The Phenomenon of the Sex Trade - Research Paper Example

Sex trade Introduction There is no doubt that living in society should be considered to be one of the irreplaceable prerequisites which ensure that the inner potential of a human being is developed to its fullest. Indeed, if it had not been for the social environment a considerable number of features that are considered to be characteristic to the human civilization would not have emerged. Nevertheless, there may be situations when the society has a rather negative influence on the individuals who live in it. One of the most disturbing examples is the phenomenon of sex trade. Indeed, this activity completely diminishes value of a human life making it comparable to a commodity that is consumed by the clients. This paper will prove that sex trade is one of the most negative phenomena in the life of the American society and show the effect that it has on females who are aged 12-15 and entered sex trade. Overview of demographics of the problem It may be particularly important to analyze the quantitative aspect of the issue in order to understand the scope of it. To begin with, it must be noticed that several years ago the population of people who were victims of sex trade almost reached 21 million people (“Child trafficking Statistics”, 2012). What is worst is that a relatively big number of instances is registered in the United States: it is thought that roughly a million and a half were affected by this negative social phenomenon. In addition to that, the number of children who are subjected to commercial sex trade is estimated to be around two million people. One would make no mistake that the actual number of victims may be even more, since the recorded data reflects only those cases which were discovered by the law enforcing agencies. All this brings to the question how many other people are impacted by the problem. There is no doubt that the phenomenon of sex trade should not be analyzed in one dimension only. It is true that the number of people are being sold and purchased is tremendous, nevertheless, one should keep in mind that the there are other parties involved. For example, one would make no mistake that the population of pimps should also be taken into account. It may be difficult to calculate it; however, it is understandable that for every 5 or 10 girls there is surely a pimp. In addition to that, the clients or the people who use the poor children should also be mentioned. Keeping in mind that the long distance truck drivers are the category of people that are rather likely to use the above mentioned services, one may focus on this particular group of people. What is worse is that little girls aged 12-15 who enter sex trade are not able to show any resistance to their pimps or to their older clients which leaves them almost helpless. Temporal and qualitative aspect of the problem Having analyzed the statistics, one should pay attention to the history of the issue in question. Thus, it would not be an exaggeration that the negative phenomenon of sex trade has been around for many centuries. Indeed, the origins of it might be traced back to slavery. It is rather obvious that not all the slaves were sold for manual labor. However, there is an important point that should be mentioned: in the beginning of the previous century the society started paying particular attention towards sex trade of free people. For example, there is a peculiar study that is dated 1904 that is titled White Slave Traffic and dealt with the problem of sex trade which involved white girls (“Timeline of Human Trafficking”, 2011). As one can see, the social environment has been aware of the problem for a considerable period of time; that is why, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that the latter has been existing for quite a long and the way it influenced the society can be traced in many different ways. Thus, one should point out that there is completely independent world of sex trade that operates within the framework of the contemporary society. What is even worse is that nowadays those who traditionally were not associated with the above mentioned problem become closely connected to it. For example, surprisingly enough, but women who are supposed to feel innate disgust towards sex trade are now becoming more and more involved in it as pimps (Gummow, 2013). This means that the society develops a different understanding of the problem and no longer finds it so dramatic. Nevertheless, little girls aged 12 to 15 still often enter sex trade as they might be rejected by their parents and might seek assistance from the above mentioned people. As a result, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest that if such girls are abandoned or neglected, the probability that they end up in sex trade world is extremely high. Primary and secondary populations In order to gain a correct understanding of the way sex trade might be seen from a quantitative point of view and to determine the primary and secondary population, one should utilize the available data and analyze it closely. From the evidence which was collected by Bureau of Justice Statistic, it appears that the most likely victim of sex trade is an African American female aged 12 to 15 (Banks & Kyckelhahn, 2011, 6). This is a horrible statistics indeed. One should point out that other ages and races are at risk as well. For example, the difference between white and Latino races is almost negligible which means that they share the second place (Banks & Kyckelhahn, 2011, 6). As for the ages, children under 17 greatly outnumber those of the next age group (18-24): 248 versus 142 cases (Banks & Kyckelhahn, 2011, 6). Older people who are above 25 are relatively rare in sex trade (Banks & Kyckelhahn, 2011, 6). Economic aspect of the problem If one analyzes the number of people who are involved in the negative social phenomenon in question as well as the time of existence of it, one might assume that sex exploitation of little girls has tremendously negative economic effect on the society. To begin with, one might engage the rough financial estimates of the industry: it is thought to amount to nine and a half billon of dollars per year (“Statistics”, 2015). It is quite understandable that there are no taxes paid from the above mentioned money and it might be seen as a loss for the government. Another point that should be mentioned is that a pimp might use a sexually exploited little girl to generate around $150,000 - $200,000 a year (“Statistics”, 2015). Keeping in mind that a single pimp might have up to ten children, the amount of money that one person is able to earn illegally become quite big. Indeed, girls aged 12-15 are not able to break free from this vicious circle. Moreover, they are seen as valuable resource that should be exploited. Individual aspect of the problem While considering the issue in question, one should point out that the status of victims of sex trade is a subject to debate. Thus, while Physiology and Ethics will definitely find these little girls to be victims, the legal system would not share this perspective. For example, only relatively recently there was an initiative which proposed the government not to impose any punishment on the victims of sex trade, a project that is known as Safe Harbor (Maras, 2014, 110). Indeed, nowadays, the society tries to develop measures that would make sure that those who experienced the above mentioned negative phenomenon are able to be integrated into the society effectively, while those who are currently experiencing it might not be afraid of the criminal prosecution. This means that girls aged 12-15 will finally have a chance to experience their best years of the childhood and exit the world of sex trade. Whose problem is it? As one can clearly see from the evidence, sexual exploitation of little girls is an extremely devastating phenomenon that is able to affect all areas of human activity as well as the majority of parts of the population. Nevertheless, despite this state of affairs, the society still fails to acknowledge that this is a problem that requires an effort that is made by the entire population. Indeed, if one analyzes the discourse that is connected to it, one will be able to see that the social environment often takes steps to distance itself from the problem. That is why one would make no mistake pointing out that the social environment should unite in the fight against it and not marginalize it even further. Personal aspect of the problem If one carefully organizes the discussion about the topic of sex trade, one cannot omit the fact that there are some aspects of it that appeal to emotions of the people and should be taken into account in order to gain a full as well as objective understanding of it. Thus, there are two particularly disturbing facts about it. As has already been pointed, the most likely victim of sex trade is a female aged 12 to 15. This shows that some of the most important years in their life were wasted and one can hardly achieve any significant personal development in the future. In addition to that, the above mentioned fact does not comply with the idea that parents should take care of security of their children. Secondly, as the evidence shows females often outnumber males when it comes to sex trade; that is why it is quite disturbing that young girls have to suffer so much. Many have little sisters; so, no one would like to see them engaged in the horrible world that was described above. Conclusion Having examined all the evidence, one is able to come to the logical conclusion: there is a tremendously negative phenomenon exists in the contemporary society, namely the fact that little girls aged 12 to 15 enter sex trade. Nowadays, it is a multimillion industry that cripples lives of the people and is not controlled by the government properly. References Banks, D., & Kyckelhahn, T. (2011, January 1). Characteristics of Suspected Human Trafficking Incidents, 2008-2010. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cshti0810.pdf Child trafficking Statistics. (2012, January 1). Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://arkofhopeforchildren.org/child-trafficking/child-trafficking-statistics Gummow, J. (2013, January 1). 10 Surprising and Counterintuitive Facts About Child Sex Trafficking. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/10-surprising-and-counterintuitive-facts-about-child-sex-trafficking Maras, M. (2014). Transnational security. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press. Statistics. (2015, January 1). Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://thecoveringhouse.org/act/resources-2/sex-trafficking-statistics-source-documentation/ Timeline of Human Trafficking. (2011, January 1). Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/~yongpatr/425/final/timeline.htm Read More