As I reflect on the portfolio assignment, I am intrigued by this style as much as I was intimidated by it. Learning about the different styles of argumentative writing has introduced me to a new way of approaching everyday life discussions. The research I chose to follow was very disturbing to me and I found myself struggling with each paper. As an emotional writer, I had a tendency to let my sources do a majority of my writing and let them overwhelm many paragraphs.
I had the most difficulty with the Rogerian style, as I had a hard time approaching the opposition side. It was difficult for me to step away from the emotions I had built up throughout researching information for these papers. The amount of information I was able to find regarding the opposition was very sparse. Once I came across the information I planned to use, having to sit down and “agree” with it was the most difficult.
I spent the majority of my time reading and researching many different angles of this demand. I felt the structure throughout this course was very accommodating to the busy student, such as myself. I felt we had ample time to address any concerns and feedback that was given as our papers were returned.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this course and the writing styles that were involved. I felt I gained a lot of knowledge about arguments and how to keep them clean, professional and I will be able to use this throughout my college and professional career.
Toulmin
Human Trafficking and Sex Slavery
“I ask my brothers and sister in faith and all men and women of good will for a decisive choice to combat trafficking in persons, which includes ‘slave labor,’” His Holiness Pope Francis (U.S. Department of State 12). Sociologists estimate that upwards of twenty-seven million men, women, and children are victims of trafficking at any given time. A predicted 17,500 foreigners are trafficked into the United States, the number of citizens trafficked within the United States are even greater; between 244,000 and 325,000 American youths are considered at risk for sexual exploitation (Clawson). This thirty-two billion worldwide, rapidly growing criminal industry has long been misperceived, as Americans sense this as an occurrence happening only outside of the United States. Although much is being done worldwide to gain attention to this frightening reality, awareness within the United States remains low.
“I trusted him as a friend. I didn’t look at him like a pimp.” she stated. “My exploiter was a graduate of a well-known college in North Carolina, he was in a fraternity. He was a business man” (Worthington). Meet Antonia “Neet” Childs, after just moving from New York to Charlotte, Antonia got an after school job to help her struggling mother. It is here where she met a new “friend;” a thirty-eight year old man who would visit every day. Over a five month courtship, her “friend” would provide rides, ask about her daily life, and ask if she needed anything. She soon became comfortable enough with this “friend” and shared her struggles of having to work to support her family. As he continued to provide her with additional money and comfort, he was slowly pulling her into a reality of reliance on him. Soon after, he began to make use of Childs, forcing her to sell her body for money. He would market Antonia, along with a group of seventy other women to a web of distinguished Charlotte men; police officers, lawyers, judges, businessmen. Many of these other girls were minors, children aged fifteen to sixteen (Worthington). Antonia Childs was drawn into recruiting other girls to the trade, she lost sight in humanity when she witnessed the type of clientele that was involved in sex trafficking. “It broke my reality and I accepted that was the way life was” (Worthington).
As a child Antoina dreamed of being a baker. After some encouragement from friends, she began a small operation out of her house, “Neet’s Sweet.” During this time she would still recede to her old life. “Neet,” as Antoina is often referred, finally made the decision to leave her old lifestyle. A young girl who was in a cake decorating class with Neet quit showing up one day. The young child was being trafficked and fed methamphetamine. “From that point I promised myself that I wouldn’t let another young woman slip through my fingers, knowing that this happened to me at 16-years-old,” Said Childs (Worthington). Neet’s Sweets is not only a bakery, this is a place of refuge for survivors. A place to heal, grow and rehabilitate. Childs has begun a movement “Market your Mind, Not your Body;” working towards raising awareness, and providing a safe place for victims to begin anew (Worthington).
The girl was only fourteen, and the symptoms she complained of could easily have been overlooked. Her pain revealed the new perspective justice authorities are looking into. According to federal prosecutors she was being compelled into prostitution by a man. Christopher Jason Williams, whom appears to be the typical guy, has been charged with fifty three counts each of statutory rape, statutory sex offense and indecent liberties with a child. This case begins to shed light in Fayetteville, North Carolina on concentrating efforts of identifying victims. New laws in North Carolina are treating those victims as abused victims, many of whom are children. After much police and detective work, it was discovered Williams was holding another child captive as well. As difficult as it is to know how many are actually affected by human trafficking, many believe the problem within North Carolina is more prevalent than court records and cases show (Blythe).
Due to the diligence from the school nurse two children were saved. “Many professionals and individuals who interact with youth – such as teachers, health care providers, child welfare professionals, and law enforcement- are unaware that these crimes occur and often are ill-equipped with how to respond to victims, survivors and those at risk,” mentioned in a report by the National Academy of Sciences; offering recommendations with a comprehensive approach (Blythe). Law enforcement need the proper training and individuals who interact with at risk youth need training as well to collaborate on a plan of action designed to help assist victims.
There is an overall effort to solve the problem, but as an official at the United Nations office on Drugs and Crime said, “There has never been a crime against humanity that has been so broadly talked about with so little resources put towards it” (Long 21). I think the amount of effort put out by any one of those governments that have passed those laws and the amount of appropriations that have been put towards them, is nowhere near equal to the amount, force, and monetary power that the other side (the traffickers) brings (Long 21). Benjamin Skinner is with the Schuster Institute for Investigation Journalism at Brandeis University and the author of A Crime so Monstrous; Face to Face with Modern-day Slavery. One statistic he likes to cite is the gap between rhetoric and reality in this country: “The amount of money that we spend on an annual basis to fight trafficking in human beings is less than we spend in a single day to fight the traffic in illegal drugs” (Long 21). As the war on drugs is important, it appears the war on human trafficking is catching up in number of victims. The multi-billion dollar sex trafficking business is gaining new victims daily.
As the rise of those being trafficked and those who are trafficking persons, The State of North Carolina recently passed bills aimed at harsher penalties towards the flesh-peddlers involved in human trafficking (Freskos). Beginning December 1st, 2013, those charged with sex trafficking within this state must register as sex offenders (Friedman). North Carolina passed the Safe Harbor Bill in July, aiming to protect the victims and end the allure of trafficking within North Carolina (Wagner). By passing the Safe Harbor Bill victims will be treated as victims, ensuring their safety. Law enforcement agents have had a hard time distinguishing the victim from the criminal in many cases. Victims have not always been treated as such in the past. Throughout the state, North Carolina has added education and training efforts to all law enforcement agents during their annual in-service training.
Some may argue that legalizing and decriminalizing prostitution will take money away from criminals, eliminate sex trafficking, combat sexually transmitted diseases, and possibly even help economies. It can also be argued that legalizing prostitution can have a positive effect on working conditions for those in the industry. Looking at the decriminalized sex industry in New Zealand, government labor inspectors repeatedly visited legal brothels to confirm workers’ conditions met New Zealand law. Although no child victims were identified, police were hinted to underage girls where street prostitution was common (U.S. Department of State, 280). Ten years after The Prostitution Reform Act was passed in 2003, many New Zealand residents are frustrated with the continuation of sex workers in suburban shopping areas (International Business Times). The Government of New Zealand investigated eight trafficking offenses this year, but failed to convict and punish any trafficking offenders for the ninth consecutive year (U.S. Department of State 280).
In 2012 during the AIDS conference in Washington D.C., pro-prostitution groups are using the global AIDS epidemic to advance the legalization of prostitution. “We need a law that gets commercial sex work out of dangerous places and into safe ones.” as stated by Cheryl Overs, a senior researcher with Australia’s Monash university (Wetzstein 1). The Global Commission on HIV and the Law, backed by the United Nations Development and Joint United Nation Program on HIV/AIDS, spent 18 months consulting sex, work, drug use and laws criminalizing HIV status (Wetzstein. 1). This report concluded several points, laws against prostitution need to be repealed, and added that laws against all forms of child abuse and human trafficking should still be enforced. The laws fail to protect women and push vulnerable people away from health care (Wetzstein 1).
In Germany, where prostitution is legal, subject to tax payment and regarded as a “regular job,” sees an increase in trafficked prostitutes upon the full legalization of this career. It would appear through the study, places of legalized prostitution experience larger numbers of reported human trafficking (Cho). When the sex industry as a whole is decriminalized, they recognize the pimps as legitimate entrepreneurs, or those who buy those for sale, are now accepted as legal consumers (Raymond). In 2000, the Netherlands officially recognized prostitution as a legal activity. Since the change, Dutch victims support organizations reported an increase in the number of victims from other countries. It has also been reported that traffickers use work permits to justify bringing in foreign women into the industry, camouflaging the fact these women have been trafficked. Those who have been trafficked in are taught to recognize themselves as independent “migrant sex workers” (Raymond).
It is apparent human trafficking is growing. Many lawmakers, citizens, victims and survivors agree. With the successful passing of new State Bills, and law enforcement being trained and educated properly to recognize signs of trafficking; one can hope for true change. As the misperception of human trafficking within the United States remains as it has, there will be a continuation of rapidly growing numbers of new victims being coerced into this modern day slavery. Slowly, the word is spreading but the masses remain unaware.
Works Cited
Blythe, Anne. "Trafficked girls seen as victims Prosecutors change approach of bringing charges against children coerced into sex trade." Charlotte Observer, The (NC) 6 Oct. 2013, 1st, Asection News: 21A. NewsBank. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
Cho, Seo-Young, Axel Dreher, and Eric Neumayer. "Legalised Prostitution Increases Human Trafficking." - 05 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
Clawson, Heather J., Nicole Dutch, Amy Solomon, and Lisa G. Grace. "Human Trafficking Into and Within the United States: A Review of the Literature." Human Trafficking Into and Within the United States: A Review of the Literature. N.p., Aug. 2009. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
International Business Times. "New Zealand Government Urged to Address Rampant Sex Trade on Streets." International Business Times 26 June 2013: Regional Business News. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
Frekos, Brian. “Human Trafficking Quietly Destroying Lives.” Star-News (Wilmington, NC) 21 July 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Wed. 8 Dec. 2013
Friedman, Corey. “Lawmakers Target Sex Trafficking.” Wilson Daily Time (NC) 23 Feb. 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 15 Sept. 2013
Long, Eric. "Revealing The Realities Of Trafficking." Journal Of International Peace Operations 7.6 (2012): 21-25. TOPOCsearch. Web. 10 Oct. 2013
Raymond, Janice G. "Ten Reasons For Not Legalizing Prostitution And A Legal Response To The Demand For Prostitution." Journal Of Trauma Practice 2.3/4 (2003): 315-332. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
U.S. Department of State. “Trafficking in Persons Report.” U.S. Department of State (June 2013); 1-66. PDF file.
U.S. Department of State. “Trafficking in Persons Report.” U.S. Department of State Country Narratives N-S (PDF). (June 2013); 273-353. PDF file.
Wagner, Adam. “Forum discusses spotting, stopping human trafficking” Star News (Wilmington NC) 26 July 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. We. 15 Sept. 2013.
Wetzstein, Cheryl THE WASHINGTON TIMES. "AIDS Used As Reason To Legalize Prostitutes." Washington Times, The (DC) (2012): 1. Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 13 Oct. 2013.
Worthington, Ravelle. "HOW SWEET IT IS:From Sex Trafficking Victim to Success Story." EBONY. N.p., 25 Mar. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2013
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