After hearing so many mentions of the Middle East as our contemporary heart of darkness, I couldn't help but reflect on the images that come to my mind when I think of this part of the world, and the most prominent one for me is that of child brides. To most of us, the idea of a young girl being sold or given up by her own parents is unfathomable and part of a culture that we as Americans are completely separate from, but I believe that, just as child marriage is a heart of darkness in the Middle East, a comparable heart of darkness exists in the U.S. in the form of human trafficking.
Though human trafficking has come closer to the forefront of the news lately, its prevalence in the U.S. is still a relatively unknown issue, and many of us are unaware that it occurs so close to home. In fact, Chicago has been referred to as a "national hub" for human trafficking: according to this article, there were 1,229 incidents of human trafficking in Illinois, and an estimated 32% of the victims involved were children.
Much like the brutality of imperialism in Heart of Darkness, the truth about the human trafficking industry in the U.S. is largely swept under the rug. I think we are still unprepared to admit that something so grim and barbaric could exist in our "civilized", democratic society.
I'm so glad you made this post, because this is an issue that you hear about so rarely. I saw something recently about how in the past, children arrested because of human trafficking were/are often tried or sentenced as if they're adults. This stuff is so crazy, and yet I'm just hearing about some of it now?? It's ridiculous that this isn't in the news more often.
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