Ethical Issues
Human trafficking is a worldwide problem. For all practical purposes, this activity is nothing but a form of modern slavery. Every year, about 21 million people are caught up in human trafficking from about 130 countries around the world. Without a doubt, this is a serious issue given that it violates human rights that the United Nations takes very seriously - and should. While this pertains mostly to women who are sold into prostitution while also involving children and young boys as well who are coerced into forced labour as well. Given the atrocities around the world, the purpose of this paper is to argue that human trafficking is not only unethical but it deprives people of their basic human freedom that is an inalienable right (“International Labour Organization”, 2012).
Given that human trafficking is a global issue, the first thing that people must understand is that there are certain countries that encourage more, due to lax laws, compared to others that are very strict about human rights. Speaking of which, the denial of basic freedoms such as the ability to pursue a life of their choosing is something that is inexcusable in the New Millennium. While this issue isn’t prevalent in First World Countries, this is a much bigger issue elsewhere given the biggest offenders, in terms of human trafficking, are from Third World Countries such as Brazil, Slovenia and Bangladesh where almost 55% of the victims are young girls and women (“Polaris”, 2017). If one puts themselves in the shoes of any of these victims, do you not feel a sense of helplessness given that laws do not protect their rights or that their financial situation does not permit them to do so (“International Labour Organization”, 2012)? If anything, the consequences of human trafficking are anything but positive given that no sane individual would want that kind of a life for their children, whether boys or girls. Moreover, the working conditions that prevail in these situations are less than satisfactory given that these individuals are in no position to demand anything much like people who work at normal jobs with decent pay and benefits.
If one looks at the root causes of human trafficking, it is clearly because of one’s financial situations, whether they are in debt or find it necessary to make a living. Of course, with most people in Third World countries having to live with less-than-satisfactory wages, there’s no doubt that there are people - three in every thousand people - who do not make a living in order to live a life of their choosing. As a result of a lack of finances, they are usually forced or coerced into forced labour which, if anything, does not look out for the best interests of these individuals. If one measures this situation from a Kantian perspective, there is a total lack of human dignity in the manner in which these individuals are forced or coerced into labor be it sexual or manual in nature. Since Kant himself believed that every human being deserved a chance to be treated with dignity and respect, these actions, by perpetrators in Third World countries, clearly points to a total lack of ethics (McCormick, n.d.). As a society, these actions are hardly Utilitarian in nature, since they do not promote basic human rights but employ slaves - for lack of a better word - as a means to an end that promotes their master’s interests. With governments failing to take care of their citizens in a number of Third World countries, it is clear that they do not pass the test of Utilitarianism as this does not benefit their citizens in any manner whatsoever (Nathanson, n.d.).
Another root cause that leaves people vulnerable to exploitation in this manner is that of low literacy and education levels. Given that they have not acquired a level of education that makes them employable, people with money can take advantage of their simple mindedness so as to coerce them into forced labor. For this, governments who are unable to offer employment opportunities to their citizens are really to blame given that if they did as much as they should in terms of creating jobs and having stronger labour laws in place, people, with little or no education, would still be able to make a decent living much like in First World countries. From a Utilitarian standpoint, this is a failure on the part of government to take care of its citizens as the resulting consequences of poverty is what forces these individual to settle for less than ideal working conditions (Nathanson, n.d.). Speaking of which, and given these conditions that are not conducive to human development or that protect human rights, this consequence of not being able to take care of its citizens by the government fails the Capabilities Approach as conceptualized by Martha Nussbaum in regard to human rights (Kleist, n.d.).
A third reason why people are deceived into human trafficking is the desire to migrate for better work opportunities. As a result of this desire, people are deceived into thinking that they will enjoy the best benefits pertaining to work if they travel abroad. Unfortunately, perpetrators of human trafficking deliberately deceive them by making promises that will not be kept, especially in the absence of contracts. As soon as they give their approval to work abroad, these criminals take advantage of their country’s conditions, their lack of financial well being or even their poor levels or literacy or education so as to inflict poor conditions on them as they work for these greedy individuals in industry such as agriculture, construction, domestic work, manufacturing and mining as well as the flesh trade too. Yet again, since there is an element of deception involved by those who are in the business of human trafficking, this violates Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics since being even moderately truthful, keeping the realistic conditions in mind, is a duty on the part of those who exploit these simple people (Hursthouse, 2003).
Now, given that human trafficking is illegal, why does this practice continue to prevail in both First and Third world countries? While labor laws are very strict in First World countries, there is always a desire to find loopholes so as to make more profit than usual. Yet again, and according to Kantian ethics, these individuals - about 21 million in all - are merely a means to an end with absolutely no regard for their wellbeing at all (McCormick, n.d.). There are no paychecks, no benefits in the form of health nor is there any evidence to suggest that these victims benefit in the very least from being sold or coerced into forced labour. Now, having mentioned that human trafficking is illegal according to the United Nations as well as in countries that take law seriously, it should be clear that human trafficking is unethical because it violates one’s basic freedoms that is a universal right in just about every Constitution on the planet. Common sense dictates that the law is society’s way of judging what is right or wrong and for which, the necessary action will be taken in the courts of justice. With the total lack of freedom, in the case of human trafficking, this violates the laws and for which, there are punishments that await these perpetrators who use people for their own selfish benefit.
As mentioned earlier, both children as well as women are forced into labour, where young girls and women are sold into prostitution while boys have to perform manual labour for little or no remuneration. Most of them have to leave their families, their place of birth and in a manner of speaking, the joys of childhood behind for a world that is unfamiliar and very cruel to them. Since we believe that children are the future of any nation, selling them into slavery is something that is unacceptable because a child’s formative years truly define how they turn out in Life. If a young girl or woman is used for the sexual pleasure of people who are willing to pay for their services, this definitely has an impact on them, both in terms of future prospects as well as physical and mental wellbeing. To put it blatantly, there are no future prospects since these modern-day slaves will remain in their chains so as to ensure that their owners remain as profitable as possible. Reports of young girls and women not being able to leave their brothels they live at is a common issue while young boys who are forced to work for nothing face the same dire situation. From an ethical standpoint, this does meet the standards of Kant again since preventing people from staying or leaving violates the freedom of movement. Yet again, this is so that they continue working for those in charge and are merely a means to an end with as absolute lack of human dignity. Also, if one measures this situation from Martha Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach, it is clear there is barely any room for one to develop their capabilities given the living conditions that they are in. For example, children forced into labor do not have the freedom to play which is a necessary condition. For young women and girls who are sold into sexual slavery, there is no semblance of a normal, human life nor is there any evidence of bodily integrity or health as a result of the services that they are forced to offer (Kleist, n.d.). It’s common knowledge that those who are forced into this type of labour are usually physically and mentally abused by their owners and which is whats separates normal employees from slaves. Having said that, both these ethical theories point to a total lack of human rights that these forced labourers are subjected to when it comes to human trafficking.
As mentioned earlier, the nature of work that these individuals are forced into work involves both sexual and manual labour and which involve prostitution, manufacturing, mining, domestic work, construction and agriculture. For one, since there are no contracts that are offered to these people, there is no growth prospects nor is there any evidence of money changing hands for the services provided. This is a reason why human trafficking is considered modern slavery since the only option that is available to these individuals rests on the whims and fancies of their masters. Normal employees can make an appeal for restorative justice if they are not happy with the remuneration that they receive from their employers. Moreover, if they are subject to unsafe working condition as is evident in mining, manufacturing and construction, there is no way these individuals can appeal for safer conditions either. Even if they are remunerated for their services, as is the case with domestic work, it is usually a fraction of the minimum wages that is the law of the land. Quite unfortunately, there is no way they can appeal for better remuneration since they are held captive by their “employers’ for the express purpose of keeping costs low. Since these practices do not adhere to the laws of the land, this clearly violates Rule Utilitarianism that human traffickers do not adhere as other employers would (Nathanson, n.d.).
Now, what is also common knowledge is the physical and mental abuse that women who are forced into sexual slavery have to undergo. Most victims are intimidated and threatened by their owners and which is why they comply with their demands in the first place. Without a doubt, human trafficking for the flesh trade, clearly indicates and perpetuates violence against women. If we fail to protect our women who are the “glue” of society, we, as a whole, will never progress as a species. Since violence towards the fairer sex is pure cowardice, one can hardly find this act virtuous by Aristotle’s standards (Hursthouse, 2003). Moreover, since these threats are merely to get people to comply to demands, it can be interpreted as using someone as a means to an end without even taking their consent in the first place. Finally, given our inability to protect women, an act in and of itself, this is hardly Utilitarian in nature since it is a responsibility of every individual to take care of women who are under threat - even if families that sell their children cannot grasp this simple concept (“UNODC”, 2017; Nathanson, n.d.).
In closing, there is no doubt that human trafficking from its root causes to the nature of professions that these labourers are forced into is unethical in every way. Literally even action in this life cycle from one’s root causes to the long lasting physical and mental abuse that remains violates every ethical theory in question and which is why this criminal activity is considered to be so. With that said, it is time that we put an end to human trafficking once and for all. With a coordinated effort from governments, everyday people as well as the customers of the products or services that these victims are forced to offer or produce for, we can put paid to this victimization and truly make our way into the twenty-first century.
References
International Labour Organization. (2012). 21 million people are now victims of forced labour, ILO says. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_181961/lang--it/index.htm
Polaris. (2017). Human Trafficking - The Facts. Retrieved from https://polarisproject.org/facts
Kleist, C. (n.d.) Global Ethics: Capabilities Approach. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/ge-capab/
McCormick, M. (n.d.). Immanuel Kant: Metaphysics. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/kantmeta/
Hursthouse, R. (2003). Virtue Ethics. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-virtue/
Nathanson, S. (n.d.). Act and Rule Utilitarianism. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/util-a-r/
UNODC. (2017). Human trafficking fuels violence against women. Retrieved from https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2009/November/human-trafficking-fuels-violence-against-women.html
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