Human sex trafficking of adolescents and Turner's cognitive approach analysis

¶ … Challenging Issue in Counseling

Human sex trafficking is a problem that is growing in scope. This is because there are tremendous amounts of money that can be made on the part of recruiters and smugglers. In many cases, large organized crime syndicates have developed with them actively targeting teenagers who are from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds. In the article that was written by Turner (2009), it is clear that globalization is fueling the demand for these services. To fully understand what is happening requires examining the article's focus, summary of the research, the main ideas, finding, recommendations and how the information will be utilized. Together, these different areas will highlight how they applicable to the affected population. (Turner, 2009)

The Article's Focus

The article is focusing on boys and girls who are between the ages of 12 to 18. In general, these individuals come from third world countries and are seeking out new opportunities in a place where they will have some kind of future. However, many families do not know how to gain access to developed nations legally and will turn to the black market to achieve these overall objectives. (Turner, 2009)

The Main Concepts of the Approach

The article is focused on using the cognitive approach. This is looking at how the person thinks and the way it influences their decisions. In this case, the families and the children are desperate to live a better life. Yet, many are not well educated and will trust those around them. This enables recruiters to solicit money for smuggling the child and continuing to benefit from them once they arrive at their destination. (Turner, 2009)

Findings

The findings are showing that there are a host of factors which enable these activities to occur. The most notable include: corruption, huge profit margins, the lack of effective immigration / asylum systems in developed countries and the free movement of people. The combination of these factors enable child smuggling to occur. (Turner, 2009)

Recommendations

To address these issues, Turner recommends governments taking a global approach. This means working together to understand what is happening and creating comprehensive policies which are responsive to the needs of the real world. When this happens, it will be harder to engage in these activities through taking away the profit motives and the means for conducting them. (Turner, 2009)

How the Information will be used?

This information will be used to understand why teenage sex trafficking is a problem and how to help the victims overcome their experiences. In many cases, they will suffer psychological issues and have a sense of betrayal. This is when the cognitive approach can help to change their underlying mental state, behaviors and the way they associate various ideas with it. (Turner, 2009)