A Long Way to Go

The thing that sticks out to me the most from Chapter 2 of Half the Sky is the discussion of different methods to handle sex trafficking around the world. The two main ideas, it seems to me, are either to establish that human trafficking is a crime or to legalize and regulate it. If sex trade is illegal, then the "plan" is to strictly enforce the law through government funding and crackdowns. Within our own country, however, the success of this method remains undetermined.

According to the FBI website, since 2004 the government has funded new programs and police departments across the nation to crack down on the sex trade. A NYT article that summarizes the outcomes of these efforts on Long Island, however, notes that sex trafficking has not decreased in the area, and only one arrest has been made of a trafficker and only one victim has been saved from the trade.

On the other hand, Half the Sky argues that plans to legalize and regulate the sex trade (though this would provide health benefits for victims of the trade) have not been successful. It seems that countries where the trade is most prominent are countries that are devastatingly poor and without a strong police force to stop the traded or regulate it if it were legal.

I think that the only way for the sex trade to end will be for pimps to truly have a reason to fear it. Right now, pimps have the potential to make steady income in many countries around the world. If the sex trade becomes a dangerous and threatening deal, however, and there are more secure and profitable ways to make money, then I believe the sex trade will slow. Only then can it end. But for now, as with illegal drugs, I believe it is much too profitable and of much too high demand.