| Disppearance |
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| Written by Emily Gardner | |
| Saturday, 31 October 2009 | |
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As I mentioned before the New York Times isn’t just one source that reports human trafficking issues, but I would like to point out that they do a great job bringing to light this issue in its many forms. For example, this article talks about the issue of adolescents and youth in the US who run away from home, making them easy targets for coercion into prostitution. Once entangled in this deadly process of trafficking, it’s usually very difficult for them to get out. What this article highlights is the young age at which these adolescents fall victim to this issue. Many are as young as thirteen or fourteen years old when they first enter into the trafficking world. Many cities have seen increases in the past few years. One law officer, as noted in the article, stated that gangs have begun selling girls instead of drugs because “it’s just as lucrative but far less risky.” Once these children and young adults become involved in this, they disappear and the difficulty lies in finding them again. The article also covers what may be leading to this unfortunate increase: state cuts to mental health services, child welfare agencies incapable of preventing them from running away, and the lack of residential counseling programs are only a few of the catalysts in the disappearance of these children. Once the opportunity does arise where these children are found, programs like the Polaris Project , which is one of the largest anti-trafficking organizations in the US, steps in and provides resources for victims, in an attempt to keep these risks from being taken again. I’m glad that the Polaris project was mentioned here because it is one of the strongest agencies that the US has in combating trafficking, since 2002. The various resources available as well as the strategies it employs, is what makes Polaris highly successful.
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