When I first came into this class, I did not know what to expect. I did not know anything about human trafficking, except for having a general idea of what it is. I assumed that this class would teach me at least about the prevalence of human trafficking throughout the world including regional trends, as well as the reasons for it, and the ways to combat it. Since I did not have any preconceived notions about this subject, I cannot say that I had any beliefs that were challenged in the course of studying it.
The UNIAP sponsored a project called SIREN in 2007. SIREN’s purpose is to deliver up-to-date, validated research about trafficking to the counter-human trafficking center. It conveys information in a variety of forms, including maps, discussion forums, data sheets, and targeted fieldwork and analysis (“SIREN,” 2007).
The TVPRA was last reauthorized by President Obama on March 7, 2016. This law is widely regarded as the country’s most significant tool against human trafficking. An amendment to the law, called the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWRA), was also added, strengthening the laws already in place that protect women from domestic violence (“Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act,” 2016).
Human trafficking is a form of forced labor that is no different from slavery. Canada, as well as being a destination country for human slaves, is also a source country, meaning that people are sometimes forced into slavery while in Canada. It is also a transit country, meaning that slaves pass through Canada on their way to a different destination country (“Raising Awareness about Trafficking in Persons”).
John Hopkins University has started a program called the Protection Project, to research and report the global extent of human trafficking, and to influence policy through the dissemination of accurate and timely information (“The Protection Project,” 2006). Another project, called Free The Slaves, works toward the same end, while operating locally in human trafficking hotspots throughout the world (“Mission, Vision, & History,” 2016). Many victims of human trafficking have sought help from the ACLU to bring lawsuits against contracting companies that have been complicit in their abuse (Watt, 2013). The Polaris Project estimates that there are 20.9 million victims globally (“The Polaris Project,” 2016).
References
Mission, Vision, & History. (2016). Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://www.freetheslaves.net/about-us/mission-vision-history/
Raising Awareness about Trafficking in Persons. Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://ccrweb.ca/en/trafficking-starter-kit/raising-awareness
SIREN | Strategic Information Response Network. (2007, June). Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://childtrafficking.com/Docs/siren_07_introsiren_0108.pdf
The Polaris Project. (2016). Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://polarisproject.org/
The Protection Project. (2006). Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://humantrafficking.org/organizations/341
Trafficking in Persons Report. (2015). United States Department of State. Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. (2016, March 2). Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking. Retrieved June 5, 2016, from https://endslaveryandtrafficking.org/trafficking-victims-protection-reauthorization-act/
United Nations Action for Cooperation against Trafficking in Persons. (2016). Retrieved June 5, 2016, from http://un-act.org/exploitation-and-abuse-of-migrant-domestic-workers-in-saudi-arabia-a-lesson-for-viet-nam-the-latest-blog/
United Nations Inter-agency Project on Human Trafficking. Retreived June 5, 2016, from http://no-trafficking.org/index.html
Watt, S. (2013, April 10). U.S. Must Work to End Human Trafficking, Modern-Day Slavery on Government Contracts. Retrieved June 5, 2016, from https://www.aclu.org/blog/us-must-work-end-human-trafficking-modern-day-slavery-government-contracts
