Human Trafficking
Team Raban
Small Group Communication
Professor Correa
11 November 2012 Current Events Project: Sex Trafficking in Los Angeles According to her testimony on the Christian Broadcasting Network, Melissa Woodward was fourteen years old when she was sold into the human trafficking industry by a member of her own family. Beaten and raped for the first twenty-four hours, those that were holding her captive wanted her to understand that she was no longer human, but property, merely a thing. The men came in night after night to buy an hour with this young girl. They lived out their fantasies with her, often beating her, leaving her bruised and broken. However, she was not allowed to show it, but was forced to have the bruises covered with makeup and made to press on. Melissa’s escape out of the industry came only with violent flames. A man came in one day wishing to see a young girl burned. Covering her in gasoline, he set fire to her and watched her burn, before leaving her for dead. People must be aware of the where, how, what, and why of the current sex trafficking reality in Los Angeles, along with the knowledge of various organizations that inspire application and change. Unfortunately, Melissa’s story is not a rare one. She is one case in about 300,000 that happen annually in the United States. But as for specifics, where and how does sex trafficking occur? First off, the term sex trafficking needs to be defined. According to an article on CNN.com, “Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It involves one person controlling another and exploiting him or her for work. Like historical slavery, human trafficking is a business that generates billions of dollars a year. But unlike historical slavery, human trafficking is not legal anywhere in the world. Instead of being held by law, victims are trapped physically, psychologically, financially or emotionally by their traffickers” (5 Things to Know CNN). Trafficking is not often thought of as
Small Group Communication
Professor Correa
11 November 2012 Current Events Project: Sex Trafficking in Los Angeles According to her testimony on the Christian Broadcasting Network, Melissa Woodward was fourteen years old when she was sold into the human trafficking industry by a member of her own family. Beaten and raped for the first twenty-four hours, those that were holding her captive wanted her to understand that she was no longer human, but property, merely a thing. The men came in night after night to buy an hour with this young girl. They lived out their fantasies with her, often beating her, leaving her bruised and broken. However, she was not allowed to show it, but was forced to have the bruises covered with makeup and made to press on. Melissa’s escape out of the industry came only with violent flames. A man came in one day wishing to see a young girl burned. Covering her in gasoline, he set fire to her and watched her burn, before leaving her for dead. People must be aware of the where, how, what, and why of the current sex trafficking reality in Los Angeles, along with the knowledge of various organizations that inspire application and change. Unfortunately, Melissa’s story is not a rare one. She is one case in about 300,000 that happen annually in the United States. But as for specifics, where and how does sex trafficking occur? First off, the term sex trafficking needs to be defined. According to an article on CNN.com, “Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. It involves one person controlling another and exploiting him or her for work. Like historical slavery, human trafficking is a business that generates billions of dollars a year. But unlike historical slavery, human trafficking is not legal anywhere in the world. Instead of being held by law, victims are trapped physically, psychologically, financially or emotionally by their traffickers” (5 Things to Know CNN). Trafficking is not often thought of as