Term Paper on "Mexican Sexual Slavery"

Term Paper 6 pages (2246 words) Sources: 8 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Mexican Sexual Slavery

There are many people in the U.S. And elsewhere who do not frequently account issues regarding modern slavery. For many the images that come to mind, with regards to slavery are those that create a mental return to images of African-American Slavery in the U.S. And elsewhere during the height of colonialism and the long reformation eras, though current research makes it clear that even the slavery of our historical imagination was never really as simple as we think.

Barr 639) the reality of modern slavery, unfortunately is that slavery in the very real sense of the word has continued and can even be said to be a larger problem than it was when it was in its historically legitimized state. Slavery in the modern era may go by a different name, often called "human trafficking" but nonetheless it is still slavery.

The United States abolished legalized slavery nearly 140 years ago, but today a new scourge of human slavery remains and thrives throughout the world. Americans need to know the reality of human trafficking and our government needs to exert its fullest strength to end this appalling human rights abuse. ("Modern Slavery; U.S. Must" A19)

As global problems go, it is one of the worst, but it tends to get very little mention, as those who are victimized by it or who are the victimizers tend to be marginalized to an extreme degree, for many reasons.

It is estimated that there are over 27 million enslaved persons worldwide, more than double the number of those who were deported in the 400-year history of the transatlantic slave trade to the Americas. What is remarkable is that this unprecedented trafficking largely goes unnoticed. The 27 million victims of the modern slave trade are more invisible to the world's eye than were the 10 million to 12 million Africans who were forcibly sent to the Americas during the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries. How do we account for this fact in this age of media and communications overload and transparency?

Dodson 28)

Defining the problem with statistics is essential as there is a strong case for the real problem actually being worse than it ever has been and with denial as one of its main obsticles.

An estimated 700,000 to 4 million victims of human trafficking are bought, sold, transported and held against their will in slave-like conditions each year. Most victims are women and children. Many are lured from their homes with promises of a better life by cunning traffickers who force them to work in brothels as sex slaves or as forced laborers in sweatshops, as domestic servants, or beggars, to name just a few scenarios. Violence is commonly used to control victims and maintain their servitude. In cases of forced prostitution, victims are repeatedly raped every day and are forced to cope in subhuman conditions. ("Modern Slavery; U.S. Must" A19)

As was noted by the previous quote sexual slavery is a strikingly difficult situation to conceptualize, let alone deal with. As a particularly alarming situation, sexual slavery is insidious and as one author puts it the recent "feminization of migration" is creating a situation where sex is the vocation of many of these immigrants. As Platt puts it, "prostitution becomes the prototypical global industry."

Platt 1) as a product of the very popular platitude, NIMBA or not in my back yard, the U.S. also tends to be a nation of deniers in the sense that they would rather look at the problems of sexual slavery in Asia and/or Russia rather than acknowledge that one of the largest problems of sexual slavery in the world occurs right here in the U.S. And is mainly comprised of Mexican sex slaves. (Gribbin, 1999, p. 38)

Current Laws Regarding Sexual Slavery:

US Laws:

Within the U.S. The laws regarding prostitution and those of immigration are decidedly separate. In almost the entire nation prostitution is illegal, as is undocumented immigration. The individual committing the crime of undocumented immigration and/or prostitution is penalized for actions, usually by deportation, no matter what the "vocation" or impetus for immigration is. Victims of sexual slavery are then put in a double bind, as their immigrant status is grounds for expulsion from the country and they are also very likely to be charged with prostitution crimes that will likely bar any legitimate entry to the U.S. In the future. Additionally, many of the victims are minors, another issue not addressed by current laws, though moves are currently in place to do so. "The commercial sexual exploitation of minors by international tourists is a humanitarian tragedy carried out on a grand scale with virtually no repercussions for the criminal perpetrators."

Andrews415) Though in large cases, where prostitution/illegal immigration, investigations are conducted in the U.S. some action is taken against the perpetrators, who are charged with violations of immigration laws, but rarely prostitution laws, though there is also some evidence that this may change in the future, as congress becomes more aware of the problem.

Gribbin 38) (Platt)

Mexican Laws:

Current Mexican law has a system of legal prostitution, though prostitution is not legal in certain settings, bars, night clubs, cabarets though pimping is against the law. Prostitution is legal in Mexico except in brothels, bars, nightclubs or cabarets, thus forcing it onto the street. Pimping is against the law and certain restrictions have recently been placed on prostitutes, such as Mexico City's recent inaction of code laws about times of solicitation on the streets and dress codes, it remains a legal profession, though marginalized. (Villegas, NP) the problem then materializes as a divergent acceptable code of conduct between Mexico and the U.S., as Mexico sees problems with prostitution but it remains a legal option for women in a depressed economic climate. Though forced prostitution is technically illegal the enforcement of such laws is marginal, as ther is inherent corruption in the legal system in Mexico, especially on the law enforcement level and issues of trafficking are rarely if ever addressed in law, as with the U.S. illegal immigration is the source of legal actions against the occurrence, but Mexico is less likely to be a location of entry but rather a source of exit. Though human rights activists in Mexico are active, laws and traditions have not caught up with social concerns and real problems.

International Laws:

Though it would be impossible here to detail the legal status of prostitution in every country of the world, some highlights are called for to see the degree of the issue.

Prostitution is legal (while subject to varying degrees of regulation) in England, France, and many other parts of Europe. In 1999, Germany eliminated the legal definition of prostitution as an "immoral trade," thus allowing sex workers to participate in the national health insurance plan. Prostitution is also legal in parts of South America and the Caribbean, and in some counties in Nevada. Prostitutes' unions have sprung up in Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, and Mexico

Platt NP)

In a bid to create a situation where prostitutes, often called members of the "oldest profession" are protected to at least some degree many international communities have enacted laws to legalize it, with varying degrees of regulation. Though most nations have laws that regard forced prostitution as illegal the degree to which these laws are enforced or enforceable in a legalized prostitution climate is marginal at best. Like the U.S. The recourse of action, on the part of many nations dealing with human trafficking in the slave trade, is the deportation of slave sex workers.

Actions Being Taken:

Actions have been taken within Congress to address the issue of human trafficking and the sexual slave trade, though the results are decidedly mixed. Additionally, the current focus on legislative action is often associated with targeting the most marginalized victims, minors, as was eluded to earlier in this work. General legislation regarding trafficking is of coarse again associated with the problem of undocumented workers in the U.S. And as prostitution is illegal in most of the U.S. there is little collective bargaining occurring with regard to the issue itself.

Gribbin 38)

There has likely been at least some improvement of the situation, in regards to trafficking, since the new border regulations and increased patrolling have occurred along the Mexican border as a result of terrorist attacks and increased overall national security issues, but this is largely conjecture.

Fitzpatrick 3)

US public awareness is growing exponentially with regard to an understanding of the scope of the overall human trafficking issue, in part due to concerted efforts on the part of the media and activists to bring the problem to the people. Though it is stated by many that the issue is far from simple, as it effects more people has no geographic boundaries and is illegalized to such a degree that the truth of the situation contains no official record beyond scant legal proceedings.

All racial groups are objects of the trade. Though women and children… READ MORE

How to Reference "Mexican Sexual Slavery" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Contemporary U.S. Feminist Activism Research Proposal

Human Rights

Equal rights have begun to play an increasingly important role in the globalized and information-rich world of today. No longer can communities isolate themselves or make their own… read more

Research Proposal 10 pages (2813 words) Sources: 7 Style: MLA Topic: Women / Feminism

---

Harriet Jacobs' Incidents Term Paper

Harriet Jacobs' Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is an autobiographical narrative recounting the author's journey to freedom and the impact she made on the abolitionist movement. She… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (1032 words) Sources: 1 Style: MLA Topic: Literature / Poetry

---

Analyzing Two Cultural Groups Their Similarities and Differences and How These Impact Communication Term Paper

African-Americans & Hispanic-Americans

Hispanic-Americans are currently finding themselves on the receiving end of an unprecedented amount of racism, similar to what has been the historical experience of African-Americans in this… read more

Term Paper 8 pages (2189 words) Sources: 7 Style: APA Topic: Race / Ethnic Studies / Racism

---

Social Black Experience Research Paper

Social Black Experience

A Survey of Black Social Oppression in the Twentieth Century

Evelyn Waugh noted in his "Conservative Manifesto" in Robbery Under Law (1940) that "inequalities of wealth and… read more

Research Paper 10 pages (3284 words) Sources: 10 Style: MLA Topic: African-American / Black Studies

---

Nigeria a Survey of the Reasons Research Paper

Nigeria

A Survey of the Reasons Nigeria's Oil Spills Receive Little Attention Despite the Fact that They Outnumber Those of the U.S.

This paper will show the reasons the people… read more

Research Paper 10 pages (3886 words) Sources: 9 Topic: African History / Africa

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>