over and over again. Corrupt governments have tried to cover this issue up and have worked alongside traffickers to help them obtain illegal documents to continue operating (Deshpande et al., 2013). The effects of this crime causes victims of trafficking to have many emotional, physical, and mental traumas (Deshpande et al., 2013).

There are many different meanings to the term globalization, yet the constant throughout each meaning is the fact that globalization creates interconnectedness among citizens of the world that has not been experienced at such levels previously. Globalization as a theory is often applauded because it allows for a diffusion of knowledge as well as an increase in opportunities for most people. It does indeed create vast amounts of opportunities for both genders, yet it is biased to developed and industrialized nations. Globalization is hugely discriminatory against unskilled workers, most prominently women and children. In most countries, women

However if the goal of criminalization is to end prostitution, it is clearly not yielding the desired results. Making the act of selling sex illegal actually causes the sex workers to go further underground, making them more vulnerable to police and poor working conditions. It creates a culture permitting violence against sex workers. In countries such as China, Cambodia and Vietnam where prostitution is also illegal, sex workers are detained in facilities for ‘rehabilitation’ or ‘re-education through labor’. The approach of these facilities is to punish sex workers for engaging in behavior that is regarded as a

Thesis: The criminalization of prostitution does more harm than good when often women are left unprotected, both socially and legally, and therefore, the United States should make efforts to decriminalize and regulate prostitution instead.

This exists as a global problem because no county is protected; human trafficking numbers has grown rapidly over the years, in relation to the escalating international sex trade. This type of practice forces an individual to engage in sex acts or labor against their will through coercive threats, intimidation, the elimination of any legal documents and violence under enslaved conditions. (“Global”) Women are often trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual services, increasing their vulnerability to transmittable HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted diseases, and brutality. They are held against their will in remote environments, these women have few avenues for assistance while they suffer vast physical and emotional abuse at the hands of their abductors. (“Global”)

Through International Relations theory lenses, especially the Feminist lens, the issue of human trafficking is easily identified as an international crisis. Not only is this a human rights and security issue, but a gendered one at that. Approximately 80% of the exploitation that comes from human trafficking is in a sexual nature, and a majority of trafficking victims are female (“11 Facts about Human Trafficking”). There is a clear stance from the feminist theory perspective that it is the states’ responsibility, and even duty, to protect vulnerable females from subjugation and mistreatment that comes from the global human trafficking system.

Prostitution and human trafficking are taking place all over the world despite the legal restrictions put upon them. According to Ronald Weitzer, “The sex industry refers to the workers, managers, owners, agencies, clubs, trade associations, and marketing involved in sexual commerce, both legal and illegal varieties” (1). There are many questions that arise when discussing the sex industry. Should prostitution be legalized? If it were to be legalized, would anything change? Is prostitution morally acceptable? What is being done to stop human trafficking? There is not one correct answer for any these questions, but each question can be analyzed by scholars who have different opinions on the issue. Prostitution should be legal while

Human trafficking is the trade of humans by force, mainly women and female children, for the purposes of sexual slavery, sexual exploitation, and domestic labor. Global human trafficking has often been labeled as modern- day slavery; however the history and causes have been identifiable just as the causes of traditional slavery have been. What causes human trafficking? In this present paper, the hypotheses on the primary causes of global human trafficking will be identified. There are three major themes that cause human trafficking: a nation’s economy, political and legal factors, and social factors that enable the continuance of human trafficking. According to previous research indications of historical influence and social hierarchy have the greatest impact on the causes of human trafficking; these topics will further be elaborated upon during the discussions of political influences and social factors that impact human trafficking.

The amount of money made from this harrowing business seems rather quixotic, but this issue goes on day in and day out. After selling drugs and gun running, trafficking is the third largest business world-wide (Medina, 2007). The criminal running all these trades are very particular as far as money goes. The price depends on the person; “once the girls are brought to me by an agent, I must pay from $350 to $400 for a virgin girl or $170 for a girl who is no longer a virgin” (Flamm 2003). Criminals place their “workers” in different ensembles; a virgin is far more costly than a girl whom has been “used.” Once a women is purchased for sex, a trafficker can make five to twenty time her purchase price (Cheung, 2009). These criminals make a lot of money off of this organization of theirs, but they don't think about the fact that they are turning little girls into hookers. Forced labor could amount to US $44.3 billion per year, of which US $31.6 billion are made by exploiting trafficked victims. This confirms that “modern slavery” is a lucrative business, which funds the expansion of international criminal groups, contributes to corruption, and undermines the rule of law (Flamm, 2003). This all shows what the world is coming to; men will go out of their way to denounce women and children for money. The criminals involved in this sick organization should be put behind bars with no parole.

One of the oldest legal debates comes from one of the world's oldest profession, prostitution, there is no denying that the sex industry has taken international dimensions and is recognized as an economic motor for many countries. As countries around the world debate the merits of legalizing or at least decriminalizing prostitution. The following questions should be addressed. Would legalization reduce some of the inequalities and abuse suffered by the women involved? On the other hand, by legitimizing prostitution, would society reverse decades of work to promote human rights and improve the status of women? On the surface, this looks like a rehashing of a timeless debate. However, it is not. The question is no longer about

Alam’s insights are powerful as they document the specific factors that discourage female sex workers from negotiating with clients. He finds that the primary motivation is financial; clients offer more for condoms to not be used, and sex workers are reluctant to negotiate as it could lead to lost customers. This conversation about competition for clients provides important insights regarding the structural factors affecting sex work. Alam finds that sex workers are heavily influenced by this factor due to

The trafficking of women and girls for the purpose of prostitution is big business. It has been and still is one of the biggest industries worldwide. These unfortunate women and girls do not lead normal lives, but rather they are bought and sold as commodities. They also usually have no control over their lives and live in conditions of extreme poverty and abuse. Trafficking, debt bondage, forced labor, and other abuse is suffered by women all over the world and it is a violation of human rights. The problem is one of international proportion. United States feminists as well as many nongovernmental organizations acknowledge that this is a huge problem that needs to be tackled with greater proportions. We