The Road of Lost Innocence

Introduction

The book reveals the story of a girl named Somaly Mam who became a victim to human trafficking for sex and lust. “The Road of Lost Innocence” describes the experiences of her early life, and tells the story of her development as an activist and her fight against the corrupt forces that steal the lives of these girls (Mam, Marshall, 2008, pp. 18-190). The terms "human trafficking" and "smuggling of migrants" have been used interchangeably but they refer to different concepts. The purpose of trafficking is the exploitation of persons, whereas the purpose of trafficking is the illegal entry of migrants. In the case of trafficking is not essential that victims cross borders in order to constitute the crime, while this is a necessary element for the commission of traffic.

Discussion of the Adversity as Given in the Biography

Human trafficking and modem-day slavery is the third largest criminal industry in the world, after drugs and arms dealing, and it is the fastest growing, with annual profits in the billions. Instead of helping the traffickers by turning a blind eye to these practices, researchers, government agents, and common civilians can all do their part to stop human trafficking (Twitty, 2003, pp. 48-98). Child begging is considered a form of human trafficking. There are many ways that children are lured and brought into trafficking, the way to stop trafficking and protect today's and tomorrow's children is with knowledge, the more one know about this crime the less likely it will happen.

There is a general perception that commercial sexual exploitation in the United States centers on the trafficking of foreign women into our country. Tens of thousands of underage American girls are victims of sexual exploitation within this country. Everyday more children, from suburbia to the inner cities, are becoming entangled in prostitution. It is estimated that 100,000 to 300,000 children are trapped in the commercial sex industry (O'Rourke, 2002, pp. 63-88). Sexual exploitation is the worst form of child labor and a modern-day version of slavery; its survivors can face a lifetime of psychological trauma and injury. The girls, traumatized by violence from pimps, often lack the self-confidence, education, and skills necessary to live independently in society (Nelson, 2002, pp. 11-48).

Although the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 states that the involvement of minors in commercial sex acts falls under the definition of sex trafficking, girls who have escaped the sex industry, or wish to escape, continue to be treated as criminals. Statutory rape laws say that underage girls cannot consent to sex, and yet once money is exchanged, they are treated as if capable of consent and deserving of incarceration. They are simultaneously criminals and victims. Girls picked up by police are either thrown into juvenile detention centers or are passed to ill-equipped group homes or foster care, later falling easily back into prostitution. If victims are freed from a brothel by an organization or individual, the traffickers can, using the proceeds from the sale, find new victims to ...