A lot of people do not realize how serious human trafficking still is today; this industry holds one of the highest incomes worldwide. It is common to mistaken human trafficking as a distant problem that we, as Americans, do not have to deal with but this is simply not true. Sex slavery happens right here in our backyards, and although it might be hidden or concealed it should not be ignored. The topic of human trafficking interests me for several different reasons which include: my hometown, my religion, and personal beliefs. 

I am from Atlanta, Georgia. Being from the city I have had personal experiences where I have heard about several women and girls who have been sold into prostitution and sex slavery. Many women do not have the knowledge to be aware of the present industry that raids the streets of Atlanta. Pimps and sex advocators lie about giving poor women jobs, and by saying yes to working for these men, they are tasking the first step into getting them trapped into sex slavery. In addition to my hometown, another reason I am writing about human trafficking is because of my religion and personal beliefs. My church back home is currently involved with a nonprofit called The End It Movement to help women and girls who are trapped in slavery. Because human trafficking is still a prominent issue today, I felt inclined to research more about how the sex slavery industry works and become more aware of the movements out there to help end this crime. I thought that this research assignment would be a great opportunity to learn more about a helping a movement I am passionate about bring awareness to human trafficking.

Slavery still exists- even in the United States. "It's Time to Take Note and Take Action Against Human Trafficking" by Dr. Brown provides shocking statistics about how prevalent slavery still is and how most people don't even know about it. Within the article there are several specific incidences reported of the victims of slavery. Dr. Brown gives light on how modern day slavery is different, and mostly hidden. He is credible on this topic because he is involved in several ministry projects to help prevent slavery and has written and read several books on the topic.

My second source is an article written by Nicholas Kristof who has been a columnist for The New York Times since 2001. He graduated from Harvard, and then studied law at Oxford University. The article, "Slavery Isn't a Thing of the Past" is about how over 60,000 people have been victims of slavery in the United States alone. Kristof talks about what modern day slavery looks like and how real it is within the states. There are several stories describing what the victims go through and how they are trapped with the system. 

Finally, my third source acts as opposition in my research because it shows how Florida, as a state is taking action to help prevent human trafficking earlier on. For example, the authors Daly and Carroll use various statistics to show how slavery is still a prominent market today. One way this article speaks about action is through the state government's involvement to catch slavery early on. While Daly and Carroll's information may be accurate, there could easily be bias in the way that they represent the data that comes from their own departments.

I am arguing that there is not enough awareness about human trafficking and that the government is not funding or getting as involved as they should in regards to this issue. This stance is arguable because there may be some organizations and fundraisers in places like the United States, but in reality are they really making a difference. I agree that human trafficking has one of the highest incomes each year worldwide, and that stopping human trafficking is within reach. A disagreement I found was within one of my sources, where the authors discuss how well their state, Florida is doing in regards to stopping human trafficking. I believe that there could easily be a bias to this information because they are writing about how great their own state is. The different sources have affected my perspective because I did not realize so much action was being taken in some states like Florida. It is encouraging to hear how some states are taking initiative, but I still believe many people are oblivious to the severity of sex trafficking and its repercussions. 
