293,000. This is the number of American children at risk of becoming domestic sex trafficking victims. According to WomensFundingNetwork.org, one of the largest collaborative philanthropic institutions that works to financially assist female foundations, every single day, people are trafficked (the majority being young girls ages 12 to 14). Forced to undergo mental and physical abuse, their bodies are objectified, and their psyche terrorized to horrors no person should be exposed to. As constant subjects of varying degrees of abuse, victims face numerous health risks and potential traumatic, mental, and cognitive injury.  Defaced by corruption, glorification in mass media, and a false concept of female empowerment, everyday people have grown numb to the harsh realities and terrors of sex trafficking.

At the top of the sex trafficking power chain is the “pimp.” The pimp is the person who takes the victims, sells them and, in turn, profits. Pimps usually prey upon vulnerable young girls, already facing turmoil with themselves as they mature, who are seeking support and companionship.  The pimps pose as a caring figure, such as a boyfriend or even a parent.  Faking their identities as a nice guy, the pimps comfort their victims and gradually isolate them from their family and friends.  Soon, the victim relies solely upon the pimp.  It is then that the rug is pulled from under the victim’s feet and the abuse escalates.

Every victim’s story is different, but all possess varying themes of abuse. Through manipulation, the pimp is able to lure the victim into a false sense of security and protection, which is later destroyed to unveil the pimp’s true intentions. All this leads to the pimp making easy money.  According to the PolarisProject.org, an organization that works to help victims of all forms of human trafficking, “Victims are often expected to earn a nightly quota, ranging from $500 to $1000 or more, all confiscated by the pimp.”

Tina Frundt, a former sex-trafficking victim, writes about her experience on WomensFundingNetwork.org: “Our quota was $500, and I had only made $50 that night to give back to the pimp. As a result, he beat me in front of the other girls to make an example out of me and then he made me go back out until I had made the money. This is the same man that took me out to eat, listened to me when I wanted to complain about my parents, gave me words of advice. I was now seeing a side of him that I never saw before; a brutal side where he repeatedly hit me in front of the other girls to teach us all a lesson.”

Although a pimp’s status may be well known to the general public, it can be difficult to prove the illegality of their actions.  Thus, many of these sex traffickers continue to walk free.  Lauren Hersh, the New York Director for Equality Now, an organization that combats sex trafficking, explains, “Pimps are very clear with their victims that if they are arrested or run into law enforcement to tell them two things: that one, you [the victim] are doing this voluntarily, and two, that you don’t have a pimp. [The victim] is so terrified that this is exactly what happens, and she is arrested [and the pimp walks free].”

In addition to the pimp’s savagery, it is difficult to fully understand and capture the brutality of a sex trafficking victims’ living conditions. These conditions are generally unclean and unsafe, and, possibly worse of all, completely isolated. There are no doctors, friends, teachers, family, or healthy outside contacts to reassure the victims of their worth and act as a support system.

Many blame victims for not just walking about away from this situation; however, there are many reasons why a victim may not be able to leave.  Sanctuary for Families, a nonprofit that assists domestic violence and sex trafficking victims, notes on its website a few of these many reasons, which include: “isolation of the victim; induced debility, producing exhaustion, weakness, or fatigue (e.g. sleep or food deprivation); threats of harm to the victim or her family and friends and other forms of threat; degradation, including humiliation, name-calling, and insults, and denial of privacy or personal hygiene; and forced drug or alcohol use.”

A major misconception often associated with sex trafficking is the unjust glorification of prostitution. It is fraudulently assumed by many that prostitution is empowering to women. Women who are subjected to such a blatant form of modern day slavery are, to some, not even recognized as victims. Rather than face the harsh truth, many lock themselves into a false belief that the victim has sought out this abuse. Hersh explains, “Buying sex is not a victimless crime.  There is nothing victimless about buying or mistreating another person’s body.” It is only once the general public is educated on the topic that it becomes clear that this false concept of the empowerment of sex trafficking, in which the woman is in the dominant role, is realized to be the opposite of the reality.

Of those who are aware, many find it easier to ignore, forget, or alter the sickening realities of sex trafficking due to the vile nature of the crime. It is true that the severity of the issue is overwhelming, and it is by human nature that people are resistant to accept the pain that others have gone through.  However, just because this kind of tragedy is not pristine or easily comprehended does not validate any of the false assumption so many hold about sex trafficking.

The majority of society is not conscious of the severity of sex trafficking and the impact it has on all people.  It is the responsibility of the American people, as well as people everywhere, to voice outrage at the lack of action being taken to end this cruel injustice. Youth-Spark, an organization that works to end sex trafficking, states on its website: “To truly protect children, you need to create a culture that will prevent further exploitation by pimps and buyers.” By supporting human rights, endorsing equality, and campaigning for sex trafficking awareness, we can bring forth a new age where people, especially women, can live in a world that assures their safety and general well-being.