“I was held down like a piece of meat while monsters disguised as men violated me again and again.” (Gladys Lawson, Blood Borne Connections.) Human trafficking is modern slavery, involving taking control over a person through force, fraud or coercion to exploit the victim for forced labor and sexual exploitation. or both (“What” par.1). This has become a sad reality for many, approximately three in 1,000 people worldwide are forced into this slavery. Victims of human trafficking are people of all backgrounds and ages, no one is safe from the dirty hands of human traffickers. Every year thousands of men, women and children are forced into human trafficking, the public needs to be informed, tougher penalties for offenders and raise public awareness to finally put an end to these horrific crimes that happen right in front of our eyes. Human trafficking is the third largest international criminal industry followed behind illegal drugs and weapons trafficking (“11 Facts” page 2). The International Labor Organization estimates that women and girls represent the largest proportion of victims of forced labor with 11.4 million victims of trafficking compared to 9.5 million men ( ). Trafficking comes in many forms, forcing victims into prostitution, subjecting victims to slavery or involuntary servitude, forcing victims to commit sexual acts for the purpose of creating pornography, and forcing victims into debt bondage (11 facts. Page 2). According to federal reports, between 14,500 and 17,500 victims are trafficked in the United States each year (What is Human Trafficking. Page 2). Traffickers often create new birth certificates, passports and driver's licenses of their victims, making it almost possible for them to... middle of paper... more often than many people might think, and it's not just an international problem or national, it is also local. Human trafficking is big business and involves numerous perpetrators and victims. To stop this growing and thriving criminal trade, the public must be informed, create stronger prosecutions and enforce the laws; help victims recover and reintegrate into society. Works Cited “11 Facts About Human Trafficking.” Do Something.org. Do something and find Web. November 10, 2013Human Trafficking." ICE.gov. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, nd Web. November 11, 2013."Human Trafficking." Polaris Project.org. Polaris Project, nd Web. Nov. 10, 2013. "Human Trafficking Quick Facts." End Human Trafficking Now RSS. Np. Web. Nov. 10, 2013. "Human Trafficking Quotes." Good Reads.com Web. 10 November. 2013.