Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, providing or obtaining of a person for the purpose of Commercial Sex Act (CSA) in which a CSA is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age. Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Sex trafficking crimes can involve acquisition, transportation and exploitation; this includes child sex tourism (CST), domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) or other kinds of commercial sexual exploitation of children and prostitution.
Sex trafficking has gained awareness and recognition as a human rights violation. It is commonly accepted that those who buy and sell trafficked individuals are criminals and those who are trafficked are victim, not criminals. Most victims find themselves in abusive or coercive situations from which escape is both difficult and dangerous. Sex trafficked people face similar health consequences to women exploited for labour purposes, people who experienced domestic violence and migrant women. Many of the sex workers contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The mental health implications range from depression to anxiety to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the abuse and violence victims face from the traffickers. With such a mindset, many individuals develop alcohol or drug addictions and abusive habits. Also traffickers commonly coerce or force their sex workers to use alcohol or drugs when they are in childhood or adolescence. Many victims use these substances as a coping mechanism or escape which further promotes the rate of addiction in this population.
Forced prostitution in sex trafficking is the most common perception of what human trafficking is. Forced prostitution is explored along with pornography, the male entertainment industry and Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST). While sex trafficking is closely linked to prostitution, often overlapping, there is less consensus on how government should respond to prostitution that involves adults
In 2012, the International Labour Organization reported 20.9 million people were subjected to force labour and 22% (4.5 million) are victims of forced sexual exploitation. The ILO reported in 2016 that of the estimated 25 million persons in forced labour, 5 million were victims of sexual exploitation. Most victims themselves in coercive or abusive situations from which escape is both difficult and dangerous. Locations where this practice occurs span the globe and reflect an intricate web between nations, making it very difficult to construct viable solution to this human rights problem
Pornography increases the demand for prostitution and trafficking. Those who deny this are asserting a mind body distinction between pornography and trafficking in that one is supply driven and the other is demand driven, respectively. The sex buyers masturbated to pornography more than non- sex buyers. Over time as a result of their prostitution and pornography use, sex buyers reported that their preferences changed such that they sought more sado-masochistic and anal sex. Significantly, more of the sex buyers compared learned about sex from pornography compared to the non-sex buyers
There is no single profile for victims of human trafficking. Most are women though it is not uncommon for males to be trafficked as well. Victims are captured are captured then exploited all around the world, representing a diverse range of ages and backgrounds. Including ethnic and socio-economic. However, there is a set group of traits associated with a regular higher risk of becoming trafficked for sexual exploitation. Persons at risk include homeless and runaway youth, foreign nationals (especially those of lower socioeconomic status), and those who have experienced physical, emotional or
Nigeria is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to trafficking in persons including forced prostitution. Trafficked Nigerian women and children are recruited from rural areas within the country’s borders – women and girls for involuntary domestic servitude and sexual exploitation, and boys for forced labour in street vending, domestic servitude. The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims. Some reasons that make people fall for such tricks include; poverty, natural disaster, a search for a better life, political conditions, social and cultural practices etc.
In conclusion, Sex trafficking and prostitution are emotive issues about which much has been written with passion than objectivity because they touch the core our beliefs about morality, justice, gender and human rights. Societal responses to both should ideally be informed by evidence from empirical research. I believe if the standard of living is conducive enough for people, they can not be easily lured into these. Therefore, this is a call to those in the authority to help lessen the challenges people are facing by creating poverty alleviation programs, jobs opportunities, adequate health facilities, women and youths empowerment programs. With adhering to these strategies, I believe sex trafficking and prostitution can be curbed in our country Nigeira.