Human trafficking refers to the fraudulent control of human consent by recruiting them through fraud and deception to introduce exploitative labor, prostitution, and sexual exploitation. Human trafficking is a widespread problem that has been in existence for centuries, and it is referred to as modern-day slavery. Human trafficking is estimated to have begun after slavery was abolished. The traffickers take advantage of naïve people and weak legal systems in some countries to conduct their illegal operations. Human trafficking has extremely adverse effects, whereby the victims get affected emotionally, physically, and even mentally. Therefore, most survivors of human trafficking require special care and attention to recover from the trauma caused by the ordeal, and it is almost impossible to recover completely (Weathers 7). This research paper will provide crucial information on human trafficking, the causes and effects of the vile practice, and solutions to end the practice.
Background of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking just evolved after outright slavery was banned and is referred to as modern-day slavery. It is a global problem that has been in existence for several centuries, mainly for sexual exploitation and forced labor. The victims of the practice who have been lucky to get saved are often found in off-grid, unpleasant settings that are legal and illegal. Of the human trafficking cases, approximately 90% are sexually motivated, with most people trafficked used for sexual exploitation. In contrast, the remaining percentage of people are trafficked to be engaged in forced labor. Women and girls form most victims of human trafficking, with women and girls accounting for more than 70% of the trafficking cases and more than 90% of the sex trafficking cases.
The human trafficking industry is estimated to generate around $150 annually. The funds generated to give the perpetrators the financial muscle and ability to evade the law make it hard to nail down the traffickers. The profits are estimated because the illegal activity is secretive, and therefore, it is almost impossible to collect data on the trafficking network. Human trafficking has three constituents or steps before it is accomplished. The first step involves recruiting the victims, then the transportation of the victims to the places where they will be held as they are exploited in how the traffickers had intended. The second constituent is how the traffickers conduct their illegal business. The traffickers can use coercion, force, fraud, vulnerability, deception, abduction, or bribing the victims. The third constituent is the purpose of the trafficking, which can range from sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, or even organ removal.
Human slavery has been in practice even before 1200, and it increased between 122 to 1700 with the majority of slaves sourced from Africa into South America, the United States, and Europe. After slavery was abolished in most countries worldwide, human trafficking became more widespread, mainly for sex trafficking in what was known as “white slavery” and forced labor. The primary aim of the traffickers is to compensate for the free work provided by the slaves. The transatlantic slave trade was banned in the 1700s, and in the nineteenth century, notable countries such as the United States and Britain passed laws that banned the slave trade with stern measures. For example, the United States prescribed a death penalty for anyone caught engaging in the slave trade.
In the year 1904, an agreement that encompassed the whole world against “white slavery” in human trafficking was passed, with the primary focus of the contract being on women and children. The International Convention against “white slavery” was signed into law by 13 countries in 1910, making human trafficking illegal and punishable by law. Despite these laws and conventions being passed, the practice of human trafficking continued to exist and even thrived internationally. Human trafficking involved young girls and women for sex while young boys and men are mainly used for labor, but nowadays, some men are exploited sexually. The 1900s saw a high number of white slavery cases with girls being forcibly kidnapped for sex until the end of WW1, which led to creation of the league of nations.
The league of nations changed the term to “traffic of women and children” from “white slavery” to ensure that there was no discrimination against any race and that the news laws to be passed by the league of nations were inclusive of all races. The new laws against human trafficking also included children belonging to both genders. Fast forward to today, there are approximately 30 million slaves in the world currently held against their own will despite the myriad of laws against the practice. Charity organizations have also joined the war on human trafficking, with “Free the Slaves,” a member of Anti-Slavery International based in the United States, the most influential of them all. Human trafficking is rated as the third biggest crime industry globally, only behind arms trafficking and illegal drugs (Wheaton 126).
Causes of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a prevalent problem in every country in the world. Because it is a secretive, illegal activity, it is tough to track movements of human trafficking, and therefore, saving the victims of criminal activities is a challenging task. The prevalence of human trafficking in countries differs, and it occurs in different forms, motivated by other factors. Despite that, the causes of human trafficking vary in different countries. The root cause of trafficking and modern-day slavery remains the same. Human trafficking is caused by several factors, including poverty, demand for cheap labor and sex workers, lack education, vulnerable groups and lack of human rights awareness, culture, traffickers, profits to be gained from the lucrative industry, among other factors.
Poverty is one of the causes of human trafficking, sometimes regarded as the largest contributor to the vice. Poverty can push people into selling their loved ones into human trafficking to earn money to get their basic needs. Poor people are the most susceptible to human trafficking because even if the traffickers decide to take the people they love, they do not have the financial strength to conduct a follow-up and investigate the people who have been abducted. Poor people are also the most susceptible people, and therefore, they can be easily deceived by human traffickers into falling into their traps. Human traffickers can easily deceive poor people by promising them great jobs and then enslaving them, whereby they get to work without pay and in places where they are unable to escape.
Another cause of human trafficking is illiteracy; lack of education is fatal, especially when one is defending themselves or their rights because they have limited employment chances. Illiterate people have limited or no knowledge of their rights and have decreased employment opportunities than educated people. The lack of knowledge leads to reduced employment opportunities and an understanding of one’s rights, making one more vulnerable to trafficking. The problem of illiteracy is often common in developing and third-world countries, where there is limited access to education and high unemployment rates. In such communities, parents must empower their children by offering them quality education. Proper education for their children provides that the parents shield them from the vulnerabilities they would have fallen into if they were not educated.
Traffickers interpret the high demand for labor and commercial sex as opportunities for them to make quick cash and earn huge profits. Trafficking makes people involved huge profits because cheap labor provides substantial profit margins. Sometimes, the traffickers do not pay the victims even a dime, yet they get a lot of money from selling the products at a high price, and they, therefore, profit from the sweat and blood of the laborers. In the case of sexual exploitation, the traffickers generate revenue from the clients who seek the victims’ services, and they do not pay the victims. The desire to get more profits and mint more money from the practice makes human trafficking more widespread.
Marginalized groups in society are the most vulnerable to human trafficking because they have limited law enforcement protection. The traffickers target suck groups because they understand that the repercussions will be less than the consequences they could have gotten if they had abducted the people who are fully protected by the law. Countries with weak legal systems and lack fundamental laws to protect citizens’ rights are used as a hub for human traffickers because they feel that they can get away with the crime more efficiently. Human traffickers also target groups with no legitimate jobs or citizenship in the countries they reside, such as immigrants and refugees. Traffickers target these people because they are more vulnerable, and law enforcement agencies do not pay much attention to the people who are not legitimate citizens. The groups are also vulnerable, and therefore, the traffickers can coerce them easily by promising them jobs and a better livelihood.
The social and cultural practices of some countries also act as catalysts for human trafficking. Some societies accept bonded labor as a proper way to pay off debt, and as a result, the societies encourage trafficking by making it seem acceptable. Countries such as Mauritania allow slavery up to date, with families held by their slave masters for generations. In countries like Uzbekistan, the practice of forced labor is widely accepted, and it is even institutionalized. Some cultures also forbid their members from speaking against human trafficking and the victims from talking about their captors. Conflicts and natural disasters are also some of the causes of human trafficking, whereby the traffickers take advantage of the volatile political situation and take people against their wishes.
Effects of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking has several profound emotional, physical, and psychological effects on all the parties involved. In the victims, their lives can’t change entirely, and they forget the experiences they endured at the hands of the traffickers. Human trafficking has its effects on both the victims and the perpetrators of injustice. The traffickers also undergo trauma due to witnessing the things that they do to their victims and even the victimization they go through, especially when they are arrested. In the victims, they undergo mental trauma due to the dehumanization and the objectification that they experience at the hands of the perpetrators, and they need professional help through the victim services, both private and governmental.
Victims of trafficking typically undergo psychological trauma that is often long-lasting during the time they are held as slaves and after being rescued. The trauma leads to difficulties in several aspects of their lives afterward, ranging from depression, poor relationships, guilt, fear, shame, mental trauma, memory loss, and post-traumatic stress (Richards 158-162). The victims of trafficking are also known to experience physical trauma caused by their injuries during their experience. The victims can suffer from physical beatings leading to injuries, rape, sexual exploitation, and constant abuse by their traffickers and clients. The physical interactions can also lead to infections, permanent physical injuries, illnesses, and diabetes, among other ailments. Forced labor victims can also develop severe injuries, respiratory problems, damages, and impairments due to continuous exposure to challenging working conditions and mistreatment.
The victims of trafficking also face several ostracism cases whereby their friends and even family avoid them and do not want to be involved with them. The isolation can result from the feeling of guilt and shame, and it leads to depression and trauma on the part of the victims. The victims end up becoming aloof, isolated, and out of touch with other people by being left out. The stigmatization of the victims of human trafficking makes them unwanted and unloved by their society. As a result, they wallow in a vulnerable state, and they are at a massive chance of getting trafficked again or even returning to their captors. The trafficked victims at a young age cannot live independently because they do not have the opportunity to develop life skills or get any education (Villacampa and Nuria 17).
On the part of the traffickers, the trafficking business is lucrative but extremely dangerous. As a result, they gain a lot of money from the sector. According to research, the human trafficking industry is the fastest-growing industry in the criminal world, and it is surpassed by the drug trafficking industry only. The traffickers stand to gain easy money from trafficking and, at the same time, get cheap labor and cheap commercial sex workers, which help the traffickers amass massive profits off the blood and sweat of their victims. When the traffickers are caught by law enforcement, they face the consequences of their actions and give information on their operations.
The solution to Human Trafficking
Human traffickers are willing to risk entering into the human trafficking industry because they are aware of the industry’s profits. Because of its secrecy, they know it is hard to get caught by the authorities. The leniency of anti-trafficking laws also makes it easy for them to enter into human trafficking because they feel that if they are caught, the punishment prescribed by legislation is “just a small price to pay.” The most prominent solution to trafficking is increasing the penalties for human trafficking to a death sentence for everyone liable for trafficking. The introduction of stringent measures against trafficking discourages people from entering into the illegal industry. Those responsible for the crimes and who are caught can act as an excellent example to others, effectively decreasing human trafficking.
The governments can also ensure that victim services are readily available to victims of human trafficking. Victim services are established to offer financial and emotional assistance to victims of different phenomena. The services differ in their services, along with the entities that have established them. There are police, system, community, court NGOs, and volunteer-based victim services. Victim services come in different forms, and they offer additional services and share responsibilities between them. The different types of victim services provide various services to the victims. For example, court services offer crime victims legal services such as pro-bono court representation, court orientation, among other benefits. Volunteer and community-based services provide support, financial and emotional assistance, and other forms of help. Establishing victim services for human trafficking victims can help the victims come out and get help and get them to support the authorities to catch human traffickers.
Establishing victim services helps the victims of human trafficking to come out and get out without fear of criminalization or repercussions from their former kidnappers. The victims of crimes are protected by rights supported by the country’s criminal justice system (Green 22). The laws are free for all, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or background. The victims have the right to be informed of their eligible services, their case details, and the right to free legal representation if they cannot afford to pay. The victims also have the right to be notified of the perpetrators of all court proceedings’ violence and information. Victim laws also ensure that the victims are informed about the compensation they should get. The victims have the right to give their input on the case and after the court of law’s decision, where they can comment about the court’s conclusion regarding their case.
Developing countries and third world countries face a lack of education, which leads to a lack of knowledge of the current affairs, their rights, and freedoms. Lack of education also causes unemployment, which causes most people to become desperate. Human trafficking thrives in such communities because the individuals are desperate and can be coerced by a small lie, such as the promise of a job. By educating their children, parents in such communities ensure that they safeguard the children from situations that might make them desperate later in life and vulnerable to trafficking. The parents need to empower their children by offering them quality education. Proper education for their children ensures that the parents shield them from the vulnerabilities they would have fallen into if they were not educated.
In conclusion, human trafficking is a problem that has been growing in society, and if not checked, it will lead to an epidemic. Apart from the government implementing tight rules that are supposed to punish the perpetrators while at the same time setting an example, communities need to be vigilant and take action against any suspected kidnappers. Children are the most vulnerable group in society; therefore, they must be taught the dangers of associating with strangers. Parents and teachers also need to raise awareness of the issues and discourage young children from engaging in teenage sexual activities. To combat human trafficking, bold and decisive measures have to be applied for the governments to show that they are serious in combating human trafficking.
Works Cited
Green, Brandon, et al. “The Role of Victim Services for Individuals Who Have Experienced Serious Identity-Based Crime.” Victims & Offenders (2020): 1-24.
Richards, Tiffany A. “Health implications of human trafficking.” Nursing for women’s health 18.2 (2014): 155-162.
Weathers, Patrice. “Human trafficking.” (2018).
Wheaton, Elizabeth M., Edward J. Schauer, and Thomas V. Galli. “Economics of human trafficking.” International Migration 48.4 (2010): 114-141.
Villacampa, Carolina, and Nuria Torres. “Human trafficking for criminal exploitation: Effects suffered by victims in their passage through the criminal justice system.” International Review of Victimology 25.1 (2019): 3-18.
