Earlier
this year I took my children – who are 6 and 9 - on a Disney Cruise, something
they had wanted to do for several years.
The overall experience was great, but the best part for me was being
able to give my children these experiences and memories.
Big events
like swimming with dolphins and meeting all of the Disney princesses are things
I’m positive my children will always remember.
I also know that they will remember other things about their childhood
as well. They will remember eating
dinner with our family every Sunday afternoon.
They will remember me struggling to help with fourth grade math homework,
and they will remember being comforted when they were hurt or sick. They will also remember me limiting my son’s
YouTube video watching, and not letting my daughter wander the
neighborhood. While these last few
memories will not necessarily be pleasant ones, they will someday understand just
how serious the dangers are out there, and know that I set these boundaries to
make sure the good memories outweigh the bad.
Children should
feel safe. Not only in their own home,
but within their communities, and online as well. They should be free to enjoy this innocent
time in their life, and to learn and grow naturally. When I first started the research for this topic, I was upset to learn that the
FBI Innocence Lost Initiative reported that the average age of entry into prostitution
is between the ages of 11 and 14, and I was sickened to discover that the
youngest human trafficking victim to date within the US was just 6 years old,
the same age as my daughter. At this
point, there are an unknown number childhoods filled with events that would
rather be forgotten than remembered. As
Hilary Clinton stated back in 2007, “it takes a village to raise a child” – and
this statement is true, not only when it comes to educating our children, but
when it comes to protecting them as well.
No matter whom we
are within our community – whether we are a parent, a teacher, a friend, or an
employee – being aware of predators who may try to take advantage of our
precious children is the first step to combating the damages caused by human
trafficking.
Children cannot feel safe when there
are traffickers out there, ready to prey on them. The term human trafficking may bring to mind a whole host of
images, such as smuggling a child across international borders. Human trafficking is taking place in subtle
ways, all across our country. Human
trafficking can, and often does, include some form of physical force, but it
can also involve manipulation and false promises. A minor can end up convinced that their
exploitation is not exploitation at all, but rather a distorted version of love
and acceptance. While studies from the
National Academies of Science suggests there may be as few as 1400 trafficked
minors in the US today, we can all agree that the buying and selling of even
one child is too many. The children who
are at the highest risk are those who are runaways, or are part of the foster
care system. In a nationwide bust this
summer called Operation Cross Country, the FBI reported that 60% of the
children rescued had already been in the child welfare system. These children have already been damaged
physically or emotionally in some way, and are easy prey for someone looking to
exploit these basic needs. Research
suggests that within 48 hours of running away, about one-third of children on
the streets are approached by a pimp.
For a child that is alone in this world – scared, hungry, and needing a
warm place to stay for the night, the glowing promises made by a pimp may be
all it takes to convince them they have found a safe home.
Children cannot feel safe if laws do
not protect them. The White-Slavery Act is better known
as the Mann Act, and was created in 1910.
Several notable cases during the last century were successfully
prosecuted under the Mann Act, including preacher and pedophile Brian David
Mitchell, who is known for his 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart. Unfortunately, due to the overly-broad laws,
the effective prosecutions like this one are outnumbered by the arrests fueled
by the racial and moral tension of the early 1900’s. The most notable issue with the Mann Act in
regards to the prostitution of minors is that the age of consent for
prostitution was 15, and all prostitutes during this era were automatically
assumed to be willing criminals.
Children cannot feel safe if the laws
we pass now still do not protect them. In 2000, passed Trafficking Victims
Protection Act was passed. The public has
jumped eagerly at this initiative as images of extreme abuse and stories of
unthinkable manipulation were portrayed in the name of punishing predators that
violate the innocence of children. The TVPA certainly offers more specific
protection for exploited minors than the Mann Act did; it provides strengthened
sentences for those convicted of trafficking a minor, and changed the age of
consent for the commercial sex industry from 15 to 18, Now, any minor is
determined to be a victim.
Unfortunately,
the Department of Justice reported that in the first eight years, only about
2000 victims were rescued. And only a
portion of those victims were children.
While it is imperative to remember that even one child victim is too
many, the cost associated with the rescuing of these victims has been called
into question. During those 8 years, about
$1.5 billion was allocated for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. To put this into perspective, according to
national statistics, children who are in the foster care system cost about
$12,000 per child. However it has cost
about $750,000 to rescue each trafficking victim, and most of these funds do
not even go to the actual care and rehabilitation of the person
themselves. Considering the foster care
system is where many sex trafficked minors come from in the first place, it
would make much more sense to focus these funds on prevention strategies.
If our main
concern is to rescue the child victims and help them heal from the trauma they
have experienced, it seems from the research, and the daily news that a
majority of time, effort, and funding in the TVPA is being spent on finding and
prosecuting the perpetrators rather than providing resources for the victims,
or potential victims. There are hardly
ever articles about rehabilitation efforts, transitional housing, job placement
or educational programs for victims.
The State
Department claims that at the most, only 1% of the estimated victims had been
identified during the first ten years of the Trafficking Act. This means that either their original numbers
were grossly over-estimated, or the methods we are using to find victims are
not effective. “R.S” is a JD/MBA
graduate with a successful legitimate business in addition to his experience as
a pimp for the last seven years. In a
brief interview he explained, “For a law that was meant to protect minors, it
reaches a lot more entities other than minors, which is where the legislation
is flawed. I think if they took the time
to … identify who they are after … the law may be more effective.” With the popularity of online prostitution,
minors potentially end up going undetected, and a large number of consenting
adults involved end up affected by the increased attention. With protecting the innocence of minors being
at the forefront of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, it is discouraging
to face the fact that these laws are simply not bringing out the desired
results.
There are still doubts about if our
children will be safe. Part of the TVPA’s goal is to clarify
that all children involved in the sex trade are victims, and should not be treated as criminals. Operation Cross Country, the nationwide bust
this summer, was carried out in 77 cities across the country, and the FBI
rescued 105 children. However, a majority of the children rescued ended up
being placed either in jail facilities or with foster families. Placing these children right back into the
system that let them down in the first place does nothing but start this cycle
over again.
Harsher laws
for pimps means putting sexually trafficked minors at further risk for physical
violence and psychological abuse. By making
trafficking a serious felony, predators will not stop, they will simply retreat
into darker corners, pulling their victims with them. We must remember that we are dealing with
fragile, precious lives who have already been churned through government systems
and have yet to receive the genuine love and nurturing they so desperately need
in order to live fulfilling, productive lives.
A majority of these children have already experienced all that the legal
system and government institutions have to offer them. There is no doubt that those who prey on the
young and weak are predators that deserve punishment to the full extent of the
law, but we have to keep in mind who is really at the heart of this
matter.