Introduction
The definition of human trafficking is the use of force or coercion to transfer, harbor, or otherwise recruit human beings against their will to perform acts that may or may not be illegal in nature. It is a vile practice that robs human beings of their free will and degrades them in ways that are unimaginable to any thinking being. Unfortunately it is also one of the most lucrative and easy practices that those who make a living exploiting others can imagine. While method and practices have been set into place across international borders to keep better tabs on such a horrific business it still takes place in the current time. In order to stop the exploitation of others it is necessary for countries and their various agents to work together in an effort to stop the trafficking of people.
Traffickers don’t generally care who they take, just so long as they find enough bodies to meet whatever quota they need to fill. Language barriers and the lack of any true understanding about a country’s laws help to sow confusion and thereby make the job of the traffickers easier as they can force or otherwise coerce their victims into complying. Once this is accomplished the victim then simply disappears as they are shuffled among the many others that traffickers tend to attract or force into service (Kloer, 2011). Should an individual attempt to run or resist it is not uncommon for traffickers or someone in their employ to retaliate with force or other, more creative methods. While much of what is seen on television and in the movies is the effect of Hollywood effects, there are some instances in which the images seen are far too close to the truth.
Victims of trafficking are typically females in their adolescent years or older, as well as
girls who have not yet matured. Boys and grown men are not nearly as likely to become victims,
but their numbers are surprisingly high as well. Worldwide most trafficking victims are women, largely on account of the fact that sexual exploitation is the absolute most prominent form of human trafficking, followed by forced labor (Shelley, 2010). Children as well are far more likely in some regions to be taken than adults, as they can serve more varied purposes and be depended upon to be more docile and easy to control.
Human trafficking is a serious problem not only because it is another form of imposed slavery, but because it is so horribly easy for traffickers to go unnoticed. With the number of missing person’s cases that go unsolved across domestic and international borders per year it is by no stretch of the imagination that human traffickers are able to kidnap and exploit untold millions of individuals for profit. More often than not those individuals are seen as property and given only enough to survive and remain useful, never able to earn their way free at any point during their captivity. Worse than this, some even experience their captivity as a means of payment to individuals that hold sway over their lives. Families have even been known in the past to give up children to pay debts or to protect those are not taken.
There are a great many myths concerning human trafficking, but far too often too many are proven real through the outright horror and degradation that is witnessed by those law enforcement agents that are assigned to crack down on such pursuits. The means by which traffickers operate is varied and involves everything from the simplest methods to the hi-tech. In order to keep clear of law enforcement traffickers must take measures designed to stymie the law and continue their trade, which at times includes even going so far as to clear their inventory, meaning disposing of their victims, and starting anew. Given that trafficking is so widespread this horrific practice is not as common as would be believed but still seen as just another facet of business.
Patterns
Coercion is not always physical or violent when it comes to traffickers recruiting new bodies for their trade. In some cases those who are eventually sold and pushed into this new and modern form of slavery are offered or promised better lives abroad. It is only en route or when they reach their destination that they discover the truth. At that point it is often too late, and the only manner of freedom they will find is through the traffickers being caught or by other, less attractive means. Traffickers are typically not shy about ridding themselves of physical evidence when facing the serious charges that come with their trade.
While it is likely that trafficking is not a racially-biased practice, it has still been noted more than once that of the millions that are moved about the world for various purposes, many individuals are not only women, but of very distinct ethnicities. A large portion of women that are exploited come from Africa, Europe, and Asia, though many authorities claim that trafficking does not require racial boundaries to operate. While this might very well be true the facts that have been gathered concerning those who are taken have shown that a great number of individuals are generally from poorer nations where migrants and runaways are prominent. By targeting those nations where undocumented individuals are prevalent traffickers are better able to pick and choose their victims.
In such areas it is possible for traffickers to go on about their business for long periods of
time without anyone noticing. This is made possible by the fact that poverty-stricken areas are
far more concerned with other necessities other than law enforcement agencies that might see to
their safety, which is another factor that works in favor of the traffickers. Without a joint effort
human trafficking, or to even take note of when it is happening. The only measure that has
proved effective over the course of time has been the attempts made to catch the traffickers when
their human cargo reaches the point of destination.
Human trafficking can bring in mass amounts of money thanks to the fact that those who suffer as the victims are often not paid or given so little that profits soar. In poor, impoverished countries it is easy for traffickers to take whomever they want and put them to work, earning a living off of the labor of those unfortunate enough to fall into their service. While trafficking can in fact stimulate an economy, it often does so at the expense of the workers and anyone else not meant that does not benefit from their labor. Human trafficking does have a positive economic affect, but does so unevenly and at a great price to human life.
The reason this is a detriment is that if wealth is not distributed evenly and fairly, the
economy will eventually be forced to decline as the rich stay rich and the poor continue to get
poorer. This leads towards higher unemployment, poverty, and inequality the likes of which has
not been experienced since the early days of slavery (Wheaton, Schauer, & Galli, 2010). Even
back in those days this practice was abhorrent to many, despite the fact that it was committed far
more openly and without nearly the amount of pressure upon those buying and selling human
beings. Back in the first days of slavery it was considered natural to buy and sell people for
various purposes. Some even sought to improve the lives of their family by entering willingly into servitude.
These days virtually no one will seek to purposefully place themselves in such a role, though in hard times many people will in fact look to those offering a promise of work. This is the promise and the lie that traffickers are so adept at telling that traps a great many in their schemes. While some willingly accept that such a role is their life at that point, others will seek to escape or otherwise disrupt the plans of their captors. Many of those do not fare so well no matter if they escape or not. The trauma of such captivity often stays a great while with such individuals if they do escape, materializing as a mild to debilitating form of PTSD. Those who do not escape are either punished in some manner or eliminated more often than not.
There is no standardized profile of the victims that suffer through human trafficking, though in children there are many factors that make certain individuals more susceptible. Children are targeted far more by traffickers in any case as young people who suffer through histories of sexual abuse, violence; issues with esteem and social support often make the most enticing targets (Hepburn & Simon, 2013). Many times it is because they fight less and will not put forth as much struggle, doing what is demanded of them without offering resistance. In this manner it is possible for traffickers to capitalize upon an already broken spirit as the human participant is shuffled from one destination to another.
In poorer countries and even in more affluent regions runaways and the homeless, be they
children or adult, are all at risk to become victims. These individuals often have no one that will
miss them and a very weak to nonexistent social support that will seek to find them once they are
gone. Without any ties to a community or society it is all too easy for traffickers to find their
victims. Considering that certain countries have experienced an alarming outbreak when it
comes the rising numbers of homeless, sexually assaulted, and runaway adolescents, there is no
real mystery how this hidden and illicit industry has continued to thrive.
There is no real definition as to who is a trafficker or an enabler, as the truth is that anyone could fill either role. What is true and easily definable about traffickers is that they use any and all means to lure innocent people to their purpose. Be it the promises of work, wealth, or even love, traffickers develop their own methods of ensnaring their victims before they set them to work. In some cases they prey upon families that are seeking to send their sons and daughters off to find gainful employment. In others they simply find as many as they can to serve their needs until such time as they are finished and then ship their assets home, often penniless, or dispose of them in another fashion.
Even worse than being forced to work without pay however is the fact that some traffickers will insist that their human stock actually owes them for the trip to their destination and for the privilege of being cared for. In these cases the victims are brought from one country to another owing a debt that is likely to never be repaid. Usually well over a thousand dollars or more, such debts are paid off slowly and with whatever amount of interest a trafficker wishes to charge, as well as added expenses that are incurred when a victim finds that they require food, clothing, and other materials vital to survival. Very few manage to work this debt off, and even then they are more likely to remain in the employ of the trafficker rather than find their way to another profession or line of work.
Enablers are those who operate by means of procuring whatever the traffickers need to operate, be it resources, the actual victims, or even the venues that the traffickers will use for their practice. Those who partake of the services that are offered by human traffickers are also enablers, even if they do not know as much. For those who do know the act of taking service from the human stock is just as heinous as the act of trafficking, if not more so. To understand that another human being is suffering and to do nothing indicates a rather serious deficit of moral character and can also constitute participation in the illegal act of trafficking.
Prevention
Given that the average citizen living in a slum, ghetto, or otherwise impoverished region
is so desperate to survive and make a sustainable living, it is far too easy for traffickers to approach and offer a better life. Raising awareness is not enough as within such areas it is also likely that many if not most of the citizens affected are uneducated and willing to do whatever it
takes to escape their current state. Some might even feel that such a life is better than that which they are leaving, no matter that the freedoms they have given up are generally worth more than the servitude they have unknowingly walked into. The act of preying upon the desperate and the hopeless is one chief reason why traffickers are so dangerous and so successful.
Another detriment to law enforcement and its efforts to institute any heavier presence against trafficking is the fact that some countries simply refuse to acknowledge that such a heinous crime could ever occur within their borders. It is understandable to feel shame that such a practice could occur within one’s country, but hiding it away or denying it entirely has no other effect than to allow such crimes to continue. To actively combat trafficking it is necessary to raise awareness within law enforcement as well as the public. If there is a better understanding of what to look for and situations to avoid the trafficking industry would likely take a very significant hit.
problem to be remedied is the inclusion of more countries willing to stand up and admit to the act
rather than shy away from the embarrassing truth of its existence.
Law enforcement has a number of agencies that are working together to gather as much data and intelligence as they can to combat this problem. While the crime itself is difficult to track and even more so to halt, the victims at least can be helped by being given temporary asylum or even permanent visas that can allow them to remain in whatever country they have been relocated to. Reunification, if possible, is preferred of course and will be attempted, but overall the goal is to stop the flow of human trafficking. This goal is quite vast and more than a little exhausting, but at this time it is still the intention of law enforcement officials around the globe to halt such a heinous crime.
The obvious choice to stop the trafficking would be stronger laws and stricter punishments once the individuals that are responsible are caught, but likely as not this means nothing until such an occurrence comes around. With that in mind it has become important to several organizations interested in stopping trafficking to work directly with the victims that are recovered. This can be a risky proposition as the trauma that many individuals suffer could possibly be too much to demand that they revisit the subject, but it could also be a great advantage should they agree. Any victim that lives to tell about their tale in captivity is essentially another step towards ending the industry of human trafficking.
Adding to this, several organizations focus largely upon educating and preparing their
youth and by extension their less fortunate members of society towards the dangers of being abducted (Jesionka, 2016). The act of warning is a start, but the act of educating an individual is akin to effectively arming them against what may or may not come in their future. Many organizations have come to see the value of involving the general public in this matter. In this manner the
traffickers and the enablers alike are rendered largely powerless as people are taught what to look for and how to respond.
Sadly not everyone who is taken into the practice of human trafficking is abducted into such a life. Some actually choose to enter the sex trade in favor of a life that might take them nowhere or potentially cause them irreparable harm. The matter of choice is the most difficult to understand for many, but it is by no means justification to abuse and neglect those who do in fact choose this option in life. There are organizations that fight for equality in every facet of those industries that people choose for themselves that involve trafficking. Through at least this small measure it is possible to lessen the effects of human trafficking and empower those who seek to make their way forward in life.
Overall the practice of human trafficking does not survive without people who are ignorant and otherwise unwilling to turn a blind eye to the problem. Empowering people and educating them in the manner what to look for, what warning signs to be aware of, and how to go about reporting instances of abduction and trafficking can cause a serious blow this form of modern slavery. In doing this it becomes possible to at least alleviate the concerns that arise from those who are at high-risk for being taken. There is no sound and sure method to stop human trafficking, as corruption, deceit, and criminal acts are a naturally recurring part of any society. But in attempting to make a difference life is at least bettered in some regards for those who suffer such degradations.
Those organizations that do combat human trafficking on a regular basis do so in regards
Conclusion
The act of human trafficking is a dehumanizing process by which individuals generally are abducted and made to work for very little or nothing at all. Traffickers often take those who are considered to be at most risk such as runaways and those who have endured physical and/or sexual assault in their life. Many of those taken are children and adolescents, as they constitute nearly half of all persons who are pressed into service. Of the many taken the greatest majority are girls and women, who are often pressed into the sex trade.
There are measures and methods being used to combat human trafficking, but they still miss many individuals worldwide. Many are abducted after following the promise of wealth or even affection. Some choose to sell themselves into this modern form of slavery, finding that it is a better life than the one they left. In any case trafficking is little more than servitude gained by coercion or abuse of some sort. In order to combat human trafficking it is necessary to promote awareness so that traffickers and enablers alike are recognized for what they are and what they are trying to do. While law enforcement agents around the world are doing all they can to stop this heinous crime, traffickers are still finding other ways to do business.
References
Hepburn, S. & Simon. R.J. (2013). Human Trafficking Around the World: Hidden in Plain Sight.
New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Jesionka, N. (2016). What’s Being Done to Stop Human Trafficking? The Muse. Retrieved from
https://www.themuse.com/advice/whats-being-done-to-stop-human-trafficking
Kloer, A. (2011). 5 things to know about human trafficking. The CNN Freedom Project.
Retrieved from
http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/15/5-things-to-know-about-human-trafficking/
Shelley, L. (2010). Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective. Cambridge, England: Cambridge
Wheaton, E.M.; Schauer, E.J. & Galli, T.V. (2010). Economics of human trafficking. Internal
Migration, 48(4): 114-141.
