Introduction
Human trafficking is very much like modern-day slavery and according to anti-trafficking groups, there are about 27 million people who are trapped in human trafficking networks across the world. It may sound horrible, but it is the harsh truth. Millions of people are forced against their will into labor and sex slavery (Our Very Real Problem with Human Trafficking, 2015).
Because of its very nature, sex trafficking is a clandestine activity. There are efforts being made, but there is still a lot to do. There are NGOs, governmental agencies and community groups across the world who are working to combat the issue. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Rescue & Restore Victims of Human Trafficking campaign is a good example (Anti-Trafficking Organizations Directory,2014). Another effort is by Polaris Project, Freedom Network USA, Not for Sale Campaign where students, entrepreneurs, artists, law enforcement officers, athletes, politicians, social workers and skilled professionals unite together to fight the sex trafficking and end the global slave trade. There are hundreds of organizations and NGOs that are working to uproot the problem of sex trafficking. Some leading organizations include names such as Second-Generation Trafficking: Prajwala, Statelessness, and Child Trafficking: COSA, Urban Light, Student World Assembly’s Red Card Project, etc. Their aim is to free young women, men, and children from prostitution and sexual exploitation. These groups help restore and rebuild the lives of these victims and provide them with food, shelter, and other support.
It takes courage and determination to stand up against sex trafficking. There are very few programs that have been successful in one place that could be exported to other parts of the world and UNIAP is one such successful program. The diverse Greater Mekong Sub-Region or GMS is made of China, Laos, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam The region is ridden with the problem of poverty and sex trafficking. The United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking (UNIAP) partners with other counter-trafficking sectors to develop a sustainable system of cooperation and collaboration across borders (Promising Practices 2012).
The initiatives taken tackle the crime, while monitoring and documenting the progress made objectively in by each of the countries. Hundreds of government officials and NGO personnel have received training on human trafficking, and the program has been highly successful. A large number of trafficking cases have been investigated, and many victims provided with help and support. The UNIAP model shows how direct interaction between the collection, analysis, and distribution of field-based data with government and NGO policy can lead to promising results. The program has had a measurable impact on the anti-trafficking sector locally, nationally, and regionally and has minimized the vulnerability factors of the region.
Despite the continuous efforts, there are certain obstacles that prevent these organizations and NGOs to solve the problem entirely. The first major challenge is dealing with young men and boys who are vulnerable and potential victims of human trafficking. The second challenge that remains is the victims’ access to justice and make sure that the traffickers will be punished. Finally, the blast challenge that needs to be overcome is the inefficient management of data to fight against trafficking. (Flores-Oebanda 2014).
Sex trafficking victims are often not able to access resources that should be available to them. A major reason behind is the poor psychological health and social development of the victims and their disrupted communities. Social implications follow and prevent these girls, children, and other victims to access legal and social services.
Sex trafficking is a common umbrella that includes commercial sex work such as prostitution, pornography, live sex shows, stripping, military prostitution, and sexual tourism (Deshpande & Nour 2013). Although sex trafficking is outlawed in many countries, it is still widely prevalent on a global scale. The most reputable instruments of international law to prevent sex trafficking are the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. Its two related protocols are the United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea, and Air and the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons (King, n.d.).
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References
Anti-Trafficking Organizations Directory. (2014). freedom4innocence Retrieved from http://freedom4innocence.org/anti-trafficking-organizations-directory/
Deshpande, N. A., & Nour, N. M. (2013). Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 6(1), e22–e27.
King, L. Flores-Oebanda, C. (2014). 3 major challenges in the fight against human trafficking, devex Retrieved from https://www.devex.com/news/3-major-challenges-in-the-fight-against- human-trafficking-84047, 1(1), 88–102.
Our Very Real Problem with Human Trafficking. (2015)., psmag Retrieved from https://psmag.com/our-very-real-problem-with-human-trafficking-8775e0fa0509#.fgmbp4euy
Promising Practices, A Review of U.S. Government-Funded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Programs. (2012). Senior Policy Operating Group Grantmaking Committee, 1(1), 1–18.
