Massive smuggling and prostitution ring busted

By staff - Feb 13, 2007 - 1

Those who are skeptical about the reality of sex trafficking in the United States should be watching a court case currently playing out in Austin, Texas.

According to newspaper reports of court documents , hundreds of women were smuggled into the country from Mexico, as well as other Central and South American countries, and forced to work in thirteen brothels in cities including Austin, Oklahoma City, and Atlanta.

The women, who were unpaid, were kept under guard and forced to have sex with as many as forty men—mostly undocumented workers—a day.

Twelve people, including at least two women, have been indicted in the case for various smuggling and prostitution crimes.

For more information about this case, visit this article from statesman.com.

The U.S. State Department, which houses an office that monitors and fights trafficking, estimates there are as many as 17,500 people are trafficked into the country each year.

The federal government acted to combat the problem within U.S. borders a year ago. President Bush signed into law last January a reauthorization of the 2000 anti-trafficking law, including a provision targeting domestic violations.

The End Demand for Sex Trafficking Act aids state and local police investigations and prosecutions of traffickers. It also provides funds to help trafficking victims.

To learn more about how to watch for sex trafficking in your community, see Sex Trafficking: The Modern Slave Trade.

Further Learning

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comments

1 On Feb 14th, 2007, at 2:45pm, Willenia V. Young wrote:

Every American should be outraged at this practice.  We need to make our voices heard.

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