SEX TRAFFICKING AND LATE ABORTIONS 7
Running head: SEX TRAFFICKING AND LATE ABORTIONS 1
Sex Trafficking and Late Abortions
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Abstract
Sex trafficking and sex slavery stand out as the number one enabler of late abortions across the globe. Historically sex slavery has remained an underground activity with lucrative dirty money an aspect that lures women and girls into the slavery of sex. The extent of segregation and secrecy with which the industry strives has been a significant concern for pro-life activists who are enraged by the growing trends in late abortions that often end up having fatal implications on the victims. The number of girls and women who get pregnant due to instances of sex slavery is unknown primarily because the industry thrives based on intimidation and fear.
Consequently, it is hard to predict the extent to which abortions that are a result of sex trafficking have become rampant. However, statistics indicate a growing concern around the helplessness and risk that women who end up in sex trafficking syndicates endure. This research notes that historically, the culture of patriarchy and the underlying objectification of women has had a significant contributory effect on the growth rates in late abortions among sex trafficking victims.
Sex Trafficking Late Abortions
Women who end up being trafficked for sex have unprotected sex with an average of 5 men a night. The outcome of this extreme exposure is the risk of multiple pregnancies, which end up being the cause of numerous abortions. The historical review of this matter reveals that there is a detrimental correlation between sex slavery and abortions because pregnancies are the only hindrances when a pimp is managing sex slaves. First, it is noted that when these women realize that they are pregnant, they will try as much as possible to keep the pregnancy with the hope of safe delivery. However, as soon as the sex slavery masters realize that such women are pregnant, they are pushed to abortions against their will.
The situation may lead to various health complications for women. The sham and regret associated with pregnancy often tend to push such women to a knee jerk reaction, which in most cases is late abortion. In essence, the problem is such women are thrust into a situation where their bodies are the only sources of income. The slave masters are, therefore, able to win the psychological battle and are hence able to force such women into a cycle of abortions.
The Historical Point of View
History perhaps presents the most significant indication yet that these trends in sex trafficking and late abortions have been thriving across the globe. The United Nations was the first to raise the red flag about the necessity of abortion in the course of ensuring that the sex slavery syndicate thrived in the 20th century (Bick, Howard, Oram, & Zimmerman, 2017). As early as the slavery years in the United States and other developed countries, pregnant slaves had to go through unsafe abortions procedures because their masters were keen on ensuring that such pregnancies did not become the source of incapacitation to work.
The approach seems to have been carried forward many years after the aspect of slavery was abolished in the United States and other countries. Today, the concerns around instances of sex slavery are common especially in the United States as the underground pornography and prostitution racketeering rings continue to thrive. The fact that slavery at whichever level was outlawed the question that emerges is the extent to which the government may be aware of these syndicate and the possible consequence that this situation has on the reproductive health of the people. One of the significant concerns that emerged in this context is the cultural element in the apparent rise in the cases of late abortions among the women involved in sex slavery.
The Cultural Aspect
The objectification of women has often been the source of the underlying growth in the concern around the rise in cases related to sex slavery and forced prostitution. It is clear that history has played a critical role in the framing of women as sex object of pleasure. The consequence is an apparent change in the scope of women rights. The growth of sex slavery is a result of a culture of patriarchy that assumes that women are commodified to the extent that it is okay not use protection even when forcing such women into a forced sexual encounter ( United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2018). The sex trafficking cartels are then able to effect such women and girls to Planned Parenthood clinics where they have abortions as a way of ensuring that they remain hooked to the trade.
Culture has often diminished the value of women and allowed the men to take an extreme position of control even on matters around such women’s reproductive health. The situation is made worse by the fact these women are threatened, tortured and in some cases killed when they refuse to submit to such instances of gendered mistreatment. The concern, in this case, relates to what culture says about such claims of gendered misogyny. Research indicates that men single-handedly propel the sex trafficking racket by constantly buying sex services from women that know for a fact are forced into such acts. The situation is made more complicated by the reality that these men also tend to push the women into instances of unprotected sex knowing while knowing the extent of exposure that such an approach has on the women. Indeed, this is an indication of the extent to which the patriarchy in the society and the culture of an inferior gender continues to affect the outcomes of the protection of such vulnerable persons.
The question of culture also emerges with the overall view of pregnancy and the responsibility that comes with pregnancy. The issue, in this case, is the concern around the fact that men are the beneficiaries of forced prostitution yet they rarely suffer the consequences of such unwanted pregnancies. The reality then is that culture has often pushed women to bear the burden of unwanted pregnancies even when the men only derive the benefits and rarely suffer the consequences. The issue that emerges then relates to the role of social justice in this case.
The Social Justice Angle
Pro-life activists and other like-minded individuals continue to emerge as they question the extent to which such extreme cases of inhumane acts can be tolerated by governments that ought to be at the front of abortions and sex trafficking. However, one challenge emerges even in the process of legislation and lawmaking. The concern relates to the extent to which sex trafficking and prostitution continue to be well-protected by cartels and rackets with the money and the influence to manipulate the system (McCauley, Decker, & Silverman, 2010). On the same note, it is clear that even on the issue of abortion the existence of family planning options that are legal in individual states means that such cartels can manipulate the system and force specific outcomes with the support of the law (UNFPA, 2018). The question that emerges, however, relates to the possible gaps in social justice especially considering that these women and girls are pushed into sex trafficking against their wish. A key concern also refers to the fact that in the end, the law may be used to sanitize sex traffickers
Conclusion
The concerns around the issue of late abortion within the sex trafficking rackets continue to raise critical concerns regarding the need to protect the social interests of such women especially given that they end up in such sex rackets against their will. The historical context around sex trafficking and the reality that culture seems to condone this practice has become a contributor in the abetment late abortions among forced prostitutes and the rise in the rackets that support this vice. The reality that there exist legal Planned Parenthood institutions means that there may emerge concerns around the role of the law in promoting such unethical practices. This paper notes that with the lucrative nature of the sex trafficking rackets, there may emerge a new trend where women and girls are forced into prostitution, and late abortions as the perpetrators work towards ensuring that this underground industry thrives. The role of social justice, in this case, may be limited given that there may lack a legal premise on which such social justice groups can agitate for such women’s rights.
References
Bick, D., Howard, L. M., Oram, S., & Zimmerman, C. (2017). Maternity care for trafficked women: Survivor experiences and clinicians’ perspectives in the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. PloS one, 12(11), e0187856. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0187856
McCauley, H. L., Decker, M. R., & Silverman, J. G. (2010). Trafficking experiences and violence victimization of sex-trafficked young women in Cambodia. International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, 110(3), 266-267. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2010.04.016
UNFPA. (2018). UNFPA Guidance Note on Prenatal Sex Selection. Retrieved from https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/guidenote_prenatal_sexselection
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2018). Human Trafficking: An Overview. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/2008/HumanTrafficking-AnOverview