Letter to Representative

Dear Congresswoman Davis,
I am writing to inform you of the issues San Diego now faces as a result of the increased popularity of underage human trafficking in the United States. Up to 1.2 million people are trafficked across international borders yearly. This equates to two people a minute! Of the 17,500 people illegally forced into the US each year, over half are minors. More than one third of America's 1.5 million runaway children have some brush with the sex industry. This not only destroys innocence, but it also creates a horrid cycle of murder, crime, and violence. Across international borders, the trading of children proves to be incredibly lucrative. The lure of money and power draws many men, known as “pimps” into the prostitution business. With trickery and manipulation, children are coerced into performing sexual “tricks” for men, known as “johns”, who are usually over twice their age. Because the San Diego-Tijuana border is the busiest in the world, many of the smugglers use our city as an entry point into the country. The problem has continued to grow and in 2005 it was estimated that as many as 800,000 American children are at risk of being forced into prostitution.
Because most of the sexual trading happens in private places, it is virtually impossible for police to detect when underage trafficking is taking place. If more people are told what is happening, and learn the facts, they will be able to recognize a problem and report it fast. A good way to educate the public about this issue is to bring awareness to it on a community level. Many adults are aware of the issue but, since it does not directly affect them or their family, it is not prioritized as a significant problem. There is no doubt that if most people understood the urgency of this issue, they would not hesitate to help stop the exploitation in any way they could. Unfortunately the importance of stopping underage prostitution is not well known. The public must be educated.
Television is a very useful tool in spreading knowledge. If public service announcements (PSAs) were broadcast throughout major cities, like San Diego, the facts about child prostitution would be better known. The issue of minors being sexually trafficked would be brought up regularly, therefore increasing the problem's awareness. Along with these PSAs children should be informed of the issue through lessens taught in school. Middle school and high school students are the main targets of sex criminals so it is very important that they understand the issue their demographic faces. They should be taught to notice the signs victims of the sex trafficking business may display and they should know where to report a crime like this. The lessons taught in school will provide them with this knowledge. They will be aware of the issue as it is happening and be able to minimize its popularity in the future by not falling victim to the traps many uneducated children fall for.
If independent communities join the fight against child prostitution, the issue will eventually be brought to a regional level. After this, the concern will become statewide and eventually the whole nation will get involved. I encourage you to put these steps into action. The city of San Diego must start the process. Our crucial location provides the opportunity for us to halt the international trading of sex slaves. This issue must be taken care of immediately.

Thank you,
Emma