Human trafficking is still a major concern today in many areas
There are a great deal of people who might believe that this form of slavery became obsolete many years ago but unfortunately that isn't the case. And the exploitation of millions of adults and children still takes place today. And would you believe, that it even takes place in the United States?
Human Trafficking = $150 Billion Dollar A Year Industry
It's estimated that there are something around 20+ million human trafficking victims globally. And thousands of cases of human trafficking have been reported yearly with the National Human Trafficking Resource Center, about 5,042 cases reported in 2014 with 90 percent of the victims being female.
And unfortunately it isn't just one area that has been found to have issues with human trafficking, they've found hubs in multiple places like Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.
Earlier this year, about 500 people were arrested in California as part of a crackdown on a human trafficking ring there.
And in Atlanta, a city that's described as being a hub for human trafficking, some traffickers will make as much as $32k per week, according to a 2014 study by the Urban Institute.
Today, this segment of criminal activity has been described as the fastest growing, with Atlanta being among the top cities for areas of concern.
On The Rise In South Florida
Aside from Atlanta and Los Angeles, it's also on the rise as a concern in South Florida. There have already been hundreds of cases that have gone through the criminal justice system, finding both men and women guilty of engaging in human trafficking. And prosecutors say that it's becoming steadily more prevalent there.
This week the Deputy US Attorney General, Rod Rosenstein, visited South Florida to join in on a roundtable discussion on the issue just a few days ago; which more than anything just seemed like a photo-op to try and placate concerns. They're trying to give the impression that they're effectively tackling the problem with a specialized task force.
Back in 2011, they became the testing ground for this task force, known as the South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force,..
which included co-operation between federal, state, and local law enforcement. Thus far they allege that they've been able to help at least 75 victims to get their lives back. Rosenstein thinks they are doing a great job and that their approach could be a model for the entire nation.
The task force that they've put together attempts to focus on more than investigation and prosecution, it's equally focusing on victims in an effort to try and help them to recover; encouraging them to testify against those who violated them and to re-build their life again.
For 2017, it's estimated that the Justice Department prosecuted only about 553 human trafficking cases.
And they've been able to find predators in a variety of places, such as those who were working as US gov contractors internationally, or working as an overnight shift mentor at children's shelters. You'd think that with the resources available to them, what with the NSA collecting all of the phone calls and e-mails etc, that there would be a lot more than just 500 cases.
When the people don't feel as if the authorities are doing enough, they've opted to take matters into their own hands. And in a variety of circumstances, mobs have gathered to break those criminals out of police custody and have attacked the suspects to the point of killing them.
There are various anti-predator groups that have sprung up in recent years, attempting to help authorities to crackdown on threats in their community, by using a variety of online tools to find and trap suspects. Perhaps if the authorities in the US took all of the resources that they were currently allocating to enforcing prohibition over victimless crimes, they'd be better able to crackdown on this problem.
Pics:
Pixabay
Sources:
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/news/WCMS_182109/lang--en/index.htm
http://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/human-trafficking-growing-problem-in-metro-atlanta
http://www.vocativ.com/underworld/crime/what-american-slavery-looks-like/index.html
http://www.wsbradio.com/news/local/atlanta-streets-hub-for-human-trafficking/Icak3xYJ2wyFS55hZBQZJN/
http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/20/us/sex-trafficking/index.html
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trafficking-arrests/nearly-500-arrested-in-california-human-trafficking-raids-idUSKBN15G5J6
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2017/03/09/human-trafficking-on-the-rise-in-south-florida/
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2018/01/04/deputy-attorney-general-miami-human-trafficking-roundtable/
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/florida/fl-reg-rosenstein-trafficking-speech-20180105-story.html
http://beta.latimes.com/sns-bc-fl--human-trafficking-20180104-story.html