Essay Assignment 1
SOC 280C-Social Problems
February 11, 2013
Human Trafficking Human trafficking is a very prevalent issue in today’s societies throughout the world. Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. The extremely high demand for sex and cheap labor are two of the leading factors in the expansion of human trafficking. Despite efforts from various individuals and organizations, millions and millions of men and women are illegally traded each year. Many agree that human trafficking is a horrific injustice but fail to acknowledge the underlying conditions that enable the growth of this industry. The various reasons most individuals fail to think deeper than the surface issues to address the underlying issues are discussed in depth in The Sociological Imagination by C.Wrighr Mills. Until the underlying issues are acknowledged and corrected, more and more humans will be illegally traded. According to The Sociological Imagination, many problems of society are overlooked because the issues do not directly impact the individual’s life. Many individuals do not make the connection between their own life and the big picture, in this case the relevance of human trafficking. They fail to see that although human trafficking may not directly impact one’s life, the illegal trade of humans may indirectly impact their life. The humans illegally traded, not only face sexual and labor exploitation but many are forced into marriage. Others are forced to become street beggars or child soldiers. In some of the worst cases the humans trafficked are killed and their organs are sold on the organ black market. Individuals not aware of these alternate forms of human trafficking usually fail to see how common it is and do not see the indirect impact human trafficking may have on their life. Another condition enabling the construction and expansion of human trafficking on the