Human trafficking has been a global issue affecting women, men, and children. The matter has become prevalent despite the dyer efforts of most countries globally to curb the menace. Many individuals refer to the act as the modern day slavery, where there is prohibited trade of human beings for forced labor or exploitation. Various individuals trafficked are forced into prostitution and sex slavery. Moreover, children are abducted and traded then indulged into sex at their tender ages. Notably, the two books ("Human Trafficking" and "Walking Prey") have addressed the issue of human trafficking by three concepts which include; sex trafficking, children trafficking, and sex slavery. The three notions have been a major contributing factor to the issue of human trafficking. Remarkably, referring to sex trafficking, most individuals, especially the female youth are lured with gifts as they search for love then traded for sex. Next, on the issue about children trafficking, kids at their tender ages are trafficked for sex without their consent.
Moreover, the issue of human trafficking has brought about the notion of the traded humankind taken as sex slaves mostly through prostitution. Lastly, the sexually exploited victims become susceptible to infectious diseases and trauma disorders. This paper deliberates on the three concepts (sex trafficking, children trading, mental health, and trauma) that impact significantly to human trafficking in the two books.
Sex trafficking has been a concept that has impacted immensely to human trafficking. According to the book "Human Trafficking," Burke has addressed sex trading on chapter six (Burke). She treats the concept as a form of human’s tradeoff where the traffickers target victims and use violence, lies, threats and false promised to ensure they compile with their requests. Mostly the victims targeted are the youth who are in search of love; thus, false promises and gifts tend to sway them. As a result, they are drugged and trafficked then traded for sexual favors without their consent.
In most cases, the victims tend to be romantically involved with individuals who manipulate them. For instance, females’ manipulation arises from false promises such as jobs, modeling and dancing careers. In other cases, some youth are forced to sell sex by their parents of individual members of the family, thus introducing them to the cult of sex trafficking. Notably, women, men, and children are brought into the street and presented to a lifestyle which they tend to find it difficult to get rid of since it is their survival tactics. Similarly, in the book "Walking Prey," Smith brings out the concept of sexual trafficking in several instances. In the memoir, the author (Smith) discusses herself introduction into sex slavery in Atlantic City (Smith). She describes herself being liable as a willing victim with her risky behaviors being impacted by her history of child abuse and parental negligence after her mum was battling cancer. Sex trafficking as a form of human trafficking is evident in the storyline of Smith, where she meets her trafficker at a mall in South Jersey (Smith). The story develops with Smith manipulation by the traffickers to pursue her aspirations of becoming a songwriter. The false promises by sex trafficker, Greg, and Nicki, left her with no choice but to submit as a sex worker since her reckless sexual behavior allowed her to associate with the welcoming group of individuals (Smith).
Moreover, the author becomes a sex slave and tends to blame the law and the health systems that contributed to her portrayal as a lousy victim. The operations controlled the sexual economies between the pimps and the sex workers; thus Smith entered the sex work willingly since her choices limited her vulnerabilities (Smith). Therefore, lack of opportunities and manipulation of the traffickers have impacted significantly to the victims becoming sex slaves in the society to earn for their survival.
On the other hand, human trafficking has also impacted immensely to the issue regarding children trafficking. Children trafficking commences at their tender ages where they are exploited sexually or regarding labor. According to the book "Human Trafficking," Burke addresses the issue of children trafficking in chapter seven, where she distinguishes the concept from other forms of mobility in West Africa (Burke). Child trafficking has been rampant in most areas through illegal adoption, kid's labor, and children prostitution. Various notions have intensified the issue of kid's trade such as unemployment, poverty, lack of education among others. For instance, lack of enough to feed the families forces some parents to issue their children's out for adoption without their consent, where there is exploitation sexually and forced labor.
Similarly, in the memoir "Walking Prey," Smith storyline encompasses child trafficking. The author talks about her story which revolves around child trafficking. Smith was trafficked by Greg and Nicki who introduced her to prostitution at a tender age of 14 years (Smith). Notably, most children trafficked are manipulated with gifts and caring individuals who tend to be compassionate to them. In "Walking Prey," Smith undergoes child abuse at a tender age, thus, her low self-esteem and the search for adulthood impacts to her trafficking at a young age (Smith).
Further, in the memoir, the author presents the ideologies of child trafficking after meeting her traffickers (Greg and Nicki) who manipulated Smith making the latter think that they filled the void in her life. Moreover, they promise Smith an enjoyable experience where she could pursue her dream career of becoming a songwriter. As a child, she becomes easily swayed and falls in the trap of her traffickers who introduce her to prostitution. Despite Smith having no choice than to comply with her traffickers, she blames her willingness consent on her family, terrible network, media, law enforcers and health providers (Smith). Most importantly, she blames the press for actualizing sexuality, thus impacting significantly towards many children being victimized annually (Smith).
Moreover, Smith blames her family for her repercussion since they were alcoholic and before she could attain ten years Smith had been severally abused sexually by her cousin (Smith). Therefore, her eagerness to have a boyfriend contributed immensely to her trafficking in her tender age. As a result, the concept impacts significantly to children trafficking, where various kids’ manipulation comes along with gifts, jobs, and love, then trafficked to become sex slaves and prostitutes. Lastly, human trafficking has impacted immensely to post-traumatic stress disorders. According to the book "Human Trafficking," Burke has addressed the issue by relating humankind trading to post-trauma disorder in chapter fourteen (Burke). Noteworthy, most victims are trafficked without their consent. Therefore, after they rescued from the various acts such as prostitution, they may undergo some post-trauma stress, especially after having memories of what they used to do previously. The overwhelming amount of stress result from the trafficking trauma goes beyond the individual's aptitude to cope and assimilate their emotions involved with the experience. The trauma results due to the repetition of the events that caused the stress as the victim tries to manage the immediate situation, which results in long-term severe adverse effects (Smith). Therefore, victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation tend to have multiple trauma and mental health problems which arise in post-traumatic stress disorders (Smith).
Similarly, the memoir "Walking Prey," has unraveled different instance of memory and mental health. First, after the police rescue Smith she feels ashamed of herself that she had chosen prostitution after being manipulated by her traffickers (Smith). Additionally, it took a long time after her marriage for Smith to be able to tell her story to the Congress (Smith). According to Smith's storyline, she sought for some medical approach in her healing and diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (Smith). She attends therapy as a way of healing from the trauma. Therefore, the memoir portrays the effects that are accompanied by human trafficking, especially in instances where the victim's exploitation emanates from sexual behaviors.
Conclusively, both books have addressed the issue of human trafficking and introducing various forms of the concept such as child trafficking, sex slavery, and prostitution. Most importantly, in the memoir "Walking Prey," the author tells her storyline about being trafficked while looking for a boyfriend. She finds herself with no choice, but to comply with her traffickers who introduce her to prostitution. Notably, the book tends to display some strengths and weaknesses in addressing the issue of human trafficking. The force encompasses exhibiting the effect of human traffickings such as post-traumatic disorders, the misuse and wrong victimization by the media and health providers. However, the weaknesses displayed involve the victim willingness to indulge herself into prostitution since she had been abused before instead of reforming. Therefore, the strengths surpass the flaws; thus, the book plays an essential role to the general public to address the issue of human trafficking by the problems that the victims undergo. Moreover, the book calls for the public to align matters related to poverty and lack education to reduce cases of individuals being manipulated and introduced to prostitution.
References
Burke, Mary C. Human Trafficking: Interdisciplinary Perspective. 2nd. London: Routledge, 2018. Print.
Smith, H. A. Walking Prey: How America's Youth are Vulnerable to Sex Slavery. New York: St Martin's Press, 2014. Print.
