Blog #5 Human Trafficking On The Rise

In this article it mentions that The United States Defense Department is working to help members of the military to be more aware of human trafficking and is also providing training to assist members of the military in recognizing and reporting incidences of human trafficking. According to the article, victims of human trafficking are a lot of times, working in the clubs outside the military bases around the world.It is reported that girls brought in to Korea from other countries under the guise of receiving legitimate work, had their passports taken and were forced to live in a small apartment with a lot of other girls and then forced to work in these clubs outside the military bases. Service members are being told that if they are frequenting bars and clubs where girls are being trafficked, then they are in a sense supporting it even though they are only going there for drinks. The issue of human trafficking and the military came to light in 2004 when military personnel became involved with girls who had been brought into the United States from Russia and the Philippines. Clubs, bars, spas, nail salons, and even dry cleaning  are businesses which are now common to human trafficking.

Clubs and bars outside military bases around the world should have a greater focus on them by law enforcement agencies. Many service members overseas are on unaccompanied deployment. This, along with the fact that they have money to spend makes them easy targets for those who are involved in trafficking young girls and women. I applaud the Defense Department for taking the initiative to provide awareness and training for service members in regards to human trafficking. Hopefully, we will have large numbers of service members who will be on the look out for victims of human trafficking and will not be afraid to report it. This is just one of many steps needed to help combat the serious problem of human trafficking around the world. Harsher sentences for those who are the clients needs to be implemented worldwide. Slowing down the demand is vital.

http://fortbragg.patch.com/articles/human-trafficking-on-the-rise