According to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, of which 80% are female and half are children. The typical modern American teenagers are unaware of this problem because teachers don't educate them on this issue. American teenagers needed to have their eyes opened to the horrific truth of brothels that are all over the world. Why do girls stay in brothels? Many things play a role in why, specifically debt bondage, lack of rights, lack of knowledge, etc. Patricia McCormick, the author of Sold, is successful in explaining to an American teenage audience how and why the cycle of human slavery present in brothels exists. One issue McCormick discusses is the lack of women’s rights. In the beginning of the book McCormick writes about a girl who had her head shaved, had cigarettes put out on her, and had things thrown at her because she tried to run away from the man taking her to the brothel. This shows the lack of women’s rights because this girl is being treated as if she’s an object, not a human, because she tried to escape something that would degrade her. …show more content…
“I do the math and realize I am already buried alive” (McCormick 148). Lakshmi begins to notice that as she makes money, it’s being taken away from her to pay off her debt to Mumtaz. As the book goes on, Mumtaz keeps reminding Lakshmi about the debt she owes to Mumtaz. The debt Lakshmi must pay off continues to increase. Lakshmi shows Mumtaz the calculations she has made to figure out what she still owes and Mumtaz tells her she is wrong. Mumtaz pretends to be adding and subtracting and tells Lakshmi that she must stay in the brothel for at least five more years to pay off her debt. Mumtaz is using incorrect calculations to keep Lakshmi there so she [Mumtaz] can make as much money as she can. “It’s just as I thought. You have at least five more years here with me” (McCormick