The United States laws to combat Human Trafficking
•The Mann Act of 1910 marks the placement of minors and the coercion of adults to move across state lines or foreign countries to engage in commercial sex as a crime.
•Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 officializes human trafficking and related actions as federal crimes and places severe penalties to them.
•The PROTECT Act of 2003 enhances penalties on individuals associated with sex tourism with children inside the United States and other countries.
•Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 gave trafficked victims a federal and civil right of action to sue their traffickers.
Brittany, 21 year old
Forth Woth, Texas, United States
Brittany lived a normal life before she was a victim of human trafficking. She had a normal childhood, lived in a two-parent home, was a part of the student council and was also a member of a youth group within her church.
At the age of 18, she got in a fight with her parents about her having a potential relationship with a specific guy.
The next day, she left with all of her belongings that could fit in her bag. She traveled between all her friends' apartments until one friend made a suggestion that she move to Las Vegas where a cousin had promised Brittany a job.
However, the job turned out to be an escort service. Brittany only lasted 4 days of doing sexual acts until she boarded a Greyhound bus back home.
On her way, she met the man that would later be her future child’s dad and their trafficker. Brittany was attracted to her trafficker because he seemed full of wisdom, charm, and confidence, even though he was 20 years older than Brittany.
They both got off the bus in Dallas, Texas, where they went to a hotel room, and where he showed Brittany how to post online ads to a website used frequently to advertise prostitution services.
Brittany later saw her trafficker as her boyfriend, and so she did things that would make him happy such as answering calls, then later turning in the money she earned for prostitution.
One day, Brittany was caught in a California sting operation. The police told her that she was being pimped, but Brittany did not believe it whatsoever.
After Brittany and her trafficker left the police station, they packed their belongings and fled to Dallas, Texas, where she was later pregnant. Brittany believed that since she was pregnant, her prostitution services would end, but her trafficker denied it.
Later she and her trafficker got into a fight where she was beaten, repeatedly punched in the face. She later apologized to him, and they both went to bed.
The next day, Brittany’s dad was at her front door and picked her up to go home. Her parents then set her up with a Purchased program in Shreveport, where Brittany went on a journey to recovery by using classes, counseling and living in a recovery home.
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