Date Approved

2016

Date Posted

3-10-2016

Degree Type

Open Access Senior Honors Thesis

Department or School

English Language and Literature

First Advisor

Regina Luttrell

Second Advisor

Jamie Ward

Abstract

Sex trafficking, often referred, as "modem day slavery" is one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises on the Internet. Sex trafficking occurs when a victim, typically a female, is traded for the purpose of commercial sex. Fueled by global economic conditions and increased international mobility, the trading of human beings is expanding rapidly. Classified advertisements on the Internet and social media websites have help aid in the advancement of the industry because traffickers are hidden behind the shield of anonymity and protection known as the web. Victims are sold numerous times to multiple buyers on a daily basis. Sex trafficking is a complex criminal activity involving many specialized roles such as a recruiter, victim, trafficker and buyer. This paper will examine the role Internet plays in this degrading sex-slave trade industry and what can be done to identify and help those being traded.

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