Missouri sex slavery case teaches lesson about the lucrative nature of human trafficking
A few days ago, a news article reported that a woman was rescued from a sex slavery, which lasted for several years. The story is particularly tragic in terms of the ways the victim was tortured and abused by the trafficker. Still, the case teaches one a lesson about the lucrative nature of human trafficking, johns, and pornography.
How she was enslaved
According to the investigators, A young mentally deficient female victim was sexually abused and tortured for several years in Missouri and forced to work as an exotic dancer at local strip clubs. Edward Bagley, 43 from a small town called Lebanon, forced the victim to become sex slave and sexually tortured her. The investigators found that Bagely advertised online that the victim could be sexually tortured during the live online sessions or in persons. According to the report, the victim grew up in a foster home and was recruited as a model and a dancer by Bagley. Bagley also promised to give her own bedroom with clothes and food. But, when the victim turned 18, Baglely began sexually torturing the victim and forced her to sign a sex slave contract, which "he convinced the victim of legally bound her to him as his slave for the rest of her life." when she turned 18 years old. The indictment also cites numerous allegations of sexual acts, torture, and mutilation over a five year period. The FBI began its investigation after the victim was hospitalized and received emergency medical treatment as a result of suffocation and severe torture by Bagley. At that time, the victim had been enslaved for at least five years.
A Lesson to be learned: how lucrative is human trafficking?
As horrendous as the case sounds above, there is a lesson to be learned from it. The case highlights the very lucrative nature of human trafficking. And regardless of some people claiming that the number of human trafficking victims is exaggerated, public should be aware of human trafficking as an ongoing crime that may be happening in their backyards. Think about this. Lebanon, Missouri is not a big city nor has it ever shared notoriety as a hub of human trafficking or a high crime area for that matter. Yet, the victim, prior to the rescue, were mutilated, pierced, and caged in a dog cage, and sewed for sexual pleasure of johns for five years. During those five years, no one, not even her neighbor, the local law enforcement, nor the social workers, has ever suspected that she was sexually enslaved, not even once. Therefore, because of such lucrative nature of human trafficking, public awareness of human trafficking, along with their vigilant action to abolish the crime, becomes essential.
Another lesson: johns can be anyone and pornography is not victimless
The case also teaches us a lesson that johns can be anybody other than a dirty sex addict who needs a professional help. According to one article, the johns who were involved in this case were respected community leaders, including a postmaster general in Nevada and a national-level representative of the Disabled American Veterans. They purchased $300 just to watch Bagely sexually abuse and torture the victim on webcam. One of them actually gave money to Bagely so that Bagely can build a home made torture kit to exploit the victim. Though they all paid $300 to Bagely, none of them actually had sex with the victim in person. They payment was solely to be able to witness the torture and sexual exploitation of the victim. In a case like this, pornography is no longer without a victim.
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