Human trafficking is prevalent throughout the world, especially in Asia and more specifically in China but the government and non-governmental organizations (NGO) are taking measures to put an end to it. Human trafficking involves exploitation of human beings; either sexually or by coercing them to work in unfavourable conditions for little pay or nothing at all. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) defines human trafficking as “the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them.” Women and children, especially girls between the ages of fourteen and twenty constitute the majority of victims of human trafficking. “China is a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking; the majority of which is internal trafficking” (www.humantrafficking.org). Many Chinese (women and children) are recruited by false promises of employment and are later coerced into prostitution or forced labor. Children are sometimes recruited by traffickers who promise their parents that their children can send remittances back home. In poorer areas, most trafficked women are sold as wives to old and disabled unmarried men. In richer areas, most trafficked women are sold to commercial sex businesses, hair salons, massage parlors and bathhouses. Chinese children are also kidnapped and sold for adoption. (www.humantraffickin.org). “There are at least 12.3 million persons in forced labour today” (www.ilo.org). A great number of the victims are poverty-stricken people in Asia, “whose vulnerability is exploited by others for a profit” (www.ilo.org). One of the reasons human trafficking is so easy is because the majority of the victims and their families live in poverty and ... ... middle of paper ... ...man trafficking. Retrieved from http://www.humantrafficking.org/countries/china The Trafficking Situation in China. UNIAP. Retrieved from http://www.no-trafficking.org/china_laws.html A Global Alliance against Forced Labor. International labor organization. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/sapfl/lang--en/index.htm UNODC on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling. UNODC. Retrieved from http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html, http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2011/November/unodc-and-unhcr-sign-mou-to-combat-human-trafficking-and-migrant-smuggling.html International Policy. Polaris Project. Retrieved from http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/policy-advocacy/international-policy (2011). Chinese-Angolan Police Arrest Human Traffickers. Xinhuanet News. Retrieved from http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/video/2011-11/17/c_131252746.htm
As victim count continues to rise, its difficult to see how such great numbers of men, women and children are bought and sold every year. Trafficking can be found in many forms, including: prostitution, slavery, or forced labor (Harf and Lombardi, 2014). It wasn’t until the 1980’s that international human trafficking became globally noticed. With the lack of government intervention and control in several nations, and the free trade market, slavery once again became a profitable industry (Harf and Lombardi, 2014). As previously mentioned, easier movement across nations borders is one of the outcomes of globalization. It is also what makes human trafficking so easy today. It is estimated that about 20.9 million people are victims across the entire globe (United Nations Publications, 2012); trafficking accounts for 32 billion dollars in generated profit globally (Brewer, n.d). 58 percent of all human trafficking was for the purpose of sexual exploitation, and of this 55-60 percent are women (United Nations Publications,
Human Trafficking can be seen in the same two familiar forms of old: sexual and forced labor. The problem is most problematic within the developing world where international norms have largely been ignored. Places such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Venezuela. But even places that have or are beginning to adopt international norms are affected by human trafficking. One of these places is China.
Majority of human trafficking are worldwide which involves the transportation of victims from Africa, South and Eastern Asia, Central and South America, Russia and other developing countries to developed countries in Asia, the Middle East, North America and central and southeastern countries of the European continent. It is the Asia-Pacific region where a majority of the world’s forced laborers come from followed by Africa. The Asia-Pacific region contributes 56% or 11.7 million victims, while Africa accounts 18% or 3.7 million victims of human trafficking. The meltdown of the global economy in the recent times has given rise to an increase in contemporary slavery. About 26 percent of modern slaves are children below the age of 18 years, out of which girls are the victims of child prostitution and
“Some girls come to us beaten half to death. They are so young. They have marks that are worse than anything I have ever endured.” (Mam 166). Throughout the world, traffickers coerce and abduct women and children into the sex trade. Traffickers then trade and sell these women for the use of sexual exploitation (Mace Venneberg, and Amell 336). As many as 20 million people are involved in the global sex trade at any given time (Nawyn, Birdal, and Glogower 56). Though sex trafficking is acknowledged as an issue throughout the world, it continues to become even more extreme. Anyone, from anywhere, could be taken and sold as a slave. In countries such as Cambodia and Thailand, girls can be as young as five or six years old when they enter the sex industry (Chung 484; Mam 62). Statistics show that 80 percent of sex slaves are women and 50 percent are children (Mace, Venneberg, and Amell 338). “It can be expected that at least 1 in 40 girls born in Cambodia will be sold into sex slavery” (Mam 1). This number is alarmingly high, and continues to rise. There are several human rights activist groups and global organizations that attempt to stop the trafficking; however, more effort can always be put forth to help women and children throughout the world. Global organizations should do more to help the women and children in the sex industry; no person should have to endure rape, torture, or humiliating servitude.
The United States is a major port for human trafficking and, “Due to the covert nature of human trafficking, it is difficult to ascertain which countries are the primary source nations for trafficking into the US” (Hepburn). People of all ages and genders are at risk to human trafficking (Hepburn). Women and girls make up about fifty-six percent of the people trafficked for forced labor, while men and boys make up the other forty-four percent; children make up forty to fifty percent of those numbers (Hepburn). Ninety-eight percent of the people trafficked for sexual explorations are women and girls (Hepburn). Children tend to be targeted more than adults because they are much more vulnerable. Human trafficking has different forms, and “While trafficking for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation is more publicized in the media, it is not the only form of trafficking that takes place in the US” (Hepburn). Trafficking for the purposes of forced labor is just as likely to occur as trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation (Hepburn). Many citizens have never heard of human trafficking for something other than sexual exploitation. Hepburn shows that, “Forty-three percent are trafficked for purposes of...
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
Sex trafficking is when women, young girls, and young boys are held in slavery and forced into prostitution for the financial gain of others in brothels in the United States, Europe, and other developing countries such as Thailand and the Philippines (Sexual Slavery). It’s happened to many women and children throughout many years in many of these countries for money and more power. Often purchased or kidnapped off the street, women, girls, and boys are trafficked across international
“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).
“Pakistani laborers toil in Saudi Arabia, Chinese babies are trafficked for adoption overseas, and girls from Nepal are found in the brothels of India”. (Shelley, 2010) Individuals frequently blame gender inequality as the main factor for Asian women and girls that are trafficked into prostitution in Asia and globally. But then again sexual trafficking and sex tourism is only one of the factors of the human trafficking that is prevalent throughout Asia. As well, forced labor in factories and workshops, domestic labor, forced begging, debt bondage and organ trafficking are all important components of the Asian trafficking
It is the world’s fastest growing global crime. It is also the world’s second largest source of illegal income after drug trafficking. According to the United Nations Office on drugs and crime (2012),”Women account for 55-60 per cent of all trafficking victims detected globally; women and girls together account for about 75% and as many as 161 countries are affected by human trafficking.” It is also believed that the victims arguably come from the poorest countries in the world. One of the main causes of human trafficking is vulnerability. For example, children are more vulnerable to trafficking because of their lack of understanding and experience. Additionally, in certain societies, women are less empowered than men thus resulting in gender inequality both at home and in the workplace. Gender inequality then leads to easy exploitation through the use of force or
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 is a worldwide problem. From California to Australia, it happens. “161 countries are reported to be affected by human trafficking by being either a source, transit, or destination count. Out of the 161 countries, 56% of those are in Asia and the Pacific, being the number one place it occurs” (UNGIFT). Trailing far behind with 10% is Latin America and the Caribbean” (UNGIFT). No matter the location or the state of the economy, human trafficking is always in progress. “People are reported to be trafficked from 127 countries to be exploited in 137 countries, affecting every continent and every type of economy” (UNGIFT). “The majority of trafficking victims are between the ages of 18 and 24 years old” (UNGIFT). Just because those are the most common ages, doesn't mean that it only happens to them. Children are also affected by human trafficking. “An estimated 1.2 million children are trafficked each year” (UNGIFT). So many people think that it is just teens and adults that get stuck into the trafficking business, but it is also small children.
Millions of women and child have been trafficked across borders and within countries in recent years, making human-trafficking a global industry that generates an estimated five to seven billion U.S. dollars each year. It is estimated that 300,000 to 450,000 people are trafficked within Asia each year, of which more than half take place in South Asia. Women and children, particularly girls, are trafficked within country boundaries and to other countries beyond South Asia. The growing of human-trafficking problem in South Asia has been recognized and has become a serious concern over the last decades. The reason it has become a main concern is because of the health issues such trafficking is causing is the rise of HIV/ AIDS and other STD,STIs
Topic: Human trafficking is an ongoing issue in many regions in the world. Every year South Asians are illegally forced into prostitution and forced labor. This issue continues to be on the rise and prompting international outrage. Such heinous atrocity violates human rights and obstructs social development.
Worldwide, there are 21 million victims of forced labor: 11.4 million women and young girls and 9.5 million men and boys (International Labor Organization). Among the 21 million victims, 2 million are exploited by rebel and state groups and 4.5 million are exploited in the sex trade. Many of the victims work in agriculture, domestic work, manufacturing, and construction and generate approximately 150 billion dollars per year in illegal profits (International Labour Organization). Whereas the number of slaves varies worldwide, approximately 11.7 million slaves are found in Asia alone (International Labour Organization).