This is a sick world

I'm writing this research paper on human rights violations and I'm really getting sick of it. I think if I have to read one more account of human trafficking for prostitution I might scream. I just don't understand how governments can be involved in this, but they are.

I'm only focusing on 15 countries and the countries have to meet specific guidelines to be included in my study. First of all, they have to have been admitted to the United Nations within the last 15 years, they have to have a population of over 1 million, and they have to be classified by the international community as either "free" or "partly free."

The most disturbing thing I've found so far is that the United States is given a score of 1 for Political Rights and 1 for Civil Liberties (1 is the best score a country can get - 5 is the worst.) There are several countries that take part in human trafficking as the starting point, transit, and resting place for women and girls who have been kidnapped for the purpose of prostitution. Some of these countries are also given scores of 1.

This is disturbing. All of this research is disturbing. You know what the worst thing going on in America is? Politics. We have abortion debates. We are polarized. We can't decide if we want a Republican or Democratic government. You know what's going on in the nine of the fifteen countries that I've profiled so far? Human trafficking. That's slavery. Sure, it's only* sex slavery, but it's slavery nonetheless.

Let me say that again: ALL nine countries that I've profiled so far that are a part of the U.N. and that are classified by the international community as being "free" or "partly free" kidnap females of all ages and send them all around the world so they can be sex slaves. Sex slaves. Girls as young as five and six. Kidnapped. Some are sent to be brides but most are just going to be slaves. For sex.

My heart hurts. I don't understand this data. I don't see how a country can be "free" or "partly free" if it takes part in trafficking humans. Maybe once I'm done with the research and I finish building graphs and charts it'll make more sense. But I doubt it. Because I don't know that using people as sex slaves will ever make sense.

This is a sick world.

*That was sarcasm.