Human Trafficking and Forced Prostitution

Sexual slavery and human trafficking are serious concerns for law enforcement officials. As the underground sex industry becomes less easy to track and traffickers exploit new problems in border controls, forced prostitution has become a well-embedded part of many organized prostitution rings. While many of these women are brought in from foreign countries, the nature of human trafficking can also compromise the freedoms of American citizens if traffickers are able to.

Sex slavery in the United States can be caused by a number of different problems. In foreign countries where crime organizations exercise their authority with less scrutiny from law enforcement agencies, forced prostitution of a family member may be the result of an outstanding debt against a crime group. In this way, sex slaves can be held as ransom until payment is met or even as a means of payment.

In addition to human trafficking going into the United States, women within American borders are not particularly immune to sex trafficking. The homeless, runaway girls, and abandoned children may all be picked up by traffickers and forced into organized prostitution rings. Often, the introduction of drugs becomes a means to control these women, as addiction works to keep them from escaping. These girls may also take on additional duties, being forced to sell favors as well as possibly pushing drugs or similar illegal substances.

One problem for business owners is the shift of prostitution away from street-based exchanges and under the guise of a residential store, a massage parlor, or a cantina. These locations may be used either as a front or a supplemental means of income while essentially running a brothel. For legitimate business owners, an association with these fronts can prove extremely problematic, as legal entities may attempt to address sex slavery problems while punishing law-abiding business owners in general.

For more information regarding a person’s rights if they are charged in connection to human trafficking or forced prostitution, contact a sex crimes attorney.