Assignment Three

When you mention trafficking, the first thing that mainly comes to peoples minds is the movie, "Taken" with Liam Neison. But this is not something exaggerated from Hollywood; sex trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery in which a commercial sex act is induced by
force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act is under the
age of 18 years. Not For Sale is a nonprofit international organization that equips and mobilizes Smart Activists to deploy innovative solutions to re-abolish slavery in their own backyards and across the globe. Their mission statement is, "Together, we can end slavery in our lifetime."

The main problem with sex trafficking is not that it needs more awareness but that there is a stereotype that is incorrect with most sex crimes. Most people believe that when they see young girls selling themselves for sex, it is their choice to be a prostitute; when in reality girls 12-18 years of age are forced into sex slavery and automatically receive this bad reputation. Also most people think the classic picture of international sex trafficking involves a woman who was recruited in her home country, deceived or forced into the sex industry in the United States, and transported across borders by small or large-scale trafficking networks or gangs. Surprisingly the United States has its own sex trade that operates solely in the U.S. using citizens for slaves. For most, this is a pathos issue. The thought of women being forced against their will to perform sexual acts is heart breaking. If I were to do my speech on this I would talk about the urgency of the problem, and how customers of this trade are growing rapidly and the practice is becoming more volatile; and also that only 13 hours away from Penn State lies Atlanta, Georgia the number one sex trafficking city in the U.S. This is closer than we think and it requires our attention.