Raise Awareness

In both authors’ articles, various contributing factors as well as possible solutions are presented. One such commonality was that the low status of girls and women contributes quite to the presence of sex trafficking in eastern countries. Kristof goes as far as to deem the low status of girls the “underlying reason why so many daughters are sold to brothels” (Kristof, 14), and a large reason why many of these girls stay in the brothels. Nigam agrees that this factor does play a role in the sex trafficking of women; however, he believes that such factors “do not explain the large-scale purchase” of women for sex trade (Nigam, 23). On this issue, I would agree with both that low status of women plays a role, however, I think the combination of contributing factors sheds some light onto the large-scale purchase of women for sex trafficking. The factor of poverty, for example, certainly has something to do with the growing industry, especially because the vast majority of the industry is present in third-world countries where earning a living is already difficult. Often young girls enter sex trafficking hoping to make money for their families, such as Srey Neth whose father was sick with tuberculosis and whose brother did not have enough money to marry (Kristof, 14). Due to the lack of means to provide for one’s family, these girls feel pressured into the sex trade due to familial morality; they want to help care for the ones that once cared for them (Li,344).

Regarding possible solutions to the issue of sex trafficking, both authors also have a similar belief that targeting society on the larger scale will decrease such trafficking. Both Kristof and Nigam feel that the countries involved in sex trafficking need to view the issue in a more negative way, however, Kristof argues that we need to address the problem on a more global scale than Nigam, by getting “higher-level outrage in Washington and other foreign capitals” (Kristof, 12). Through the larger-scale involvement in awareness, Kristof hopes that sex trafficking countries will be shamed by many, forcing them to clean up their act (Kristof,18). The shaming of countries that make money off this hellish industry would likely result in lack of interest in business with these countries, something they cannot afford because many are third-world. If awareness is established on the larger-scale as well, more economically stable countries have the ability to aid the worse off countries by helping them create a more safe and stable economy.