The Super Bowl, one of the biggest and most important days in the sports industry, is the #1 day for the human trafficking industry in the USA. During the 2010 Miami game, 10,000 prostitutes were brought to the Super Bowl and forced to sleep with anywhere from 20-50 men in one day, and during the 2011 Dallas Super Bowl, 133 arrests were made for underaged prostitution. The large crowds allow for pimps and trafficked women to go virtually unnoticed, and the number of men looking to pay for sex dramatically increases. And while organizations, such as the FBI, are working to end this sex trafficking at the Super Bowl, it has not been enough. The U.S. should do whatever is necessary to stop human trafficking and do it now.
In 1864, The United States made the decision to abolish slavery and give all residents the freedom a human being deserves. Now in 2015, involuntary and forced labor is illegal in all countries. So why is it that 150 years after the abolition of slavery in this country, there are still 20 to 30 million slaves worldwide? And why does the ‘land of the free’ have up to 18,000 cases of trafficking every year? There is never freedom if part of the population is enslaved.
Even with countless gruesome statistics, the U.S. tends to ignore that there is an issue of slavery. Americans often pretend that trafficking is a problem for the ‘third worlds’ like Ghana, Syria, and North Korea. We like to pretend that our money can protect us, and if we stay in our safe little bubble, nothing can happen. But we are naive, and pride comes before fall. Yes, this is America, and it’s not perfect. Texas itself contains several trafficking hubs, with Houston being #1 in the nation. This is primarily because of the borders, international airports, trade in the Gulf of Mexico, and large interstates. People are turning their heads away from the issue human slavery presses because it makes them uncomfortable, or it’s sad and they don’t like it, or because they have become so obsessed with themselves and their money and their life to notice all the other hurt in the world. It has to stop.
There are more slaves today than in any other time on earth; the only difference being that now it doesn’t discriminate. Both whites and blacks, males and females, young and old are forced into sex and labor trafficking. It’s estimated that 1.2 million children are trafficked around the world each year – that’s one child every 26 seconds. That’s a life thrown away, given up on, and ruined over 3,000 times a day for an average price of $90 per kid.
Perhaps the only reason modern day slavery has not yet been stopped is because it is a 32- billion-dollar industry. And while that is an enormous amount of money, the lives destroyed are worth so much more than that. If $32 billion was put towards improving human life instead of ruining it, the quality of life here and around the world would drastically change.
While currently the fight to end human trafficking may seem hopeless, there are many organizations, such as Touch-a-life, IJM, and the End It movement. However, it is the responsibility of every person to fight this injustice, not just a select few organizations, and every small action helps. Students can learn the risk factors, avoid buying products from companies known for trafficking, spread awareness, and so much more.
Everyone, in every place is at risk of human trafficking. Whether they are in a slum in Africa or at the Super Bowl, there is danger. In many places, girls are told not to go out alone after dark, children can no longer safely walk around town by themselves, and there is a general sense of fear among those who are aware of the circumstances. Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world, and it is ruining not only individual lives, but also the general safety of the community.
