The Dangers Of Labor Trafficking In The United States

Sadly, labor trafficking is only one of the multiple types of modern slavery. Millions of people are caught in trafficking by being illegally manipulated into the system during times they are most vulnerable. It begins when a person or group of people are very desperate for a job, causing “recruiters” to use “violence, threats, lies, debt bondage, or other forms of coercion to force people to work against their will in many different industries” (Polaris Project). Traffickers then make false promises about a job which eventually cause victims to be trapped into an oppressed environment through debt bondage and/or physical or mental control. Without knowing the dangers of trafficking, many poverty stricken immigrants are victimized because

The reason spreading awareness is so essential, is because it “protects migrants from wrong choices and [lowers] social tolerance of exploitative working conditions” (Symposium). Migrants are the most victimized group of people in labor trafficking because they come to a new country desperate to find work. If migrants are more aware of the signs of labor trafficking, they might be able to avoid it at an early stage before they become trapped in debt bondage or a binding contract. Journalists and media platforms are important resources that help provoke positive change with the trafficking epidemic. Since news platforms are always alert about recent issues regarding labor trafficking, the public is also well informed on the problem. An example of spreading awareness using the media is through “[a]wareness campaigns [that] take the form of targeted advertising in the media”

The means are enacted through legislated acts, awareness, and consciously aware consumers. Labor trafficking is an extremely tragic and inhumane epidemic issue. It is a huge part of the culture in many eastern countries, but is also very prevalent in the western hemisphere also. Nevertheless, no matter where labor trafficking is, it is a horrible practice that does not give people the rights they are entitled to and leads society down a wrongful path. It is important to try to mitigate it down to the lowest percentage because labor trafficking is not a convention that future generations should