Politics

     Besides activism from celebrities and other concerned citizens who want to aid these innocent girls, many nations have been pressured to enact legislature to protect the rights of these girls. One such act called the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 has been a “milestone in raising awareness of international trafficking on the global agenda” (Half the Sky 25). Because of its bipartisan support from politicians including Hillary Clinton (D) and Senator Sam Brownback (R), this act has been one of the most successful across the board, since everyone felt that forced child prostitution is abhorrent. However, not all international policies have had such unabated support; in fact the “legalize-and-regulate” model proved ineffective because the governments in these developing nations are often very poor and as a result the regulation is difficult and “legal brothels tend to attract a parallel illegal business in young girls and forced prostitution” (Half the Sky 26). Furthermore, by making prostitution illegal, the brothels simply moved underground and became more secretive with even less regulation, which in turn became even more dangerous and restrictive for young girls. The lack of sufficient legal constraints against prostitution makes it significantly less likely that girls will be able to escape. Once the girls are innocently sold into the sex market they immediately lose their freedom and are forced to lead lives that parallel the lives of slaves with regards to their lack of human rights. If legislature was more effective, then brothels would be less prevalent and the regulation of these sex houses would prohibit the sale of sex from minors. This legislature and regulation would ultimately allow for these young girls to live a free life full of education and possibilities.