Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery and What We Can Do About It
Introduction
What is human trafficking? When the term human trafficking arises, most people think of an issue long gone and abolished, however, human trafficking is a prevailing issue defined as modern day slavery. Individuals are trafficked all over the world and exploited through labor. Major industries that are subject to labor trafficking are agriculture, sweatshops, and even your local nail salons. Although it is difficult to track down the source of trafficking, and recognize when trafficking is occurring, several solutions have been implemented to raise awareness, punish the traffickers, and help the individuals who have been victims of trafficking.
History Background
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It all began with the Portuguese transporting African Americans from Africa to Portugal to exploit them as laborers on their plantations. In 1562, the Europeans joined the slave trade. Their involvement allowed nations such as Spain, Denmark, Holland, Sweden, and France to obtain access to African Americans for labor purposes. The development of plantations brought an increased demand for workers in the early 1700’s.(Kloer) Thousands of African Americans were being transported on a daily basis to countries such as Spain and the United States to work on plantations. (Agatucci) On January 31, 1865 congress passed the 13th amendment which abolished slavery in the United States. The unfortunate reality is that even with this amendment in place, humans were still being trafficked and exploited for labor. In fact, human trafficking for labor purposes still exists to this …show more content…
The absence of education leaves individuals an easy target for traffickers to exploit through labor.
Counterpoint
The human trafficking industry has an astonishing monetary value of $32 billion dollars and affects around 2.4 million people each year. Regardless of the fact that human trafficking for labor is an issue in today's society, some argue that it would be very difficult to track down the source of the trafficking, convict the perpetrators, or even raise awareness of this issue. Because of the new harsher laws, such as proposition 35, (see fig.2) human trafficking is being forced farther “underground” which makes it nearly impossible to convict, or even track down, the perpetrators of this appalling industry. (Ergas) The intricate ring of human trafficking is well hidden, and very difficult to track because it occurs all over the world. Although human trafficking is a current issue, most of the human population is completely oblivious to it. (Kloer) The complex networks and cover-ups by authorities make it difficult for people to distinguish human trafficking in society. What may look as an average person working on a farm or a nail salon, may actually be a victim of human
However, all hope is not lost and there have been advances towards the prosecution of human trafficking cases. In 2000, the United States passed the “Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000” (hereinafter referred to as TVPA) which was drafted with the purpose of offering protection to people who are in the country illegally and may be victims of human trafficking. In order to be granted relief under “TVPA”, victims must prove that they were trafficked and submit to prosecution of hi...
Human trafficking is among the fastest growing categories of crime in the world right now, rivaled only by the drug and weapons industries. A 32 billion dollar global enterprise annually, its effects are far reaching and highly damaging to all involved. In reality, “human trafficking” is essentially a politically correct term for slavery. Through books, articles, and interviews, the two phrases are used interchangeably and are used to mean the same exact thing. There is an endless list of myths and misconceptions in regards to human trafficking, but I plan to keep all the information here very clear and concise. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “Human trafficking is the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them.” (1) This means that innocent people are taken from their homes and families, kept in secret and forced to work for their captor or whomever they are sold to. This work may be physical labor and it may be sexual in nature. The living conditions are usually harsh, and it is not uncommon for the captor (or
Between 2007 and 2010 there were around 118 countries and 136 different nationalities that fell victim to traffickers (united nations publications, 2012). If we want to continue successful globalization patterns, we need to crack down on punishment for those who commit these crimes. In his article “A Decade in Review…” Luis CdeBaca states that prevention, protection, and prosecution are the key to stopping this global trend (CdeBaca, 2008). All three need to be implemented together and will not work independently. Preventing trafficking begins with prosecution of criminals. But often, prosecution can’t occur without witness testimony. This makes protection of victims essential in ending human trafficking. This along with more government involvement in labor law enforcement, we can bring justice to more victims. Government can check more into checking labor recruiting companies and potentially making more restrictive visas that allow people to cross borders more easily (CdeBaca,
Human trafficking is modern slavery. Human trafficking is a serious problem but affects our home, Las Vegas the most. It’s such a problem, because people fail to recognize it, and don’t understand the severity of the crime. Human trafficking is where children, teens, and adults are prostituted for money. Some are forced to have sex. Human trafficking occurs all over the world, but its effect in Nevada is devastating. There have been 2,229 victims of human trafficking that have been saved since 1994.
When many of you hear about individuals being trafficked, the first thing that comes to your mind is sex trafficking or even slavery way back in the day, but many don’t really the laborers are being trafficking everyday all over the world. What is human labor trafficking? According to the UNODC, human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation (UNODC.org, n.p.). It is estimated that
Defining human trafficking can be difficult due to the fact that it can be confused with other illegal activities such as smuggling and consented prostitution. In the essay Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery In The 21st Century , Shaden Mohajerin states that human trafficking can be defined as the transferring, harboring, and transportation of persons which is accomplished through force, coercion, kidnapping, and deception (...
The United States has always been known for sticking their nose in places where it does not belong. America has been part of wars that could have been avoided, scandals that had nothing to do with the United States. Millions of lives over the years could have been spared if America would have just simply stayed where they belong. What if though, America feels like they have to get involved in forging affairs if they think it can cause or is causing a problem on American soil or with Americans themselves? Human trafficking is issues that most people do not nessacarly knows about or even really think about. There are several different types of human trafficking and smuggling crimes that are in today’s society. The number one kind of human trafficking is sex trafficking. The handlers usually kidnap someone, ninety percent of the time a girl under the age of eighteen, and sell them to different people all over the world for sexual reasons. The girls they kidnap and sell can be from the area or can just passing through and get in the wrong place at the wrong time. Forced labor is the second most common type of human trafficking in the world. This is where a person is takes advantage of a worker and bends labor laws to make them work longer hours or harder more tiring jobs with very little pay. Victims of forced labor most of the time do not even know what is happening to them. Most of the people that get sucked into the forced labor trade are very vulnerable; the reasons for this being that most of them live in poverty and have very little education. High unemployment rate forces many of these people to work in places with terrible working conditions. Forced labor is much harder to see or identify then sex traffick...
Summary: We see that there are many different aspects and types of human trafficking that everyone should be made aware of. As a whole human trafficking is a lucrative industry raking in $150 BILLION globally. The impact that this industry has on its victims is
“Human trafficking coerces and persuades their victims to cross national borders in search of new jobs and better opportunities and after that they are forced into some sort of labor bondage” (At Issue: Human Trafficking 1). Even though trafficking is a problem in almost every country; poorer countries have a bigger problem with it because they are more desperate for work. Just in 2000, the U.S. enacted their first federal anti-trafficking law, called the Victims of Trafficking Protection Act (At Issue: Human Trafficking 1). Trafficking has just begun to receive notice on how big of a problem it actually is. “Proponents of strict anti-trafficking initiatives say that laws and prevention against trafficking are necessary in order to stem the growing tide of large scale organized crime that profits off of smuggling and trafficking” (At Issue: Human Trafficking 1).
The focus on human trafficking which results come from the U.S. demands, involves victims who are under the age of 18, and sexual abuse. The Government acknowledge that human trafficking is a global problem and that there are victims of all ages, but there is little to do in this cruel and dark topic. Every day human traffickers find new ways to vanish and get new victims. Human trafficking has many faces to it and technology’s role varies as a result.
... not stopped will shake the foundation of our future. This 'market' has forced men, women and children from all around the world into sexual exploitation as well as physical exploitation. Although certain countries and international organizations are putting in effort, for public awareness and are trying to stop human trafficking from progressing, a lot more can and needs to be done. Strict international laws and tougher sentences for these offences need to be put in place, with harsher punishments for individuals and groups who violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to estimates, human trafficking is the fastest-growing area of organized crime (United Nations, 2002). It continues to be overlooked by international authorities to this date and international organizations need to step up and handle this issue before it continues to rapidly grow.
Human trafficking is a form of slavery, forcing victims to engage in sexual activities and labors against their will. These activities can be taken place through force, fraud, or constraint. Human trafficking is not just affecting one group of people, it is a worldwide issue, affecting all different ages, genders, ethnicities, and socio-economic backgrounds. Human trafficking is such an immense problem, apprehending the true size, knowing how to help, and how to keep the issue from reoccurring. Human trafficking is and is still becoming such a serious issue that something needs to be done about.
Human trafficking, or the selling and buying of people, is a well-hidden yet prominent issue within today’s society. It is both an immoral and horrific topic that needs brought to attention and dealt with. When human beings are manipulated into work, sexual servitude, or economic hardship, human trafficking is occurring. In the year of 2006, only one individual is convicted of human trafficking per 800 victims (UNGIFT). By looking at straight statistics, reasons human trafficking happens, and the toll it has on people, it is very clear that this is a major issue that is happening in our world.
Human trafficking is a topic that is not discussed very often in society. Many people fail to realize that human trafficking still exists today. Human trafficking violates basic human rights. It takes away the freedom and security of men, women, and children world wide. The diversity and widespread execution of human trafficking make it difficult to regulate and prosecute.
On the news and all over the world you hear the term human trafficking. What exactly is human trafficking? “Human trafficking is essentially modern-day slave trading, which ensnares millions of people in debt bondage or forced conditions.” (Siddharth).As many know today human trafficking has become a phenomenon all over the country. Human Trafficking is a global activity where women and young girls are being traded and used as sexual exploitation. As Siddharth stated that human trafficking is slowly becoming one of the most involved criminal activities all over the world. Two causes and two effects on how strongly our human beings are encouraged to take action.