Human trafficking has become a global concern; it affects every continent and every type of community and economy. It has become a significant problem both domestically and internationally, 161 countries are reported to be a source for human trafficking, a transition or destination countries for human trafficking. There are many challenges that exist in human trafficking, it is difficult to report trafficking, the victims of human trafficking are difficult to identify and laws that exist make it difficult to charge traffickers and punish them. Despite this growing human rights issue, most citizens and even those in law enforcement remain unaware of this harsh reality and the extent of the problem of trafficking.
Trafficking is executed by organized, sophisticated criminal enterprises all around the globe. Since this is such a booming industry, profits from trafficking contribute to the expansion of organized crime in the United States and around the world (p 32). The status of women is low in other countries which contribute to making them easy targets to traffickers. In recent studies it showed that 98 percent of victims who were trafficked were women and children, and 43 percent of these trafficking victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation (p. 29). Since those who are trafficked are usually hidden from society and law enforcement, it’s extremely difficult to identify those who are victims. These victims mainly come from countries with weak and corrupt law governments and law enforcement. There are many common characteristics of victims who are trafficked, many are from communities suffering high rates of crime, lack of education or family support, and may also have histories of physical and sexual abuse. These characteristics make these individuals especially vulnerable Victims are brought from transitional countries illegally, and taken to unfamiliar regions where they may not know the language, the laws and therefore are unable to get help. Male and female children of all ages from all over the world,