Human Trafficking

My naive image of prostitutes was women who sold their bodies for sex to make money. I knew there were pimps who organized rings and forced the women to hand over the money they made. But I had little idea of how prevalent or abusive the sex trade was. In the Feb. 13, 2015 issue of Newsweek, an article entitled "Sex Slaves on the Farm" opened my eyes to the horrors thousands of women endure out of fear or coercion. Isolated undocumented migrants on America's farms take advantage of prostitutes supplied by supervisors. The women are forced to supply sex all hours of the day and night. They experience shocking violence at the hands of their buyers who engage in excessive drinking and substance abuse. With no money and no legal help, the women are truly indentured slaves. Within the last few years, Homeland Security Investigations  and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have uncovered numerous crime rings and have gotten offenders prosecuted and sent to prison. But the hidden nature of these operations and the fear of retaliation make it difficult to eradicate this lucrative trade. One investigator said that very often the fear victims experience make it "difficult if not impossible to actually admit they're a victim" and so the injustice continues.

Many religious communities are working to increase awareness of this terrible crime. Some are working with hotels to teach employees how to recognize prostitution in their clientele. Some are giving talks at colleges and and other institutions to educate young people to detect the signs of abuse and illegal trade. But the invisibility of trafficking among farm laborers makes it difficult to uncover and remains a blot on America's promise of freedom and legal recourse. We need to become voices for these exploited women.