The New Slave Trade and Its Effects on Children

Running head: THE NEW SLAVE TRADE

The New Slave Trade and its Effects on Children

David Volpe

University of Central Florida

Introduction: What is The New Slave Trade?

A growing problem within the international community is the new international slave trade. While this is not a new phenomenon, and is known by many names (IE human trafficking, sex slavery, sex trade, domestic sex slavery, imported labor, etc.) increasing international pressure on countries that have this practice within its borders is starting to strain legal systems around the world. The 2000 UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons defines human trafficking as follows:

“...The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs (UN 2000:2).”

While the UN definition of human trafficking certainly covers most of the ways that human beings are trafficked and exploited sexually, it should be noted that this definition is not all encompassing, and often does not include children.

Prevalence: Is this a social problem?

Due to the illegal and clandestine nature of human trafficking, estimating the number of trafficking victims both in the United States and abroad is an extremely difficult task. Although estimates vary widely, these numbers still help to provide a general sense of the enormity of the problem (Nam 2007). While no one can estimate the exact number of individuals...