Running Head: SEX TRAFFICKING AND INTERGENERATIONAL PROSTITUTION 1

Solutions for Ending Sex Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

Anita Ahamefula

e​3​ Civic High

SEX TRAFFICKING AND INTERGENERATIONAL PROSTITUTION 2

Abstract

Sex trafficking and intergenerational prostitution is the defining struggle of 21st century slavery.

Many women and young children are taken advantage of by strangers and/or family members.

They are made to believe that becoming sex workers is the only solution to provide for their

families. Some of these victims affected by sex trafficking and intergenerational prostitution

actually choose to become sex workers because of the false advertisement made by others about

the financial gain behind the work. This persuasive paper focuses on the interpretation of how to

nether the problems known as sex trafficking, by finding solutions that can help prohibit it from

escalating. Addressing the reasons why this issue has not been resolved will help the reader have

a better understanding of the issue.

Keywords​: sex trafficking, intergenerational prostitution, women, foreign countries,

slavery
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Solutions for Ending Sex Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

“She is not commodity, she is not for sale.” (Women Hating,1974). This quote written by

author, Andrea Dworkins describes the main issue of the 21st century happening around the

world, especially in foreign countries. This quote is an implication of the crisis, known as

sex-trafficking. This dangerous crime, influenced by the idea that women are sex objects and

reusable artifacts for money and sexual purposes, raises a huge question. How do we eradicate

this issue in foreign countries and help the women affected by it at the same time? There are

many people convinced that sex trafficking is not a huge issue in the 21st century. Others believe

lack of education in developing countries is a more influential crisis. ​Although, lack of education

in developing countries is a problem in the 21st century, sex-trafficking and intergenerational

prostitution is the biggest issue of our time because governments cease to acknowledge the

inhumane actions committed against all genders.​ The lack of governmental enforcement is

progressing the growth of this issue. Governments of foreign countries should create laws that

illegalize sex-trafficking and intergenerational prostitution, by actually documenting that it is a

crime.

Firstly, there are many countries that still allow sex-trafficking and prostitution to carry

on. For example, in Bangladesh brothel ownership and pimping is legal. A shop owner, in the

book “​The Voices of Rape​” Khatri Bahari said the reason for this is because, “...it's their faith.”

(Bahari, 1990). The idea of sex trafficking is made to seem irrelevant in Bangladesh, because the

law has not put it upon themselves to show otherwise. In Bangladesh, women are supposed to

satisfy men, whether the man belongs to her or not. The image Bangladesh has created for their

women, is one reason why their government has not illegalized sex-trafficking. It has something
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to do with the culture of Bangladesh. In Indonesia sex trafficking and prostitution is legal, as

long as the brothels pay their taxes. In Ecuador, child pornograghy, brothel ownership, pimping

and sex exploitation is legal, as long as the business registers with the government and follow

health regulations. The government only checks in with these businesses twice every year. They

do not question the victims affected by this agreement they made with brothel owners. How are

people supposed to treat this as a crime if the government ceases to make it so? There are strict

laws in North Korea about stealing from a meat shop, but none relating to sex exploitation.

Making this crime illegal would bring attention to those involved, and allow for brothel owners

to face serious consequences for breaking these laws.Sex trafficking is one of the most

overlooked crimes of the 21st century and the first step to annihilating this problem, is to make

sex-trafficking and intergenerational prostitution illegal.

There is a list of the ten most corrupt police forces in the world. The main reason why

police forces are corrupt is because of bribery. “In Ecuador, the police force accepts bribes from

brothel owners in order to keep their crimes silent” (Criminal Justice Degrees Guide, 2007, ​¶​.3).

In the book, ​Half the Sky​ by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, a young, well-educated

woman named Usha Narayane was put in jail after reporting a mass murderer who rape and hurt

women in brothels. Kasturba Nagar was the home of a man named Akku Yadav, who murders,

tortures, rapes and robs women with impunity. For fifteen years he terrorized Kasturba Nagar.

“Sexual humiliation was thus an effective and low-risk strategy to intimidate challengers and

control the community” (Kristof and WuDunn, 2009, pg 49). One of his “victories” was raping a

girl right after her wedding. Another was when he tortured a woman working in a brothel, in

front of her daughters and several neighbors by cutting off her breast, stabbing her vaginal area
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with a knife, and leaving her dead in the road. This man was known all over the city, but still the

police did not interfere. In places like Kasturba, being educated was an advantage when it came

to violence. No one dares to harm an educated girl. Akku tried to knock down Usha’s door,

threatening to harm and stab her if she does not open the door. Usha refused with all her might.

All the neighbors including Usha went to the police, but instead of arresting Akku, they arrested

Usha for depriving the man of his needs. Akku was only in jail for two weeks, before he was to

be released. When the people of Kasturba heard this they were enraged to the core, so they took

matters into their hands. All the women of Kasturba went to Akku's hearing and stabbed him one

by one. The police believed the fault was on Usha, but the women of Kasturba stood up for

Usha, “...if anybody has to be punished, we’ll all be punished” (Kristof and WuDunn, 2009, pg

52) This incident could have been avoided if the police would have just done their job. The job

of the police is to protect the community from criminals and rapists, not take bribes from brothel

owners and arrest the victims. If the government cared about the lives of women and were

determined to find decent men to work in the police department, then I am certain that the foolish

and scandalous actions the police do, would not be increasing a crisis such as sex trafficking.

Instead of wrongfully accusing the innocent, police could look for signs that sex trafficking is

taking place. If there is a building where underaged girls are dressed in a provocative manner,

and wearing a pound of makeup, then that is a sign that they should search the building. If a huge

crowd of men are seen leaving a building, that is another sign. If there are barred windows,

suspicious locations and heavy security, then the police should do their job and investigate.

Sex trafficking affects the mind and self-esteem of women and children, but there are

victims who have been saved from sex trafficking and intergenerational prostitution. These
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women are able to spread awareness to help prevent sex trafficking. There are programs where

groups of women, who were victims of sex-trafficking tell their stories of when they were

sex-trafficked or have seen their children become prostitutes. This is a way for the world to

become educated and aware of what is happening around them. The IRC’s Women's

Empowerment and Protection Programs provide a safe location for women affected by this issue.

It helps them start a new life by finding them a job and financial care to get them back on their

feet. Through the IRC women help provide information of brothel owners, so that they could be

put in prison. If brothel owners were aware of the fact that there are women who are finally

standing up to them, it might force them to shut down their businesses, or at least cause

customers to stop coming. UNICEF is an organization that projects children and women from

violence, exploitation and abuse. They travel around the world to save people who have been

victimized by this issue. Creating programs which educate women and society will help abate the

matter because people who were sex trafficked are sharing their stories.

Counter Argument

A large population of Africa view sex-trafficking as a cultural aspect. Women are

supposed to appeal to a man’s needs, so why should they be put in jail if they are just following

the rules which their culture created for them? Many critics say that sex workers are employees

too. These so called “victims” get paid for what they do. They make money just like everyone

else, they work for it. Why should the government illegalize sex trafficking, if there is a financial

gain behind it? There are women who voluntarily chose to be a sex worker. Some women go

back to their pimps and brothel owners after escaping from them because they want drugs. The

police force is made to protect the innocent and convict the criminals. However, if sex workers
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chose to become sex workers, some would argue that they are the drug addicted criminals. If

those women are choosing to go back to the same business that people say is a wrong, then is it

truly wrong? People have the right to do whatever they want with their bodies, especially if it’s

the way they provide for themselves.

Conclusion

The difference between peonage and slavery is often misunderstood. Peonage is a system

when an employer intimidates or forces a worker to pay off their debt by working. Slavery is

when a person is obligated to obey their proprietor. Sex trafficking is the epitome of the 21st

century slavery. Ameliorating the social and economic facet of sex trafficking can be conquered

by having a strong police enforcement in foreign countries, ending laws that allow brothel

ownership of women and children, and creating programs that allow people to be more educated

on this issue. If foreign countries like Ecuador, Bangladesh and Indonesia stated in their laws

that brothel ownership and pimping were illegal, then sex-trafficking is one step closer to being

eliminated. Providing countries such as these with programs allowing people to hear the stories

of victims who were forced into being a sex worker can help indoctrinate women and/or society

of this problem in the 21st century. The police should not be arresting the victims and taking

money from criminals. Instead, the police should be looking for signs of sex trafficking, such as

high security measures existing in “living” locations, opaque windows, boarded up windows,

bars on windows, barbed wire, security cameras. Society can not live in a world where the lives

of women and children are made to seem irrelevant. Educating benighted individuals of the

wrongdoings committed on women in developing countries, is a step in the right direction to

ending many issues including sex trafficking and intergenerational prostitution.

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Annotated Bibliography

Chermayeff, M., Gordon, J., & Beardsley, M. (2012, October 01). ​Intergenerational Prostitution

in India ​- Classroom Module. Retrieved March 02, 2016, from http://www.pbs.org

video/2283612977/

This educational video provided by http://www.pbs.org/video/2283612977/, documents

series from Half the Sky investigated intergenerational prostitution in India. Urmi Basu

is a life changing women in India who is trying to make a difference one child at a time.

In this document you view the life of children, teenagers and babies in the care of a sex

worker who brings their clients into the same home as a 5 year old. You absorb the hard

labor a child has to indore to make money for their family. This document was one of the

first dynamic videos presented on a major issue such as intergenerational prostitution in

women and children. It received an academy award for it’s visual and description of this

issue amongst foreign countries.

Kristof, N. D., WuDunn, S. (2009). ​Half the sky: Turning oppression into opportunity for women

worldwide​. New York

The book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn wrote this book to expose the

controversial call against the 21st centuries ubiquitous human rights violations, such as

sex-trafficking and intergenerational prostitutions. With Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize

winning journalist and Sheryl WuDunn as our guides, we endeavor on a journey through

different countries and continent to meet women and children who are facing these

battles alone. The authors use of emotions, like sadness, anger, and hope help depict the

world which we live in.

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News & Updates: U.N.: 2.4 ​Million Human Trafficking Victims​. (2012, April 4). Retrieved

March 03, 2016, from http://www.humantrafficking.org/updates/893

In this journal provided by combating human trafficking, an unknown writer provides

facts about sex-trafficking, by using actually evidence from documented files and

sex-trafficking victims.It uses pathos and ethos to break down how women and children

become involved in human sex-trafficking and intergenerational prostitution. The writer

credits his journal by using names like Michelle Bachelet, “who heads the new U.N.

agency promoting women's rights and gender equality,” and Actress Mira Sorvino, the

U.N. goodwill ambassador against human trafficking. This journal provides actually

evidence and credited source to prove his statement.

Facts on Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery Soroptimist​. (n.d.). Retrieved March 03, 2016, from

http://www.soroptimist.org/trafficking/faq.html

This article was provided by, http://www.soroptimist.org/trafficking/faq.html the

unknown writer describes the kind of people who purchase trafficked women and

children. They give very detailed oriented information on ways the perpetrator kidnapped

and take advantage of helpless people. The author also mentions how it’s not just women

and young girls who are sex-trafficked. Men are also at risk of being the victims of this

awful and revolting crime. The writer, explains what organizations and people are doing

to stop this issue. One organization stands out in most of this article. Soroptimist is an

organization that is mentioned many times. They have created several programs for

approaching this issue in the 21st century. Some of these programs, being The Live Your
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Dream Awards program and Soroptimist Grants for Women and Children are dedicated

to helping women and young girls dealing with this struggle.

10 Most Corrupt Police Forces in the World​ - Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. (n.d.). Retrieved

March 03, 2016, from http://www.criminaljusticedegreesguide.com /features/10- most-

corrupt-police-forces-in-the-world.html

This story describes the 10 most corrupt police forces in the world. Some examples of

places with crappy police force are Haiti, Iraq, Burma, Afghanistan and Russia. The

reason these places are known as having corrupted police forces is because they

participate in kidnapping. They bribe innocent people into paying them by harassment or

being abusive. Some of these police reinforcements are actually involved in the choosing

of women and children who are used as sex slave for the entertainment of men and

women. The article explains that in some of the places, governments actually allow these

kinds of actions to take place because if it’s not in their files of illegal doings, then it is

acceptable.