Thousands of women in the United States, who never knowingly or intentionally entered the sex industry, find themselves trapped in a world of unspeakable abuse. These women, whether in illicit massage parlors or other abhorrent situations, are routinely arrested despite being the victims – while traffickers and buyers with actual culpability routinely are not.
To understand their plight, imagine you are a single parent with three children, recently unemployed, and faced with mounting debt. You see an online advertisement for a work opportunity in a neighboring country with a thriving restaurant industry. You can split rent with other workers, send home earnings, and return to your children as soon as your debts are repaid. To sweeten the offer, the employment agency covers airfare, handles immigration papers, secures an employer, and arranges housing, all at a fee that you can pay off over the course of your work engagement. It seems your prayers have been answered; you leave hopeful and determined for the United States.