Dear Future President:

Human trafficking is an abhorrent and unjust crime that must be put to an end. Slavery strips one of their natural born human rights. The victim has no control over themselves, and they are forced to do actions that are repulsive and incomprehensible. Many of the victims are children, who get their lives taken away from them. Often, victims die from torture and abuse. Lives are being reaped due to human trafficking. Slavery, something we tried to end, is still going on in this country.

According to www.dosomething.org, their article “11 Facts About Human Trafficking,” states that there are about twenty to thirty million slaves in the world today. Human trafficking is mainly used for exploitation involving: forcing prostitution, slavery, involuntary servitude, and compelling victims to do sex acts for pornography. The average age a teen enters the sex trade in the U.S. is twelve to fourteen years old. Many victims are runaway girls who were sexually abused as children. Also, according to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 are trafficked across international borders each year, of which 80% are female and half are children. This makes human trafficking the third largest international crime industry.

Idora, a victim of human trafficking, told her story in www.humantraffickingfoundation.org. She says,“I was training as a primary school teacher. A man befriended me, offered a cleaning job in the UK earning me enough money to go to university- my dream.” Many victims are desperate for an opportunity to make a better life for themselves or others. They are drawn toward the idea of making more money. The victims are tricked, captured, and locked up. Only then do they know it was a hoax. Idora also tells, “I was locked in a room with three other women and then sexually exploited.” She was rescued by a police raid and then was placed in City Hearts shelter. Although victims are rescued, the memories of their suffering will haunt them. These memories can tear one apart.

In the website www.factretriever.com, their article “55 Little Known Facts about Human Trafficking,” says, “There are more slaves in the world today than ever before in history. An estimated 30,000 victims die each year from abuse, disease, and torture. Eighty percent of those sold into sexual slavery are under twenty-four, and some are as young as four year old.” This is a paradox to what most people believe in these days, which is the abolition of slavery. Instead of a decreasing amount of slaves from the past, the number of slaves now in the world has increased. This shows that we as a world, are not progressing into a place filled with more equity. Children are also being taken by recruited by military groups to become soldiers. Some groups even buy children to make them suicide bombers. Placing a child on a battlefield has a very high chance of scarring them for life. Killing a single person can change you forever. The abusive and tormental actions plague victims with many suicidal thoughts. Some victims are driven to the point where they lose their sanity. They are not just physically destroyed but also mentally.

To end human trafficking, more funding should be put into programs. The programs will help spread the word about human trafficking. Billboards should also be created to tell others about slavery. Many do not realize the damage and extent of human trafficking, and many also do not also realize the amount of victims that fall into slavery. Heavier punishments should also be made to those who commit the crime. Prison time should be increased, and fines should be increased in amount. If one continues to commit human trafficking, their fines and prison time should increase dramatically. We cannot end human trafficking alone, so we are asking you to lend us your help in ending this horrible crime. We can free lives and spread freedom. Slavery will be erased and the future will be brighter. Thank you for taking your time and reading this important issue.

Sincerely,

Eric Ho