Human trafficking may seem like it is only a relevant problem for poor, third-world countries, right? If you are one of the many that think this, you are very wrong. Human trafficking--sex trafficking specifically--takes place locally as well as globally. It is a scary reality, but a reality all the same. For as long as I can remember, my mother has endlessly stressed awareness of surroundings when in public places. Ours was an ongoing argument: I always wanted to ride my bike somewhere alone, and she would firmly object almost every time. “I just don’t want you to get taken,” she would always say. In my more adolescent years, I always brushed the concerns of my mother off. While living in Oklahoma, our suburban neighborhood was just off the highway. I remember begging her just to take the little path past the small horse barn to the busy gas station across the street, chock full of all of me and my friends’ favorite treats. Why shouldn’t I be able to walk to the gas station on the corner and grab a slushie? I would be back in five minutes; it was no big deal. Following her refusal, I would roll my eyes, give a long exasperated sigh, and pound my …show more content…
I had always known sex trafficking was a problem, but in all honesty, I never researched it or cared to devote any of my time to the issue. After all, it was happening here, and it definitely wasn’t affecting me. In the continuation of my research, I would find myself to be very wrong on both counts. Thought it may seem like an isolated problem to a certain demographic, specifically those in poorer countries, that is not the case. According to the FBI report in 2011, there are over 293,000 young girls and boys at risk to becoming victims of sex trafficking in America alone, and that doesn’t include the 600,000-800,000 women and children that are trafficked across the border