Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
The nature of human trafficking essay
Human trafficking and why it is a huge problem
Effects of stress on an individual
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: The nature of human trafficking essay
Human trafficking is defined in the Trafficking Protocol as “the recruitment, transport, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person by such means as threat or force” (Human Trafficking, 2015). Trafficking can be broken down into core elements such as action, means, or purpose. The action of trafficking, which mean the recruitment, transportation, or the transfer of persons. “The means of trafficking includes use of force, deception, coercion, abuse or power or position of vulnerability” (Human Trafficking, 2015). The purpose of trafficking, which always exploitation. It has become very hard to stop and even find the victims of this organized crime because victims are most of the time brain washed and deceived. Over the years, the consistent …show more content…
Those who have truly experienced human trafficking are the ones who most cope within the majority of society. Socially, human trafficking affect’s the victim’s. “With sex trafficking, victim’s face threats of violence from many sources, including customers, pimps, brothel owners, madams, and corrupt law officials and with labor trafficking” (George, 2012). Victim’s face threats from business owners, and sad to say, modern day, “Slave Owners or Masters”. Trafficking victims are also exposed to different psychological stresses. “Victims suffer short-term psychological impact like social alienation, stigmatizing, social exclusion, and tolerance” (TRCTP, 2011). Some victim’s suffers from long term psychological like Stockholm syndrome and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. “Stockholm syndrome is capture-bonding, is a psychological phenomenon in which hostages express empathy and sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with the captors” (TRCTP, 2011). Some other long term psychological impact is HIV/AIDS and STDS. “Although 98% of the sex trade is composed of woman and girls there is an effort to gather empirical evidence about the psychological impact on abuse common in sex trafficking upon young boys” (McCarthy, 2010). Being a female, “the susceptibility of a trafficking woman to HIV/AIDS is higher than that of a person who engages in sex workout of …show more content…
That’s where the corrupt actors within this chain of activities come in that may include police, customs officers, embassies/consulates, and border control authorities, immigration services. Other law enforcement agencies, intelligence/security forces, armed forces (national or international), local officials, persons/groups/parties with influence on public officials, as well as private sector actors, such as travel agencies, airlines, transportation sector, financial institutions, and banks may also be corrupted. This is not limited to government officials from different countries too. Corruption plays a huge role in the trafficking process. It’s from the initial planning to the point where a victim is trafficked and the exploitation begins. Recruitment plays the first step. Recruitment is the stage where a person becomes a victim. “Corruption at this point is the buying and silence of government bodies that are responsible for protections” (George, 2012). For example, three recruitment agencies in the Philippines were responsible for nearly Filipino workers trafficked. Nearly 100 Filipino government officials were arrested.
The second part is the transport. This is where the police officers and border controls plays a major part. In an instance, “internationally trafficking requires the help with making sure the goods has reached their destination without not much of a hassle” (George, 2012). They take bribes that are
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 has been entwined into the structure of governments, arms trade, drug trade, and even spreads as far as terrorism. For many years it has been a fact that the money that has been made by selling other humans to the highest bidder. It is also known that the organized crime operations generate one of the most profitable resources to the organization. These organizations use this money for theirs or other’s crime and end up in the hands of drug lords. Drug lords, in order to promote their own business give money to support terrorist groups and activities. Security after September 11, 2001 has recognized human trafficking as a national and international security risk.
Identifying the victims and rescuing them is the main key to preventing human trafficking, which in turn reduces costs to the healthcare system. Human trafficking is a form of organized crime. It involves a hierarchical system, which is similar to that of other criminal organizations. The traffickers represent every social, racial and ethnic group. Some traffickers are involved with local gangs, while others are members are part of nationally recognized gangs and organizations. Some traffickers are independent and do not have any affiliation with other gangs or organizations. Traffickers exist irrespective of gender. There are several women in human trafficking activities along with men. Several young girls living on the streets, engage in prostitution. Some of them are involved in nationwide organized criminal activities where the organizers of crime force these young girls into human trafficking. It is problematic to enforce anti-trafficking laws because in most of these cases, the victims do not tell the identity of the traffickers with the fear of being
According to Rijken (2009) any activity that involves the recruitment, transportation, or receipt of a person using coercive or deceptive means with the intent of exploitation is defined as Human Trafficking. If the victim is under 18 the coercive or deceptive means in unnecessary to call such conduct trafficking (p. 212). There are 12.3 million victims of human trafficking worldwide at any given moment (Hepburn & Simon, 2010; Nack, 2009). Statistics show that 43% are forced into the sex trade, 32% are used in forced labor, and the remaining 25% are trafficked for mixed or undetermined reasons (Hepburn & Simon, 2010). In the United States alone, 15-18,000 women, children, and men are trafficked annually. People of all genders, races, and ages are at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking. We can’t simply prosecute our way to social justice. Of course people who exploit people should be punished. But definitions of trafficking often cast a wide net, encompassing all sex workers. While law enforcement has the biggest role to play, the quest to end modern slavery must have other champions. Forced labor and sex trafficking is the second most profitable criminal enterprise, and the fastest growing. Yet the level of awareness within the United States is not commensurate. To truly confront this most egregious of crimes, civil society must be a lead proponent. Organizations already exist that help in a variety of ways, such as providing training to those who could identify victims. (Ergas, Y.; "Online Journal - JIA SIPA.")
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
Who are the targets, and who is a trafficker? Lets start with who are the targets. Roughly around 17,500 foreign people are trafficked into just the United States, although the numbers for US citizens being trafficked across the country are tremendously higher. It was said that close to 200,000 children are at a higher risk for being involved in the sex industry as the years go on. Trafficking victims tend to come from more defenseless populations, these mainly include people such as the poor, runaway children, and migrants. Some may think that by being a trafficking victim you have to be of certain race, religion, and speak a certain language. In the end to be a victim of human trafficking you can be just about any race, religion, and speak almost any language. A victim of human trafficking can look or be almost anyone. Now on to who is a trafficker. A trafficker can be anyone, although they may tend to operate as “individuals, families, or more organized groups of criminals, and are facilitated by other indirect beneficiaries, such as advertising, distribution, or retail companies and consumers.” Its known to be said that both women and men can be involved in the trafficking business. Human trafficking is such a booming business because of its low start up costs. These traffickers can be knows a professional trafficker or a non-professional trafficker, but as I said before this business is such an easy business to
“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).
In order to understand how sex trafficking affects its victims, one must first know the severity of sex trafficking and what it is. The issue of sex trafficking affects 2.5 million people at any given time (Abas et al., 2013). The form of sex slavery affects many women and children across the world. Even though both males and females are sexually trafficked and exploited, there is a deep emphasis on the sexual exploitation of women and children. This is due to gender discrimination (Miller, 2006). This is because women and children are more vulnerable and appeal to the larger populations of brothels and the so-called “clients” since the majority are men. Ecclestone (2013) stated that children as young as age three are trafficked. Sex trafficking has changed over time; “Today, the business of human sex trafficking is much more organized and violent. These women and young girls are sold to traffickers, locked up in rooms or brothels for weeks or months, drugged, terrorized, and raped repeatedly” (Walker-Rodriguez & Hill, 2011). It is found that many of the victims of sex trafficking are abducted, recruited, transported and forced into involuntary “sex work”. These sexual acts include prostitution, exotic dancing, pornography, and sexual escort services (McClain & Garrity, 2011). What happens to these sex trafficking victims is extremely traumatizing.
Sex trafficking is essentially systemic rape for profit. Force, fraud and coercion are used to control the victim’s behavior which may secure the appearance of consent to please the buyer (or john). Behind every transaction is violence or the threat of violence (Axtell par. 4). Just a decade ago, only a third of the countries studied by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime had legislation against human trafficking. (Darker Side, par.1) Women, children, and even men are taken from their homes, and off of the streets and are brought into a life that is almost impossible to get out of. This life is not one of choice, it is in most times by force. UNODC estimates that the total international human trafficking is a $32-billion-per-year business, and that 79% of this activity comprises sexual exploitation. As many as 2 million children a year are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, according the the U.S. State Department.-- Cynthia G. Wagner. (Darker Side, par. 4) The words prostitute, pimp, escort, and stripper tend to be way too common in the American everyday vocabulary. People use these words in a joking manner, but sex trafficking is far from a joke. Everyday, from all different countries, people are bought and sold either by force or false promises. Some are kidnapped and others come to America with dreams of a dream life and job. The buyers involved in the trade will do anything to purchase an innocent life just to sell for their own selfish profit. Many people wouldn’t think of a human body to be something you can buy in the back room of a business or even online. But those plus the streets are where people are sold most often. There are many reasons and causes for sex trafficking. The factors behind sex traffic...
They also use emotional manipulation to create an environment that at first seems more welcoming and loving than their home life. For the traffickers, it is extremely easy to victimize these girls and then sit back and collect the money, and their job is hardly hindered at all by the authorities. The lack of help from law enforcement shows another aspect of the problem: there is no risk for the traffickers, because punishment is almost
Trafficking in human beings is now the fastest-growing business of organized crime. Men, women and children are trafficked within their own countries and across international borders. More than one person is smuggled across a border every minute which is the equivalent to ten jumbo jets every single day. And the trade earns twice as much as the Coca Cola brand. (STOP THE TRAFFIK 2014)
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.
Trafficking is recognized as a major health problem and tragic transnational crime (Muftic). Most people think the physical abuse from trafficking is the worst part about it. What most people do not know, is the mental abuse can be just as horrifying if not more. The women who are trafficked have poorer health outcomes, and more intense and prolonged psychological reactions to abuse than women who are not trafficked (Muftic). When a woman's sexuality is violently used or abused, it is far more damaging to her than words, fists, or any other abuse that could be heaped on her. It is an invasion of the essence of who they are. Women were reported having suicidal thoughts/attempts, feelings of anger/rage, depression, inability to feel, difficulty sleeping, self-blame/guilt, and loss of appetite (Muftic). These poor women have no idea what the trafficking life can hold for them, not just while being there but also after they have left that life. Casey Roman noticed a coping mechanism for some of the women. They will laugh off information or past memories, telling their brains that what is or was happening to them is not as bad as it really is (Roman 2). Most of these women in the life have actual disorders. In 2008, the United States Department of Health and Human Services identified the serious and complex mental health problems of sex trafficking victims. The disorders included, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and mood disorders, dissociative disorders, and substance related disorder (Muftic). The women might not even realize they have a disorder until they are out of the sex trafficking life and living in the normal world. It is evident that the mental effects take a negative toll on the women in sex
There are specialized roles when it comes to trafficking. Most operate on small-scales and have different roles taken over by different gangs. The different types of roles include recruitment, the providing of forged documents, transportation, bribing police or border officials, being a pimp, and laundering or hiding of the profits.