Sex Trafficking Sample Paper on Cyntoia Brown || Assignment Writing Services

THE TRUE FACE OF SEX TRAFFICKING: CYNTOIA BROWN

Read Cyntoia's Story (below) and write a 3-4 page paper on sex trafficking, using this story as an example. Feel free to look up other sources and websites on her case to help you with the assignment. A few sites are listed at the end of the assignment. Use readings, theories and key concepts to strengthen your argument.

What was your opinion of/ thoughts on sex trafficking PRIOR to this assignment?  Did it change after completing the assignment? How could Cyntoia's case have been prevented? What impact does this particular case have on domestic violence? Who is to blame for Cyntoia's entry into sex trafficking, her thinking violence & abuse from a man was "normal" and her being locked up until she's eligible for parole at age 69? Why?

 On the black market, there the 3rd most profitable commodity, after weapons and drugs. The only difference being that these goods are human, though to their handlers they are wholly expendable. They are women, girls and boys. Kidnapped, taken or lured into vans and onto airplanes with promises of jobs as waitresses, models, nannies, maids, dishwashers and dancers. But when they arrive at their destinations, they are stripped of their identification and sold into prostitution and kept enslaved. Those who resist are beaten, raped and often killed. Ironically the men who should be rescuing them, instead are their aggressive abusers and customers.

 In 2004, Cyntoia Brown was just 16 years old when she killed a 40  Year old real estate agent who solicited her for sex, for which she was convicted of first degree murder and aggravated robbery and sentenced to life in prison.  She will be eligible for parole after she turns 69.

Her case is renewing questions about how child sex trafficking victims are treated by the justice system.

There is a long history of sexual and physical abuse toward women in Cyntoia's family. Both her mother and grandmother were victims of sexual and physical abuse from the various men in their lives. They were all regularly beaten, raped, choked, and dragged. This was normal for Cyntoia and all she knew.

Cyntoia was a runaway who was repeatedly raped, abused and forced into prostitution by a man who was her pimp & trafficker, who went by the name "Cut Throat."  

Her case should be reconsidered under the "Safe Harbor" laws that protect trafficked minors from criminal charges. If she was tried as a minor, she would have been released by age 19. The Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that mandatory life sentences for juveniles without the possibility of parole was unconstitutional.  Today, 15 states have passed similar laws.

Now at the age of 29, Cyntoia has already spent 13 years and prison. She has completed her Associate's and Bachelor's degrees while in prison.

In 2011, filmmaker Dan Birman, produced a PBS documentary, "Me Facing Life: Cyntoia's Story," on Brown's case.

The following links provide more details on Brown and her case:

https://youtu.be/tE5pX3twcyM. (PBS DOCUMENTARY, 57 mins)

https://youtu.be/QqXdDXuKfS0

http://time.com/5097743/tennessee-woman-challenges-life-sentence/

Sex Trafficking

Sex trafficking refers to the exchange of human beings for the primary purpose of obtaining financial gain for the traffickers and other individuals(Gerdes, 2007). The victims get forced into sexual slavery to various customers worldwide. This illegal US$32 billion industry has two main aspects: demand and supply. These crimes are defined in three ways: exploitation, movement, and acquisition. Furthermore, it includes prostitution of minors, domestic minor sex trafficking, and child sex tourism. Reportssuggest that there are approximately 20.9 million peoplesubjected to these scenarios around the globe annually(Bernat, 2013). However, due to the covertness of this trade, attaining reliable and accurate statistics is difficult for researchers(Bernat, 2013).

Traffickers tend to utilize threats, violence, debt bondage, and lies to compel people to engage in these acts against their will. The vulnerable populations are usually likely to be targeted more compared other individuals i.e. homeless youth, runaways, victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, social discrimination, and war. These acts occur in a range of venues: via escorting services or online ads, motels and hotels, residential brothels, fake massage businesses, and on the streets or truck stops(Robertsons& Waterfall, 2011). The background of a majority of these victims is based on abusive or coercive situations from which a mode of escape is both dangerous and hard.

An excellent example is the Cyntoia Brown’s case whereby her childhood was filled with a pattern of bad experiences that shaped the manner in which she related to other people and, thus resulted in her personality disorder. Her adopted parents told her of how her biological mother never wanted her, hence the reason she gave her up. In addition to that, her adopted father physically abused her and the mother had unrealistic expectations for her to achieve. At the age of sixteen, she ran away from home and met a man by the name, GarionMcGlothen, who introduced and forced her into prostitution and drug abuse. These acts would occasionally take place in different hotel rooms. Johnny Mitchell, a real estate agent in Nashville, tried to sexually exploit her before she murdered him in self-defense by shooting him.  These events and others resulted in the formulated mentality that there is normalcy in violence and abuse from the opposite sex. Consequently, the environment that individuals are raised in greatly influences their ideologies towards life.

The above case further reinforced my views towards these crimes, especially when the people afflicted are children. There are a variety of factors that influenced or are to blame for Cyntoia’s entry into sex trafficking and her thinking that abuse and violence from a man was the norm. Firstly, it is paramount to comprehend that the family dynamics and the malfunctions of the American household structure have created various vulnerabilities in people increasing the chances of being lured into the life of minor domestic sexual exploitation(Robertsons& Waterfall, 2011). Another primary aspect is the experience of child abuse and subsequently the running away of an adolescent to escape various traumatizing events.In Brown’s situation, the constant beatings inflicted by her step father, abandonment by her biological mother and constant abuse the women in her life experienced greatly contributed to her mentality. Furthermore, both her biological mother and grandmother had been victims of sexual, physical, and verbal abuse from the various male figures in their lives.

This case renewed the public’s attention and mirrored the manner in which the criminal justice system treats the different child victims of sexual exploitation who commit crimes(Robertsons& Waterfall, 2011). Research, conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, reveals that more than 1000 minors get arrested yearly for prostitution in the United States. Advocates suggest that in majority of these cases, the children ought to be considered as the victims of sex trafficking despite the different types of crimes committed. In relation to this the Brown’s case should have been reconsidered under the new “safe harbor” laws that protect such people from being convicted. This law specifies that certain conducts will be deemed not to violate a given rule(Robertsons& Waterfall, 2011). The application of this policy in the scenario under discussion means that, Cyntoia Brown would not have been charged on prostitution basis rather she would have been viewed as a young girl forced into sex trafficking. However, she has already served around thirteen years in prison and is eligible for parole after staying 57 years behind bars(Robertsons& Waterfall, 2011).

It is essential to understand that domestic abuse and violence within the home environment ought to be taken seriously to reduce the number of children who would be at the risk of being sold and recruited into sex trafficking. The significant purpose of this study would be to shed light on the effects that can be inflicted to the minors and aid in the creation of awareness of the importance of actively educating effective conflict and coping management skills(Robertsons& Waterfall, 2011). This is to prevent future recruitment and break-downs of the social systems and, thus avoid the purchasing of American children. Young individuals who have come from un-structured households, especially if there is a background of neglect and violence tend to lack efficient discord resolution abilities to navigate through life. There are specific needs that ought to be present in an individual’s life to guarantee a proper upbringing. They include love/belonging, self-esteem, protection/safety, and physiological conditions; clothing, food, and shelter. People who grow up lacking either of the amenities tend to align these voids with other individuals, who might end up being wolves in disguise. An appropriate example is the Cyntoia Brown’s experience and her childhood background.

References

Gerdes, L. (2007). Prostitution and Sex Trafficking. San Diego: Greenhaven Press.

Bernat, F. (2013). Human Sex Trafficking. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.

Robertsons, B., & Waterfall, C. (2011). Sex trafficking. [Washington, D.C.]: Dept. of Health & Human Services [Administration for Children and Families], National Human Trafficking Resource Center.