By Allen R. Gray
NDG Contributing Writer
We survive on the belief that all men have been emancipated, set free of slave shackles.
Not necessarily so.
Enslavement has merely been baked deeper into the American system. It might be argued that the 13th Amendment ended slavery or involuntary servitude but only with this proviso: “…except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted…” That is when a bifurcated and unjust American judicial system began throwing Black folk in prison in disproportionate and alarming numbers.
The practice of slavery is just not as overtly practiced as it once was. Enslavement has become more sophisticated and covert, and it now goes by a different name: Human Trafficking.
When there is a certain degree of force, fraud, or coercion used to elicit labor, services, or a commercial sex act, therein lies Human Trafficking. Contrary to the what the name might imply, one does not have to cross state lines of galivant about the globe to qualify for Human Trafficking. It is not a matter of mobility. The victim does not even have to leave her/his own hometown and there can still be human trafficking.
The Wolf of trafficking is opportunistic in his dealings. The Wolf will seek out potential victims who have been rendered vulnerable by their harsh societal standing—be it object poverty or lack of citizenship—and subject them to this new brand of slavery in either of two forms: Sex trafficking; or Forced labor.
When the Wolf comes calling, it is not a respecter of a victim’s age, race, gender, sex, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, or socioeconomic class. The Wolf seeks merely to capture, devour, and then monetize its victims.
Human Trafficking is something we do not necessarily recognize yet we see it every day. Even harsh, abusive, or unfair working conditions on a job can be construed as human trafficking. But do not overreact because you have become frustrated with your typical 9 to 5.
Thoughts of modern-day slavery in any form seemed to lie dormant despite the over four hundred years of blatant oppression Black people have suffered at the hands of this nation (albeit righteous Republicans are rewriting history books so those 400+ years of subjugation may not count by way of omission).
The event that made human trafficking a thing worth voting about is that unabashed Jeffrey Epstein happening. Although, human trafficking is a thing that is much higher, deeper, and wider than an illegal act of an underaged blonde sitting on the lap of some perverted billionaire. Human trafficking is a global condition that must be of global concern.
Human trafficking is not a condition that only affects young white girls. In fact, people of color are among those most victimized by this social disease.
Of the human trafficking cases reported by the Bureau of Justice from January 2008 to June 2010 (not counting the cases not reported), those races most victimized by sex trafficking were 40% Black in first place, and 26% white in second place.
At anytime and at any place around the world, any woman might become a victim of sexual exploitation, or any man might become entrapped in forced labor, or anyone’s child might become exploited for begging, child pornography, or child labor.
With labor trafficking victims, 63% of those cases reported were Hispanic in first place, and Asians were in second place accounting for 17% of reported cases.
Among the nations of the world, the USA is ranked among the worst offenders of human trafficking. An educated estimate of the total cases of human trafficking in the USA is a little shy of 200,000 yearly incidents.
In 2020, there was a little under 9,000 reported cases of sex trafficking in the US. Most of these (reported) cases occurred in seedy massage parlors and spas, and the pornography industry.
With these awakening statistics in mind, it will serve voters well to gauge how this newfound war on human trafficking is fairing in their state. We will look at those states that reported the most offenders.
The state that is leading the number of human trafficking cases for 2020 is California with 1,334 reported cases. In second place is Texas with 987 reported cases, the state that also had Dallas and Houston listed among USA’s top 10 cities as the worst offenders of human trafficking. Then there was Florida with 738 human trafficking cases reported, and New York with 414 cases reported.
There is no political grandstanding to be had here since two of the aforementioned states are led by Republicans and the other two are Democratic-led states.
To be fair, those inflated numbers might be easily attributed to the population density of those states. But when one views a state’s human trafficking condition from another angle the political party difference shifts dramatically to one side.
Looking at the number of reported human trafficking cases per 100,000 residents, Mississippi ranks first with 6.31 per 100,00 people, then Nevada (5.99/100,000), Missouri (4.34/100,000) and the District of Columbia (4.14/100,000) rounds out the top four. The top three vote-getters are all led by Republican governors.
The District of Columbia is not a state, nor does it have a governor. The mayor and the City Counsel lead DC.
Talking about what needs to be done about human trafficking and how to solve this global ill is fodder that is chewed at political stumps. Talk is cheap, but too many extremist Republicans with ill intents have doled out enough cheap talk to be reelected far too often. They have done very little about human trafficking…they have done nothing at all.
Human trafficking is a problem that affects us all in one way or another. We must address this menacing crisis head on. The best time to address poisonous serpent is when we cast our vote.
This time around, vote for a politician who does not chide human trafficking on the one hand—but promotes social conditions that, in some greater or lesser way, support human trafficking.
Then be aware of professional politicians who dismiss the thought of human trafficking being a social poison that must be addressed immediately. Beware of skilled office-bearers whose simple solution to human trafficking is to look at our border crossings and conclude, “Blame it on the Mexicans.”
If you suspect that you or someone you know may be a victim of Human Trafficking take action.
Contact:
• Federal law enforcement directly: U.S. Department of Homeland Security at 1-866-347-2423 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year, or submit a tip online at www.ice.gov/tips.
• Contact 911 or your local police department or emergency access number.
• Call toll-free (24/7) National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-3737-888 (1-888-373-7888).
• Text HELP or INFO to BeFree (233733).
