Category: Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking has been a predominant issue the world as a whole has fought for the past decade. Human trafficking is a broad term for a multitude of different sub-categories. These sub-categories are broken down into Sex-trafficking, Labor-trafficking, and commercial sexual exploitation. The majority of human trafficking that takes place is for the purpose of o abor and slavery. The majority of this occurs in third world, or underdeveloped countries that feed the United States with product as part of our booming national ecommerce markets. Many companies outsource their production efforts to other countries in an effort to save money and avoid paying labor taxes. The problem derives from the high demand for product and the inability to find willing participants to work for the low wages offered. Many third-world production companies find themselves labor-trafficking their human work force to meet these incredibly high demands and tight deadlines.

There are really only two options to stop this egregious crime. Both fall under targeting production at its source. The United States has implemented labor laws for people whom operate and work for companies within its borders. However, there are no restrictions implemented for those working outside its borders. Tariffs exist for indirect imports into the United States from some countries, but direct imports are not usually affected. With the lack of ability to enforce these direct imports, and the inability to monitor and enforce rules and regulations in other countries, our ecommerce industry is feeding into the human trafficking business by making slavery and labor trafficking a profitable market. Without addressing this issue, the horrible sourcing of innocent people for slavery will continue.

The first option I propose, is taxing direct imports to a similar extent that production within the United States would impose. For example, if a lot of 1,000,000 cell phones would cost a company $75,000 in taxes including labor tax, and product tax make the import tax $75,000 so the incentive to outsource the items is removed. The advantage of this could include keeping these jobs in America, reducing the need for illegal workforces oversees thus eliminating labor-trafficking and allowing companies and regulatory agencies direct oversight of production ensuring quality standards are met. The disadvantages of this are; increased pricing to the consumer, higher initial production and labor costs, and potentially lower returns to investors.

The second option I propose is regulating workforce for companies that operate within the United States in all countries of operation. This would be different from imposing similar taxes to take away the appeal of outsourcing production. By regulating work force in other countries the United States would require each company to submit documentation of the workers willingness to work and right to work. The United States would also require third-party internal audits of working conditions and employee satisfaction. If employee conditions were not to standard or employees were dissatisfied because they were not working at their own will, the United States would deny direct imports until these qualifications were met and potential assess a fine against imports once these qualifications could be reasonably proven that they were within standard compliance. The benefits of this are: keeping production costs lower, implementing a way to monitor and enforce violations, allowing companies to conduct business without too much government interference, eliminating the need for labor-trafficking and keeping outsourced working conditions decent and acceptable. The disadvantages of this are: potential increased pricing to the consumer for non-compliant businesses, lack of product imported into the United States due to non-compliant companies, and decreased returns to shareholders for non-compliant companies. Ultimately, this is an option that allows businesses to keep their operating costs low, while eliminating the need and use of labor trafficking. Fines and denials of imports would only be assessed against a company if they were non-compliant with the United States regulations. If businesses maintain good compliance, they can still have a reduced production cost and directly import their product into the United States to feed the consumers.

Although labor trafficking is not a common issue in the United States, it has become one of the largest sources for human trafficking in other parts of the world. The United States has gone to extraordinary efforts to eradicate this issue by placing labor laws into act and devising regulatory agencies to monitor and enforce compliance within all work places. It is the hope of many, that one day labor trafficking will be eliminated because companies and corporations will move their operations into their country of origin. Until that happens, we face an undeniable issue of slavery. The commonwealth of all individuals is important, not just those in our country. We should derive a mindset that our greed has adverse effects on those who are tasked with making the products we demand. Everyone can do their part by purchasing items made in the United States.

References

1. Global Centurion (ND) The Problem of Modern Slavery https://www.globalcenturion.org/programs/theproblem/
2. Human Trafficking Hotline (December 2017) Labor Trafficking https://humantraffickinghotline.org/type-trafficking/labor-trafficking
3. L. Miller (April 2018) Why Labor Trafficking Is So Hard To Track https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/why-labor-trafficking-is-so-hard-to-track/
4. U.S Department of Labor (January 2019) Child Labor, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/our-work/child-forced-labor-trafficking

In “Exploitation creep and the unmaking of Human Trafficking Law by Janie A. Chuang, the author main claim is how migration has been a social and economic mobility strategy which has led to a profitable business all over the world. Human trafficking and different ways of exploitation that involve forced marriage and labor under the name modern slavery are considered to affect a significant number of people globally. “Human trafficking can be considered to be a multi-dimensional human rights violation which has a great focus on exploitation”. Exploitations that are at the center of trafficking hold various forms of mistreatment like poor pay, extensive hours, physical confinement, violence, serious occupation challenges, and threats.

Initially, the early analysis of trafficking in persons had much focus on sex trafficking of girls and women. However, human trafficking can currently be understood in a broader way. The author states how the contemporary result of low-wage and mobility labor has fostered several chances for labor utilization. Children, men, and women are being trafficked for different reasons that demand plantation and agricultural work, domestic servitude, factory labor, and forced sex (Chuang, 611). Such types of offensive working conditions are commonly reasonable in middle and low revenue states. My thought to this article is that, these countries with low-cost labour with high demands likewise, the unsafe and informal labor governance and employment are weak. The collision of abuse on well-being and comfort of an individual being trafficked depends on the severity and types of the acts he or she encounters.

Labor market inequalities can be greatly linked to vigorous life anticipation, mortality, and grievance rates. The tax intention of illness and job-related harm on countries is taken to be considerable. There is limited substantiation on financial, social, and lawful impairment suffered by the trafficked individuals (Chuang, 636). Minorities, child workers, and asymmetrical migrants are at a particular risk of extra tremendous forms of exploitation. The highly marginalized populations and ethnic minority are recognized to be working in some of the most damaging and exploitative sectors like stone quarries, fleece tanning, and excavation work. Illegal or irregular migration status can be utilized to coerce or intimidate workers. Human trafficking can also manifest in various ways with consideration of gender and deprived speech skills can curb migrant staffs from negotiating and understanding employ terms and occupation training. Extreme exploitation like substance misuse or violence against women has interacting and multiple causes and effects. Labor exploitation is observed to be preventable and a wellbeing determinant societal difficulty from the communal health challenge that aims at the harm before its occurrence.

Several immigrants leave their homes in the exploration of an improved life for their family and themselves. The circumstances are sometimes influenced by non-migrant and income disparities between neighbouring migrants. The consequences of ambiance change on market-driven land tiredness, local production, weak social assistance, and humanitarian crises make contributions that anguish migrants (Chuang, 617). To minimize the individual’s vulnerability in the tremendous forms of abuse, the global neighbourhood has come up with considerable investments in society-based responsiveness implementation and immigration education structuring. The restricted occupation challenges have led to the number of persons running away from their homes to look for income opportunities without considering difficult situations like human trafficking. Individuals are at a greater risk of linking with probable manipulative arrangements when forced to make quick migration decisions (Chuang, 642). Household debt can compel individuals to extortionate employment or job placement terms and conditions. Job assistance and social support strategies are given to influence distress migration. After exploitation, several trafficked workers are faced with psychological or physical health problems. Financial obligations and other debts can raise the survivor’s vulnerability to further exploitation. The human trafficking causalities rarely have access to social or health assistance like financial compensation for illness or worker-linked injuries. Lack of payments for the migrants may lead to stigmatization and re-trafficking. This can be the start of a generational cycle of entry into dangerous labor in the United States. Each of the variables and categories proposed must be comprehended within the varying socio economic and historical environment.

To control the misuse of aspiring labor immigrants, there is a need for evidence on the determinants of mistreatment and the significant attributes that enhance decent work and safe migration. In addition to that, policy frameworks are needed to observe in the manner in which group, individuals, and structural factors influence health and exploitation alongside the migration trajectory. The interactions can be a problem by weak labor governance which may not be protecting staffs from the production process that is commonly enhanced by the demands for low cost services and goods despite global interventions to give protection to workers. Migrant networks and labor intermediaries participate in key roles in recruitment procedures. The article in “Exploitation creep and the unmaking of Human Trafficking Law” by Janie A. Chuang explains there is a great presence of dishonest intermediaries that are noted for deception, extortion, or coercion or exploiting workers. Social networks or informal migrants are frequently thought to offer good protection from exploitation. The perspective may include forms of mischief further than psychological, physical, and work related health challenges that cause financial, social, and legal harm.

Abstract

Trafficking of women and children is on a rise globally. The primary reason why most of the jurisdictions around the world including the most developed ones are unable to contain women trafficking is the ingenious ways devised by traffickers. One of the recent trends identified in cases of women trafficking stems from the mushrooming of International Marriage Brokering Organizations or the Mail Order Bride Industry. The International Marriage Brokering Organization or the Mail Order Bride Industry are marriage agencies that make use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) and operate in virtual space. While the mail order brides entering into transnational matrimonial alliances hail from around the world, thise paper focuses on Indian women marrying an Non Resident Indian (NRI), Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) or any foreigner through iInternational marriage brokering agencies. The paper analyses the existing Indian law against trafficking prostitution and involuntary servitude, and how the same can be utilized to deal with international marriage brokers to curb trafficking.

Introduction

Women trafficking is a societal malice and has been a matter of concern for governments of various jurisdictions around the globe. Despite there being robust legislation against the offence of trafficking of humans in almost all the states around the globe, the cases of human trafficking has been perpetually on the rise. One of the reason for this rise in the cases of human trafficking is the ingenious ways and new modus operandi being devised by the traffickers. One of the recent trends which has been identified to result in women trafficking stems from the mushrooming of International Marriage Brokering Organizations or the Mail Order Bride Industry.

The International Marriage Brokering Organization or the Mail Order Bride Industry are marriage agencies operating in virtual space. These agencies offer catalogues of potential brides with pictures and specifications in terms of women’s age, weight, height and interests from under developed jurisdictions and those who are ready to immigrate post marriage to the country of the mail sponsor. The mail sponsors are invariably men who belong to developed jurisdictions. Thus, the international marriage brokers or the international match making organizations help in facilitating the exchange between mail sponsors and female mail order bride. (Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate, 2004) The immigrant bride who transverses the national boundaries to move to the country of the mail sponsor usually lands in a vulnerable spot making her susceptible to exploitations and many a times victim of trafficking. This paper attempt to establish a link between marriage brokering organizations operating in virtual space and women trafficking. The paper also explores in Indian context how Indian girls marrying an NRI and moving base to foreign jurisdiction become victims of abuse and get subjected to sex slavery. [1: ]

The paper is divided into four parts. Part I deals with the development and operating mechanism of mail order bride industry. Part II dwells into the various social, economic and legal reasons resulting into flourishing of this industry and also tries to establish a link between mail order bride industry and women trafficking. Part III deals with the vulnerabilities and abuses faced by Indian mail order bride marrying an NRI or Overseas Citizen of India in the context of women trafficking. Part IV deals with the legal response to deal with women trafficking perpetuated in transnational marriages facilitated by international bride trade.

Objectives of Research Paper

• To trace the evolution of International Marriage Brokering Industry or the mail bride industry.
• To study the operating mechanism in the International Marriage Brokering Industry or the mail bride industry.
• To analyse the role of Information Communication and Technology (ICT) in transnational marriages.
• To study the common trends in women trafficking.
• To analyse the link between international marriage brokerage industry or the mail order bride industry and women trafficking.

Development of International Marriage Brokering Organizations or Mail Order Bride Industry

The mail order bride industry is replica of the more conventional arranged marriage settings but in virtual space. It mirrors arranged marriages where the families exchange “pictures of brides. ”(Gee, 1982) The mail order bride industry operate with the help of Information Communication and Technology. The international marriage brokers have operational websites which can be easily accessed with the help of internet. These websites comprise of profiles of the women willing to immigrate to foreign land after marriage. The profile of the women showcased on websites comprise of their pictures and other relevant information pertaining to them. [2: ]

The international marriage brokering industry is a major facilitator of transnational marriages. However, Tim Klass (1995) stated that “this industry is largely unregulated, unmonitored and not studied so far” and the same holds true till date. . It is nothing short of match making business with a commercial angle associated to it. One downside of the match making agencies is that they do not guarantee the accuracy of the information furnished to the parties. Most of the times it is women entering into matrimonial alliance who ends up at a disadvantaged spot. This is because of the information gap and its consequences. Lack of information is more detrimental for the spouse who plans to traverse the boundary of the home country and therefore, it is the women who invariably has to move base post marriage. Most of the time, the women do not get sufficient opportunity to know their prospective spouse before marriage or to do any background check including any history of domestic violence. As per various immigrant groups and women advocacy groups the instances of domestic violence and abuse are epidemic among spouses who have met through international marriage brokers. (Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate, 2004) This is primarily because of the vulnerable position of the women in such a setting. The immigrant women who stands a chance of losing her potential to become a permanent resident or citizenship of the country to which she has immigrated does not report any form of violence or abuse out of fear. [3: ] [4: ]

Link between Mail Order Bride Industry and Women Trafficking

In order to establish a link between women trafficking and mail order bride industry, it is important to first analyse some common trends and connecting factors seen in human trafficking cases. As per the hearing before Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Relations, US Senate (2004) sSome common trends seen in human trafficking irrespective of the modus operandi used for the purpose of trafficking are identifiedlisted below:

1. Vulnerability of victims

A common trend seen in human trafficking case is that the victims belong to the more vulnerable set of population. It is well documented that traffickers prey on those who are easy to target as compared to others. It is because of this reason that women and children are more prone to trafficking. Most of the time the traffickers use some kind of allurement like money, better financial opportunities or better job avenues, educational opportunities, better living standard. . Traffickers also make use of physical and psychological coercion to keep their victims in control.

2. Deception as a key tool for the purpose of trafficking

It is well researched and documented that false promises are used as a key tool to induce the victims of human trafficking. The deceptive promises of better financial conditions, better opportunities or a larger picture of better future are some of the pretext used by perpetrators of human trafficking. The main reason why the victims rely on the false promises made by the traffickers is the greener pastures they foresee in the host country where these immigrant population intends to immigrate. In case of women, it is reliance on the fact of better prospects post marriage that play an important role in them falling prey to potential traffickers.

3. Underdevelopment and Corruption as a contributing factor

It is usually seen that people belonging to underdeveloped jurisdictions or who are not in an economically viable position, are the ones who end up becoming victims of trafficking. The primary reason that most of the people belonging to this strata of population fall prey to trafficking is the prevailing underdevelopment and systematic corruption in most of these jurisdictions. Lack of faith in the government machinery results in people becoming more desperate and willing to undertake risks, thus making them prone to various schemes of trafficking.

Although it is difficult to document how international marriage brokering organization have been used for trafficking of women, but statistics given by women advocacy groups and international non-governmental organisations show that immigrant women who have entered into matrimonial alliance through international marriage brokering industry route have experienced abuse and have been subjected to sex slavery. This fact has been reiterated by thea Committee on Foreign Relations of United States Senate (2004). The committee is of the view that international marriage brokers who introduce prospective brides to wealthier men in developed foreign jurisdictions facilitate trafficking of women. Several cases have been reported and documented wherein marriage brokers have advertised and subsequently recruited women for the purpose of transnational marriage and later forced them into sexual servitude as per the Committee.

It is because of this reason that many developed jurisdictions have introduced legislation to extend protection to immigrant women entering into transnational marriage through international marriage brokering organisations. For instance, United States of America has a law titled International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005 which has several key provisions to prevent abuse of mail order bride and consequently extends protection from potential trafficking and abuse. Some of the key provisions of the legislation include: Section 833(d)(1) of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005 places prohibitionion on international marriage brokers to furnish personal contact, photographs or other information about anyone who is under 18 years of age to any individual or entity; the legislation also imposes a requirement on international marriage bureau to disclose criminal history and marital history of the foreign national client to the immigrant client before he/she enters into marital alliance under Section 833(d)(1) of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005. For the purpose of the same the international marriage broker has to conduct a due diligence of the foreign national client i.e. the American client and as per Section 833(d) (2) and (3) of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act of 2005, the due diligence shallwhich comprises of searching the sex offender public registers maintained by the concerned authorities for information regarding the United States client; collection, documentation or attestation of history of any previous marriage or any previous criminal record of the United States client; provide the foreign national client the records that has been procured from the sex offender public registry and any other background information pertaining to their marital history and previous criminal records in the primary language of the foreign client; also the legislation requires the foreign national client to furnish informed signed consent to the international marriage brokering organisation before sharing their information to the United States client. The International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, 2005 under Section 833(d)(c) also stipulates penalty for any violation or attempted violation by the international marriage brokers of their obligations under the Act. Thus, United States of America has addressed the problem of mail order bride through a specific legislation. However, most of the developed jurisdictions deal with this issue through incorporating stringent provisions in their immigration policy to curb marriage of convenience.

The mail order brides represent a structure which heavily relies on economic inequalities, besides gender and racial stereotypes.(Chun, 1996) The premises of the mail order bride industry i.e. mail order bride being treated as a commodity and potential husbands as consumer, have grave ramifications on the women. The harm caused by the dynamics of a relationship which is entered on convenience makes the position of the immigrant bride vulnerable. The displacement from the country to which they belong, dependence on the husband fostered by dependent spousal visa and other immigration rules, weaker economic status, result in change in power dynamics which consequently put the women in a vulnerable spot and susceptible to sexual exploitation.

As far as link between mail order bride industry and women trafficking is concerned, the mail order bride industry shall fall in the realm of involuntary servitude and trafficking only in narrowly prescribed cases.(Lee, 1998) The women’s sexuality which is subjected to commodification in mail order bride industry coupled with stringent immigration laws make women potential victims of trafficking. [14: ]

Many Indian girls today prefer marrying Non Resident Indian (NRI), Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) or a foreigner for better social and economic prospects. With the advent of technology, the most preferred medium to meet a prospective bride or groom today is online matrimonial sites. The Indian brides who meet their grooms in virtual space through international marriage brokering organizations find themselves in a vulnerable spot owing to their socially, economically and legally weak status in foreign land, thereby making them more susceptible to victims of trafficking and solitary servitude. The risks associated in entering into transnational marriage are well known to the Indian brides (Bal, 2001) and the same increases manifold in case the bride enters into marital alliance through online mode.

Legal Remedy and Conclusion

The international Convention on All Forms of Discrimination against Women under Article 6 states that “All parties shall take all appropriate measures, including legislation, to suppress all forms of traffic in women and exploitation of prostitution of women.” The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, specially women and children is yet another step taken by the international community to combat trafficking of women and children. In Indian context tThe primary law addressing the issue of trafficking in India is tThe Immoral Traffic (Suppression) Act, . 1956.

Despite there being a legal framework at international and national level, trafficking of women and children is on rise. In order to curb trafficking it is imperative to understand the innovative ways the traffickers device to victimise women and document them. One step in this direction would be to understand the mail order bride industry and how it results in trafficking and sexual exploitation of women. Several developed jurisdictions like USA have very specific laws with respect to mail order bride industry. Similarly, several jurisdictions from which most of the mail order bride are imported have legal provisions to regulate mail order bride trade. One such country is Philippines, wherein mail order bride trade is prohibited by the Republic Act 6955 and is used to regulate human trafficking and forced marriage resulting through international match making agencies. Several countries also regulate mail order bride industry and the consequential malpractices resulting from it through immigration laws.

Thus, it is time to analyse the anti-trafficking initiates in the context of fast paced developments made in the field of information communication and technology. It is also imperative to have international and national framework pertaining to trafficking to look into potential tools of trafficking like international marriage brokering organisations, deceptive transnational marriages and stringent immigration laws which are detrimental to women who are immigrating to foreign lands on dependent spousal visa.

References

1. Human Trafficking: Mail Order Bride Abuses, Hearing before the Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate, One hundred Eight Congress, Second Session held on July 13, 2004.
2. Gee, E. (1982) Issei Women, in Asian and Pacific American Experiences: Women’s Perspectives. Nobuya Tsuchida ed.
3. Lee, D. (1998). Mail fantasy: global sexual exploitation in mail-order bride industry and proposed legal solutions. Asian American Law Journal, 5
4. Chun, C. (1996). The mail order bride industry: the perpetuation of transnational economic inequalities and stereotypes. U. Pa. J. Int’l Econ. L.,17(4)
5. Tim Klass, Mail -order bride business booming despite Seattle courthouse slaying, L.A. Times, September 10, 1995, at 3B
6. Singh, N.(2017). Trafficked bride: whether a dream from hell to heaven or a reality of sexual exploitation: a study. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research in Arts and Humanities, 2(1)

People may think that slavery has ended, but tragically the trade in humans is a continuing practice across the world. Historic slavery already focused on the weak and the weary, but the seventeenth and eighteenth century brought the focus onto Africans being traded for racist reasons. In this regard only, modern day slavery can also be known as human trafficking , which is now truly multi-racial and tragically one of the fastest-growing segments of organized crime around the world. According to the international labor organization (ILO), it is estimated that 21 million people are thus abused by human traffickers who deprive the victims of their human rights. The majority (71%) of these victims of human trafficking are women and girls. About one third of trafficked victims are children as per the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crimes (Safe horizon). There are different reasons for human trafficking to be perpetuated: for organ harvesting, for cheap or free labor, to use trafficked children as child soldiers, and for sexual exploitation (La strada). This ongoing horrendous exploitation is committed by force, manipulation, abuse of position of power toward vulnerable victims or through myriad other forms of physical and emotional harassments. Africa prominently featured slavery during the Enlightenment period and untold numbers of its people were abused during those early modern days of the slave trade. Tragically, Africa is once again the central focus of many modern-day human trafficking victims (off) According to the article centerforglobalimpact the main contributing causes for human trafficking to occur can be summarized as follows: in the country of (the victim’s) origin certain circumstances are likely present—restrictive one party governments, authoritarian government press controls, and limited religious freedoms; transitional countries show the presence of—a shortage of international migration opportunities; and finally, the prevalent circumstances of classical destination countries with a) a need for cheap labor and b) strict adherence to rules against migrant. Unstable political situations and damaging and corrupt policies in Africa lead the majority of people habitually to face low job opportunities, persecution, unending military service and overall poverty. For these reasons people try to escape and are prepared to face the challenges of a new life. Sadly, many of these contributing factors can be found in Eritrea, an African country in the north-easterly corner of the continent. . It is one of the countries from which desperate people flee because of severe governmental mismanagement (United Nations). The migrants start to make their way to Europe for a better life, but unfortunately, they are very likely to fall into the hands of traffickers (United Nations). By studying the example of the fates of Eritrean migrants, international human trafficking tragedies which usually occur in at least three different countries (origin-, transition- and destination country) can be explained.(Refworld) .

Human trafficking differs from country to country and the cause also differ as well . The main causes of trafficking in the country of origin are influenced by social, economic, cultural and other factors. Specifically, the main cause for trafficking in Eritrea is because the government do not respect the basic human right for its own citizens(REFWORLD). According to the article from (REFWORLD), Eritrean government continue to keep its people under the compulsory military and very bad conditions. The article also mentions that the government is trafficking its people in different unknown prisons and did not report any information about the victims. Another cause for the Eritrean people to leave the country is because there is no true free press. All the media are owned by the Eritrean government and the government often arbitrarily arrests journalists only for them to rot away in unknown underground jails (Human Rights Watch)) (world report-2018). It can be said that there is no de facto internet access in Eritrea, only a few percent use internet services and all the internet that is provided is controlled by Eri-Tel (the national Eritrean telecommunication company wholly by government). (off) Neither does the Eritrean government allow the people to practice their religion freely. In Eritrea, only the followers of the Sunni branch of Islam, the Eritrean Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, and Evangelical (Lutheran) churches are permitted to practice openly (Human Right Watch)(world report-2018). So, the main issue for the exodus of Eritreans and falling in the hands of traffickers are: the unlimited national services, government controls every citizen (male/Female) life from the age 16-17 and not respecting the basic human rights.(world report -20180 (Human right watch). According to the article from the United States Department of State(state.gov). “Government of Eritrea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do”, so the international communities should take a proper action against the regime and they must put pressure to the government to change the policies. Because of the mentioned causes every month 4000 to 5000 leave Eritrea to seek asylum for a better life in western countries.

According to the online article “I Want To Lie Down and Die”, after the Eritrean people start their journey for a better life they get kidnapped by traffickers on the borders of the neighboring or transition countries such as Sudan, Ethiopia and Libya. About 25,000 to 30,000 Eritrea get trafficked around the borders of Eritrea in the year between 2007 and 2012 and it is continuing with no solution . In these years it is estimates that about $600 million has been paid by the families to the trafficker to save the lives of their relatives (The Guardian) (The Guardian).When the victims kidnapped in the borders of Eritrea they get abused, tortured, beat the soles of their feet’s, electric shocks to pay the amount of money they are asked. While they are staying under the traffickers some of them die because of the tortures and abuses they face (“I want to lie down and Die”). Report states that, the senior Eritrean military authorities also have hands on this crime. Some of the authorities have connections with traffickers and they get thousands of dollars from the family’s victims. The Eritrean government and the authorities who have connections with the traffickers should face charges for involving in this crime.(The Guardian ).

According to the article by Jordan Dianne, Organ harvesting is classified into three classifications:(1) Illegal doctors remove organs without the victim’s knowledge, (2) Convincing the victims to sell their organs for no payment or paying them way less than they agreed, and (3) Victims get tricked by the traffickers for zero cost(Jordan). When the traffickers knew their family are unable to pay the ransoms; they use their organs as means of income. The organ transplant is done illegally by doctors and some people who have a little knowledge of medical training. According to United Nations report in 2011 10,000 organs were sold, the organs are sold in high prices, for example a kidney can go for up to 200,000 in black market. The traffickers made 600 million to 1.2 billion profits from organs (Williams)(Need more research numbers). In this operation the Egyptian doctor are involved, and they do it by drugging the victims.

There are hundreds of thousands of migrants have reached Europe by boat in recent years, most fleeing conflict in the Middle East and poverty in Africa (Rankin). Traffickers usually target undocumented immigrants, runaway and homeless youth, victims of trauma and abuse, refugees and impoverished individuals (Kaylor). According to the European Union (EU), because the migrants have no knowledge of the new place and language barrier, the criminal gangs take advantage of the migrants and force them into sex work, forced labor, often as agricultural workers. Children are the most targeted victims for traffickers because they are easy to control and move them from place to place and also they are easily recruited. As it is stated in the article “Five Things Everyone Should Know About Eritrean Refugees”, Eritreans are one of the most asylum seekers in Europe. In 2015 there were about 40,000 Eritrean migrants arrived in Italy through the Mediterranean sea escaping abuses they face in the country of their origin( 5 things ). About 30,000 asked asylums in Sweden, France, Germany, Netherland, Switzerland, and Denmark (Human Rights Watch). Eritreans are also in target to fall into the hands of traffickers; it is very high because they are new to the place and, they don’t speak the destination country language. As a result, they face sexual abuses and forced labor. Eritreans flee their country of origin for a better life because the current government is not respecting their basic human right; but their expectation and problems they face in the country of destination are very different. As a consequence, they live with different psychological and mental illnesses such as, suicidal ideation, depression, anxiety, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and panic disorder (Kaylor).

Each country in the world is affected by human trafficking; some countries are where the humans are taken from while other countries are where the humans are taken to for forced labor or sex. No one has a full proof solution to human trafficking but many countries and international organizations have been working to combat it.

INTRODUCTION

Millions of people are kidnapped every year. Within the United States, (US), it is estimated that missing persons cases have “increased six-fold in the past 25 years, from roughly 150,000 in 1980 to about 900,000 in 2012″ of which 300,000 people are at risk of being sexually exploited.” (Crime Library, 2007) Of the 90,000 people are missing, only 2,200 are reported daily, to include both adults and children. It is estimated that 58,000 children are abducted globally by non-relatives with sexual motives. In the US, 7,000 children are abducted nationwide but only 115 represent cases involving strangers. Children are rarely abducted to be killed, held for ransom, or with the intention of keeping. Therefore, have been a rise in the number of abducted globally since 2012, of which it can be inferred that human trafficking is the culprit.

To date, approximately 45.8 million people are trapped globally in human slavery. In the U.S., a total of 10,949 cases were reported in 2018. To date, there are 51,919 reported cases of human trafficking, of those, “7,859 where sex and 1,249 we labor trafficking cases.(Polaris, 2020) Human trafficking has emerged as the number one globally preferred crime trend of organized transnational and is the most unreported. Human trafficking is a 32 billion dollar global criminal industry that exploits “approximately 24.9 million victims of all genders, ages, classes, and nationalities globally.” (Kline, 2019)Human Trafficking is defined as the trading, selling or moving of humans through manipulation or oppression for the purpose of criminal activity and financial exploitation. (NCMEC, n.d.) This crime trend encompasses a myriad of global victims’ rights violations and there are several reasons humans are trafficked.

The different types of trafficking are sex trafficking, underage and arraigned marriages, domestic servitude, forced labor, extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova removal. (Grubb, 2009) Oftentimes victims are rescued through law enforcement sting operations or remains are recovered devoid of major internal organs. Human Trafficking have emerged as a new global threat which threatens National Security and humanity as a whole. Collectively, foreign and federal intelligence agencies, customs, border patrol, local law enforcement and community agencies must work quickly to end transnational crimes and the exploitation of victims that threatens national security.

The laws vary in different countries allowing transnational criminals to exploit them. U.S. and international law treat victims very differently. Hence, it’s important to distinguish the difference between smuggling, labor and/or sex trafficking. Human Smuggling is defined as illegally aiding or migrating individuals’ entry into a location which they are not a national or permanent resident, for a profit or gain. In other words, the sole purpose of a smuggler is to move people and/or property illegally across borders. The one major distinction between smugglers and human traffickers is coercion and consent. Individuals who are smuggled are usually willing participants, when the transaction is completed, there’s rarely any additional contact with the smuggler. Conversely, human traffickers violently abduct, enslave and exploit their helpless victims until the victim dies, escapes or is rescued. (Weiss, 2012) The recent focus on illegal immigration in the U.S. have the positive effect of making trafficking more difficult. “If entry into the U.S. is made more difficult, illegal entry of persons being trafficked might lessen. the Isolationism might reduce human trafficking, but also might prevent the US from becoming engaged in a worldwide solutions.” (DHS, 2017)

BACKGROUND

Human trafficking dates back to ancient slavery, 1760 BC in the Code of Hammurabi. Today, human trafficking is illegal in all countries but, somehow remains a very profitable enterprise. Over 7,800 labor trafficking cases was reported within the US since 2007. Of which 148 goods originating from 75 different countries were produced by child labor. (Polaris, 2020) The motivation for such crimes are cheap labor, greed and profit. Human labor trafficking is more prevalent in industries like Agriculture, Horticulture, Fishing, Non-Union Construction, Mineral, Miners, Fashion, Textiles, Food Service, Domestic Household-work, Entertainment, and Spas. (FCASV, 2008) Labor trafficking affects more foreign victims, is less visible and is under-reported in comparison to sex trafficking.

Due to poor economic conditions in China, the business of trafficking is very lucrative. Typically traffickers receive $35,000 per person, but only a $100.00 deposit is required. (Logan, Walker, & Hunt, 2009) Upon arrival, it is their obligated to pay the remainder of their debt. . The immigrant then become enslaved by the “Triads” an Asian crime organization, and forced to work in sweatshops and/or prostitution under inhumane conditions. The original debt accrues exorbitant interest and soon become insurmountable. (Weiss, 2014) Triad gang members then threaten death and/or violence against them or family members if they attempt to escape.Traffickers ensnare all genders, ages, and backgrounds, forcing individuals into a life of servitude. Victims enduring all types of psychological, emotional, and physical abuse. Labor and sex trafficking is not exclusive, a victim forced into labor might also be forced into performing survival sex acts. Approximately 4.8 million people trafficked worldwide are sexually exploited every year worldwide.

Sex trafficking is a crime where anyone can be forced or coerced into the commercial sex trade. In 2007 there were 34,700 reported sex trafficking cases within the U.S. alone The U.S. is both origin and destination for sex trafficking In 2013, in the US, primary countries of origin were Mexico, the Philippines, Thailand, Honduras, Guatemala, India, and El Salvador. The Triads, has been very successful in the U. S. by creating cells in most major cities like “New York, Miami, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Houston.” (Abadinsky, 2010) “Places like Florida Sex Spas, New York Restaurants and California Clothing Workers has been identified as the primary locations receiving the majority of trafficked victims annually into the county” (Protection Project, 2002). III. THESISHuman trafficking is a thriving business that knows no geographical or socioeconomic boundaries and has become the preferred crime for the Russian mafia.

With the advancement of cyber technology, crime syndicates, terrorist groups and criminals as a whole, can easily fund their illicit activities from behind the anonymity of a computer. The United Nations has estimated that human trafficking profit is “$150 billion a year and growing but the estimate can not possibly account for unreported instances globally.” (DHS, 2017) However, what is known is that lots of the victims end up being solicited and/or sold on the dark web. The Dark Web is a portion of “the Deep Web used by people intentionally trying to hide their identities. Studies have shown that as much as 57% of all Deep Web content is linked illegal activity” (DHS, 2017). On the dark web there are advertisements, chat group, dating sites and blogs, all with the intent of selling victims’ services for both sex and labor. The Russian Mafia recruits women using advertisements in newspapers and magazines with the promise of money, free housing, and/or employment in the US. Many victims are assured they will meet rich men in the U.S. Victims are provided transportation and travel papers but are stripped of any identification upon when arrive. (Walker-Rodriguez & Hill, 2011) Once the women realize they have been tricked, mafia members quickly subdue them with threats, violence, isolation.and narcotics. Methamphetamine is used to make the victim dependent on the gang members to feed their addiction.

The mafia member then photographs the victims preforming sex acts on clients and threatens to send the photographs to their family. (Abadinksy, 2010).Despite new technology, the illicit forums and services are easy to conceal. There are sites with no traceable IP Address and hundreds of volunteer’s worldwide bouncing signals from one county to another.” We are beginning to see multinational cybercrime businesses undertake merger and acquisition strategies and real-world violence to secure and grow their revenue pipeline.” (Dolly, 2017). The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), have developed a program named Memex to aid in the identification of human trafficking operations on the Internet. (DHS, 2017) The program identifies any content on the Dark Web involving human trafficking. Memex uses web crawler technology to search web pages for content. Six months after initial use, the Memex program identify 4,752 potential human trafficking circumstances.

The program has been credited with providing the evidence needed for the successful prosecution of multiple transnational human rights violation cases involving transnational organizations.IV. FINDINGS/ANALYSISThe United Nations estimates that, in 2009, transnational organized criminal activities generated $870 billion in illegal proceeds, the equivalent of 7 percent of world exports. (Weiss, 2014) Human trafficking has become the crime of choice because of the low overhead and it is safer than other offenses. Trafficking laws vary in different countries allowing transnational criminals to exploit them. A possible solution is to make human trafficking less appealing and more risky than in the past. By targeting the financial aspect that typically occur in conjunction with human trafficking. Collectively, foreign and federal intelligence agencies, customs, border patrol, local law enforcement and community agencies must work quickly to end these crimes that exploit victims and threatens national security The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) created the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocols Thereto Act to protect victims of trafficking and their human rights globally. “The Protocol intention behind this definition is to facilitate convergence in national approaches to the establishment of domestic criminal offences that would support efficient international cooperation in investigating and prosecuting trafficking in persons cases.” (UNODC, 2003)

The initiate’s focus is dismantling organized crime and human trafficking networks operating across the borders with bilateral law enforcement coordination. Thus culminating in substantial sentences and high-impact prosecutions. (US Department of State, 2019) In 2001, Congress enacted the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act., which enables them in monitoring human trafficking trends in foreign regions. Countries like Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Cuba, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Haiti, Belize, Suriname, Antigua, Barbuda, Bolivia, Saint Vincent, the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking. Those countries in non-compliant with the treaty no longer receive funding or aid from the U.S. (Seelke, 2016)

The Senior Policy Operating Group (SPOG) Victims Services Committee, co-chaired by The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Health and Human Services (HHS), tracks all federal government progress related to services for victims of human trafficking in the US on the Federal Strategic Action Plan. HHS’s OIG, in partnership with federal, state, and local law enforcement, launched the Project H.O.P.E (Helping Oppressed People Escape) Information Sharing and Analysis Centers. (USDS, 2019) The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) collaborate with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and law enforcement (LE) through the bilateral human trafficking enforcement initiatives. The FBI, supports human trafficking enforcement programs by interfacing with the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center (HSTC)in conjuction with the CBP’s Immigration & Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE/HSI) Office of Intelligence. The HSTC information sharing network provides sensitive but unclassified (SBU) enhanced law enforcement technical capabilities to municipalities, local law enforcement organizations. The Field Base Regional Information Sharing System (RISS) system interphases nationally by sharing intelligence which other federal organization systems like, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and ICE. Additionally, The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control targets and applies sanctions to transnational criminal organizations and their supporters that engage in a multitude of criminal activities including human trafficking. (USDS, 2019)

CONCLUSION

Human Trafficking is a sub-symptom of TOC. Human trafficker’s motives are profit gain (human slavery) for other nefarious activities and is a major problem globally. The opportunist nature of the crime makes it easy for anyone to fall prey. Hence, the problem of TOC’s human trafficking can only be countered by combining efforts with other global leaders to eradicate this heinous violation of human rights. The DARPA program Memex is a good start. Memex is credited with assisting law enforcement and authorities with evidence needed to investigate activities on the Dark Web for any type of transnational cyber activities. However, more research is needed to secure prosecutions. From the onset of an identifiable crime pattern, intelligence agencies, local law enforcement, federal and/or foreign law enforcement counterparts, like the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) must continue to work bilaterally and cross-borders through training for coordinated global sweeps, to identify and work with survivors, religious communities, academia and private agencies to eradicate these types’ of flagrant human rights violations globally.

Introduction to Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a well-known crime and illegal trade which seriously violates human rights, it is the third-largest crime in the whole world. Every year there are thousands of people who fall victim to this crime either in their own countries or abroad, most countries in the world are affected by this trade either being the country of its origin, transit, or destination. Trafficking in persons is the illegal transportation or transfer of individuals by means such as coercion, force, fraud, or deception, with the intent to exploit them (Unseen UK 2019). Human trafficking consists of three elements; the act (what is done) this is the illegal transporting and movement of individuals, the means (how it’s done) this is the use of force, coercion, abuse of power, deception, etc. and the last element is the purpose (why is it done) it is usually done for the sole purpose of exploitation (UNODC 2019). It is a form of modern-day slavery and it is most popular in parts of the world such as sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, South-East Asia, and others. Not less than 40 million people around the world are estimated to be victims of modern-day slavery, human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises, the number of victims is rising by the minute due to the increase of conflict, poverty, and crises in the world. Countries like North Korea, Eritrea, and Burundi are estimated to have the world’s highest rates of modern-day slavery, with India, China, and Pakistan home to the largest number of victims (relief web n.d.).

Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar venture which generates a revenue of 150.2 US billion dollars in illegal profits every year for traffickers and slave masters, more than one-third of these profits are gotten from forced labor exploitation and the rest are getting from sexual exploitation, these profits are at their highest in Asia and developed economies due to the high number of victims in the Asia-pacific region (11.7 million) and the high profit per victim in developed economies ($34,800 per victim). Victims of sexual exploitation garner the highest profits for traffickers, at a global average of $21,800 per victim (Human Trafficking Center 2019).

Types of Human Trafficking

There are different types of human trafficking such as Trafficking for forced labor, trafficking for forced criminal activities, trafficking in women for sexual exploitation, trafficking for the removal of organs, and people smuggling (INTERPOL 2019). Victims of trafficking for forced labor are usually gotten from developing countries they are lured in by coercion and deception, they are promised good jobs and all sorts of luxuries but end up working in unimaginable situations with very little or no pay, they end up working in factories, manufacturing, agriculture, fishing, etc. Trafficking for forced criminal activities usually involves victims that are forced to carry out illegal activities in turn for income, they usually work for gangs who need people to sell drugs, move drugs or smuggle it for them and end up getting a little share, this usually puts the victims in a very life-threatening situation it becomes very hard for them to escape from their traffickers, they also end up being beggars, pickpockets, selling counterfeit goods, etc. In a lot of countries the waiting lists for transplants are very long so criminals see this as an opportunity to exploit the desperate patients by selling organs of their victims to them, the victims who formally or informally agree end up being cheated because they are not paid for the organ or are paid less than promised, many victims of organ harvesting are kidnapped and have their organs removed without their consent. Many migrants fall victim to people smuggling it is the illegal act of transporting people from one country to another, they are carried across the borders to work in terrible conditions.

Victims of Human Trafficking

Millions of people are affected directly by human trafficking an estimated 40.3 million people worldwide were in modern slavery, 81% of them are trapped in forced labor, 25% of them are children and 75% are women and girls. According to the ILO, 24.9 million people are victims of forced labor, and 15.4 million people are trapped in forced marriages, Out of the 24.9 million victims of forced labor, 16 million people are exploited in the private sector such as domestic work, construction, or agriculture; 4.8 million persons in forced sexual exploitation, and 4 million persons in forced labor imposed by state authorities (ILO 2017). Human trafficking is a trade that affects people of all genders and from different parts of the world irrespective of their age, this shows how dangerous of a trade human trafficking is and that anyone can fall victim to. 71% of human trafficking victims are women and girls, 3 out of 4 women and girls who have been trafficked are sexually exploited while the remaining 29% are men and boys (stop the traffic 2019). Women and girls are excessively affected by forced labor, they are the 99% of victims in the commercial sex industry, and 58% in other sectors (ILO 2017). Of every 1000 people in the world, 5.4 are victims of modern-day slavery, statistics also show that 30.2 million victims which are 75% are 18 and over while the remaining 10.1 million the 25% are children under 18 (stop the traffic n.d.).

Traffickers are always looking for their next prey, they usually look for people that can be easily deceived, coerced, or are vulnerable. Many situations render people vulnerable such as political instability things like war, conflict, lawlessness, and natural disasters makes people very desperate for survival and a way to earn a living, traffickers target them and promise them jobs and better living conditions if they meet their criteria, they end up using them and making them victims of human trafficking making it difficult for them to go back to their normal lives. Poverty creates hopelessness. Traffickers target poor and struggling areas to offer vulnerable individuals fake opportunities to help their situations. Such people are more likely to take greater risks to provide for themselves and their families (British Columbia 2019). Traffickers generally prey on disabled people, members of marginalized societies impoverished populations and victims and survivors of interpersonal violence and homelessness are also at increased risk.

The Effects of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking can have a very negative physical, psychological and mental effect on the victims, it can drastically change the victim’s life forever. Victims of trafficking in persons can suffer from so very devastating psychological effects, either during or after their trafficking experience. Most of them end up experiencing post-traumatic stress they find it very difficult to interact with people and form relationships because of how they have been abused, it becomes harder for them to trust and believe people, and often feel very scared and insecure. They suffer from guilt, shame, memory loss, depression, fear, anxiety, and other severe forms of mental trauma (The Exodus Road 2019).

The victims experience a lot of physical harm and end up in life-threatening situations they are treated in a very inhumane way by their traffickers they are physically abused on a daily because force and coercion is the biggest part of human trafficking because that’s how they get them to do what they want. The victims are beaten, raped, and abused over a very long period. Victims who are sexually exploited are also sexually abused by their traffickers, this makes them vulnerable to contracting sexually transmitted diseases, infections, cancer, and other illnesses because of the lack of proper medical care the victim’s health ends up becoming worse and often affecting an individual’s health permanently.

Individuals who are being trafficked usually distance themselves from friends and family this occurs because the person feels ashamed for the situation that they are in, they feel guilty for living their families and friends. When some of these individuals escape or return home they end up being ostracized by society and excluded from social gatherings, some become shunned by their families and start to feel depressed and worthless, unfortunately, this isolation can make them more vulnerable and up being trafficked again.

Human trafficking also has negative effects on society and the economy. Human trafficking affects families in a society where people are constantly being trafficked because they end up losing members of their families and it also leads to the family members becoming ostracized. The economy is also affected in regards to when people are searching for migration opportunities for employment then they end up being victims of human trafficking, leading to a substantial remittance loss.

Human trafficking has also become a source of profits to sponsor other crimes especially terrorism. The UN has reported that the Yazidi women are being bought and sold by ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) fighters in slave auctions, and other terrorist groups like Boko Haram use children as beggars to raise funds. There have also been a large number of instances where numerous terrorist organizations profiting from exploiting vulnerable people in their areas of control, including by coercing young men and boys to fight for the terrorist groups (FATF 2018:15).

There have been multiple attempts made to stop human trafficking by countries, organizations, and individuals. I will be focusing on the United Nations and its members attempt to stop and control the trade, the establishment of UN GIFT was made possible by a grant from the United Arab Emirates and has continued to receive financial aid from governments of Australia, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Austria as well as UNICEF, UNIFEM, UNDP, the United Nations Fund for International Partnerships and public donations. established Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking (UN GIFT), it was formally launched in London on 26 March 2007 the main purpose of UN GIFT is to prevent possible victims from becoming prey to traffickers, protecting those who do, and punishing the criminals involved in the trade (UNODC 2016). The UN GIFT’s mission is to mobilize both state and non-state actors to annihilate human trafficking by decreasing both the vulnerability of potential victims and the demand for exploitation in all its forms; guaranteeing enough protection and support to those who fall victim; and supporting the efficient prosecution of the criminals involved, while respecting the fundamental human rights of all persons, and creating global awareness on human trafficking (UNODC 2016). The united nations have been trying to spread awareness of human trafficking around the world, the UN adopted the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.

The problem of trafficking of humans is widespread and it is estimated that annually, approximately 14,500 and 17,500 individuals are victims of trafficking into the United States. This is a hidden population involving factories, restaurant businesses, agriculture, the commercial sex industry, agriculture, domestic workers, some adoption firms and marriage brokers. 80% of individuals who are trafficked individuals are female; therefore, those who provide healthcare for women can best serve this diverse patient population with increased awareness of the problem. Exploiting persons of any sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or gender, is not acceptable at any place or time. After applying the utilitarian and deontological perspectives and the egoism and emotivism theories to the question of human trafficking, it is evident that the ethical response to this is that is that it is one the most unethical practices any person can engage in. “Human trafficking is a complex, multi-faceted crime with no single solution. Many countries are affected by it in some way, and Australia, as a destination country for trafficking victims, is no exception” (Healey, 2012). Human trafficking is one of the most heinous and degrading thing that can happen to anyone and for those unfortunate enough to be caught in this web, it is a life of living hell. Slavery exists today and it’s called Human Trafficking. Nothing stirs the emotions or drives the passions, specifically in the US, more than the bone chilling stories of modern day human slavery. Whether it is labor, domestic or sexual, the terror that human trafficking victims have endured is so horrendous that it leaves us gasping for breath. For people who work in human and health service fields, they have heard the firsthand accounts of survivors. We have heard of the dedicated law enforcement officers and health care practitioners and who are involved in the apprehension and prosecution of traffickers, and are the advocators for victims in these complex cases. Realizing that this could be taking place in our neighborhoods and towns and, unseen as we go about our daily comfortable lives, is unimaginable. It is no surprise to anyone that when we hear these stories, there is a huge outcry by the citizens to our legislators to pass laws where none exists or for stricter laws and more enforcement. Since 1999 when this issue was first addressed by congress, the United States have spent over 150 million dollars to help in the fight against human trafficking. Human traffickers tend to look for vulnerability when searching for their victims. There is not one single type of person that they prey upon so victims tend to be from all walks of life and social status does not exclude someone from being potentially trafficked (McNamara, 2015).

Trafficking in persons is the illegal sale or trade of human beings for labor through abduction, the use or threat of force, deception and fraud or for sexual exploitation. Society’s most vulnerable members such as those burdened by disabilities, discrimination and poverty, are preyed upon by traffickers. Human Trafficking doesn’t only occur in the US, it is manifested globally in the form of organ trafficking, bonded labor, and sex trafficking. In sex trafficking, women and children is a commodity used purely for paid sexual gratification. With the globalization of human trafficking, forged documents, financial and legal assistance and transportation are services that are provided allowing it to become an organized billion dollar industry. Victims are lured with false promises of a better life and their broken, unsure environment is easily exploited. Sexual exploitation is the most common form of human trafficking. Initially, they may travel with their traffickers of their own free will under the guise of a better life. Once they have been lured into a false sense of safety, these victims are then isolated, beaten, restrained, threatened, and coerced. In cases involving international human trafficking, the victims’ identification papers or passports are often withheld or destroyed by traffickers and since they have been illegally brought into the host country, these victims are programmed to fear the country’s law enforcement agencies. Imprisonment in extreme isolation is par for the course for these victims who then become dependent upon their captors for simple necessities as shelter and food. Violence against their family members at home is also another way traffickers control their victims.

Many are aware that this is widespread problem but most of them think it is happening somewhere else, not in our backyards, therefore out of our reach and not our problem. This type of rationalization causes major problems because it is happening everywhere; and yes sometimes in our very backyards, right under our noses. Victims are hiding in plain sight, seeking help by their furtive glances or skittish movements, yet we remain blind, content to live our lives without a care in the world. The trafficking of human beings is not easily detected and is both a national and international crisis that everyone should be aware of. It is a major world crisis that needs to have a spot light aimed directly at it, one that shines brightly give hope to these hopeless victims. Some tips that we can all benefit from knowing about are: where to look, what to look for, when to question and when to not to question. For example, law enforcement has seen a pattern in businesses such as restaurants employing workers to bus tables and wash dishes, strip clubs, sweatshops where garments are manufactured , massage parlors, and brothels to name a few. Legitimate businesses such as nail shops may also offer commercial sex. Trafficking victims are guarded by other employees or family members of the traffickers, receive very little to no pay, work long, grueling hours, restricted movement and scared of their employers. Signs that are visible are bruises, malnutrition, and fatigue, withdrawn workers who are afraid of unsolicited contact with others, or who are not allowed to speak for themselves. Forms of domestic slavery can be found in recreational areas or parks where babysitters or nannies take the children and pets. Look for the signs stated above with an extra precaution, are the women older, if they are younger do they look healthy or scared? All things that we never give a second thought to, while the victims suffer in silence. If you suspect Human Trafficking, don’t confront the suspected trafficker, take pictures of those who you suspect if possible and pictures of the location where you suspect criminal activities are taking place then contact the police or FBI. Give any and all information you have gathered and let them decide if the case meets the requirements of human trafficking. We all need to be aware and know what we can do to prevent this cancer from spreading and prevent the global destruction families. If the problem of Human Trafficking was widely understood and the consequences to those who are trafficked, it would no longer be the second fastest and largest growing crime in the world. A drug can only be sold once, but a human being can be sold multiple times until they are no longer useful and if they are lucky, they get to die in peace.

I will discuss human trafficking from an ethical point of view starting with the utilitarianism perspective. A natural way to see whether an act is the right thing to do (or the wrong thing to do) is to look at its results, or consequences. Utilitarianism argues that, given a set of choices, the act we should choose is that which produces the best results for the greatest number affected by that choice (Mosser, 2013). According to this perspective, promotion of happiness for the greatest number is ideal, but however looking at human traffic from this standpoint is very easy.

Utilitarianism is the natural way to look at something to decide if it is wring or right. It argues that we should choose the result which best serves the needs of the greatest number affected by the choice (Mosser, 2013). Looking at human trafficking from this point of view is rather easy. The only people who benefit from human trafficking are the traffickers who will stop at nothing to get their victims. Due to the fact that many are looking for a better way of life, they become easy prey for those who are up to no good. According to (Smith, 2014), human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry which is estimated to bring in about $32 billion worldwide, however the people who are in charge are the ones who benefit the most from the misery of those who are trapped in this trade (Smith, 2014). Corrupt public officials, unscrupulous recruiters and investors are principal participants and are the very core of this horrible practice. There are more victims than there are traffickers, so this perspective doesn’t fill the goal of happiness for the greatest number.

The other perspective I will discuss is deontology. The deontology perspective places focus on the reasons why an act is done rather than focusing on the consequences (Mosser, 2013). When it comes to human trafficking, those involved do so purely greed for monetary gain. The definition of human trafficking is when someone consents or agrees to pay someone to take an individual somewhere else, either across state lines, another country or simply smuggling them away from their general living area. These individuals are now caught in the web of trafficking whether its labor, domestic or sexual, the terror that human trafficking victims have endured is so horrendous that it leaves us gasping for breath. Deontologists argue that we have a duty, or some would call it an obligation to treat others with respect, and we must take that dignity into consideration when dealing with them (Mosser, 2013). Human trafficking goes against every basic human right and in that aspect can be viewed as immoral and wrong. When a victim is taken, often against their will they lose the basic freedoms we take for granted. . “The law enforcement framework “is excessively prosecution focused,” with little focus on prevention and is dependent on the “innocent victim.” (Bravo, 2008)

Ethical egoism argues that moral evaluations should be made based on our desires and goals. Quite simply put if it benefits me its right, if it hinders me it’s wrong (Mosser, 2013). The offenders in human trafficking fall under this perspective. They are in the business solely for their own personal gain and do not care who is hurt and destroyed in the process.

Emotivism is a view that quite simply is based upon if we do or do not like something. It is often referred to as the “Boo Hurrah” theory of ethics (Mosser, 2013). They have a fast way to make often quite a substantial amount of money at little to no cost for them. They sniff out and prey upon a victim’s vulnerability regardless of where they find their victims. To exploit a race, gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity is not acceptable in respectable society. The cost on both the citizens and the nation is untold. It is going to take the collective efforts of law enforcement, government agencies, and the public to defeat a problem of this magnitude. Things that stand in the way to getting a grip of Human Trafficking is fear, lack of public awareness, secretive nature of trafficking, limited resources for training those working in that field for what signs to look for when there is a suspicion of human trafficking, and limited legal assistance. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the primary care givers of female Human Trafficking should strive to assist anyone has been identified as a victim or at the very least recognize females who may have fallen prey to trafficking. This may not be the only option available; however, as those with first contact, they may be able to develop tools that can help in the fight of Human Trafficking. Human trafficking from a Utilitarianism standpoint isn’t moral or prudent; and from a Deontology perspective the fiscal additions for the traffickers for offering their victims into servitude is not a righteous or moral act. A victim losing their opportunities and personality just so the guilty parties can profit is not virtuous or ethical on any level we have discussed. Karen E. Bravo, Toward a Labor Liberalization Solution to Modern Trafficking in Humans, 102 Am. Soc’y Int’l L. Proc. 66, 66 (2008)

Introduction

When the topic ‘human trafficking’ comes to mind, what are some thoughts that pop into peoples’ heads? Initially when hearing this, people may think or say statements similar to “Human traffickers are sick people,” or “I don’t see how someone has the nerve to do that,” but has anyone ever thought about asking the simple question why? The purpose of this research paper is to analyze the common traits, characteristics, and types of personality human traffickers have to develop a better understanding of how they see the world and why they traffic to begin with. Beginning with a break-down of what human-trafficking really means, the definition of human trafficking is: …the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt from 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 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. (Leidholdt, D. A., & Scully, K. P., p.27)

Looking at the commonalities in personality among human traffickers will give a better insight to why they do what they do. When analyzing personality, there is more to look at than just how the person behaves and the attitudes they have. Information about childhood, health, social life, motives for involvement, and characteristics/traits are also relevant factors that need to be taken into account because they can all have an impact on someone’s personality as well.

Childhood

The way children are raised throughout their life has a significant impact on the person they are and who they become. For example, if you compared a child that was raised in a violent and broken family to a child that was raised in a quite privileged and loving environment, it is more likely most of the time that the child who lived in the nicer environment is going to be more successful, less trouble-making, and so on. According to Rijken, Muraszkiewicz, & Ven (2015), there was a strong tendency in traffickers to protect or maintain close relationships with family members. Despite being close with family members, profound violence was also found in some families but not enough to generalize traffickers as coming from profound violent families. Concerning violence that did not come from family life, it was argued that traffickers usually had some type of victimization in their life before they got into the business of trafficking. Traffickers also often came from poor families with generally low education levels and lack of family stability and emotional attention impacting them as well. (Rijken et. al., 2015).

Health

The health of an individual affects and impacts their personality, especially if mental illnesses or health conditions are involved. In the literature review from Rijken et. al., one study found that only 14% of human trafficking court/police files involved a psychological health problem while the other 47% did not (2015). For the complete file study, there was only 31 (9.3%) cases where human traffickers had some kind of psychological health problem while 114 (34.1%) cases did not involve any mental health issues. (Rijken et. al., 2015). It can be concluded that, for the most part, mental health illnesses or conditions were not a significant factor in human traffickers.

Social Life

Human traffickers were found to have very lively social circles, which is opposite of what many people believe. They have this because it gives them more power and ability to find future victims, meet new people, and engage in business with others. Traffickers are mostly outgoing and mingle with many people similar to them including the similarity factors of ethnicity, social and economic activity, culture, and religion. They often go to a lot of weekend events, clubs, and other social events. This expansive social network gives traffickers the opportunities to seek new business and pick possible new victims in plain sight (Rijken et. al., 2015).

Motives for Involvement

Surprisingly, the motives of why traffickers are involved with trafficking do not vary that much. Economic theories suggest that financial gain and the pursuit of profit, with money being a dominant main factor, are the main reasons why individuals become human traffickers. Other reasons related to the main motive of money include being successful and coming from a poor family. One last motive was “the enjoyment of power” given by a few traffickers themselves (Rijken et. al., 2015).

Personality and Characteristics

From the literature review of Rijken et. al., there was an interesting difference in the way traffickers described themselves versus how victims, experts, and the general society described them. When asked to describe themselves, traffickers replied with these characteristics: “Creative personality, honest, fair, strict and orderly, communicative, positive, conscientious, naïve, a good man, helpful, respectful, trustworthy, intelligence, sense of humor, and a man of principle,” (2015). On the contrary, other individuals responded with these characteristics: “arrogant, rude, inhumane, manipulative, street-smart, soft spoken, sly, ruthless, addicted to power, charming, sociable… selfish, calculating, refined, self-confident, aggressive, intimidating, lack of or defective and disturbed morality, strong sexual desire,” (Rijken et. al., 2015). Many things can be concluded from the difference between these two lists including the assumption that traffickers do not believe that what they are participating in is a crime or a wrongdoing. This distorted thinking may have developed from a lack of morality, poor upbringing, and other factors.

When interviewed, 50 experts and traffickers themselves gave common psychological personality characteristics for human traffickers including, “limited empathy… paranoia, pleasure in violence, sexually obsessed, narcissistic, over confident, severe aggression, lack of morality, lack of conscience,” (Rijken et. al., 2015). Traffickers also have in common the character traits of, “bossy, dictatorial, egocentric, authoritarian personalities who dominate and control their victims… showing no remorse, guilt, or regrets… in need for sensation and action… addicted to the way of life as trafficker and/or criminal,” (Rijken et. al., 2015). It is concluded from the trace report that human traffickers are often labeled with “narcissists” or “anti-social personality” by experts and society because they are associated with similar descriptions of that trait (Rijken et. al., 2015).

Analyzing Research using Personality Methods

Now that we have substantial reliable information about the personality and common traits of human traffickers, we can use this information to analyze their personality through personality methods from past psychologists to get a better understanding of human traffickers’ common personality types.

Lew Goldberg and The Big Five

Starting with work from Lew Goldberg, the “Big Five” can be used to look at the common personality of human traffickers and where they would be in terms of each trait cluster in the big five. The first trait, neuroticism, would likely be relatively low in someone who is a human trafficker because they display most of the lower traits of calmness, unemotional, and hardy but excluding even-tempered because it was found that traffickers are often aggressive or angered easily. The second trait, extroversion, would likely be higher as they would often carry the traits of excitement seeking, assertiveness, high activity level, and gregariousness; low levels would involve traits of being reserved, quiet, and lonely, which would not match the traits of a trafficker because most of the time they have lively social circles and are very involved with many social events.

The third trait, openness to experience, is correlated with factors such as education, intelligence, intellectual absorption, and aesthetic interests. For this reason, I believe that traffickers would likely have relatively low levels of this because they would often carry the traits of being conventional, preferring routine, and uncreativeness as opposed to high fantasies, feelings, and aesthetics in higher levels of that trait. The fourth trait, agreeableness, would likely be significantly low in traffickers because the traits for low levels include aggression, ruthlessness, and suspiciousness; high levels have traits that deal with being kind, modest, trust, and altruism, which does not reflect on a common trafficker’s personality. The fifth and last trait, conscientiousness, is likely higher in traffickers because high levels include characteristics of dutifulness, order, deliberation, and achievement striving, which can be seen in traffickers when they carry out their jobs (Seals, 2019).

D.I.S.C.

The D.I.S.C., created by William Marston, can also be a beneficial way to score the common trafficker’s personality type. According to the above research about traffickers, I believe that traffickers would have a significantly high D (dominance) personality style. General characteristics of the D personality that can also be seen in traffickers are direct, dominant, risk takers, bottom line organizers, prefer to lead or be in charge, tend to overstep authority, enjoy power and authority, and craves control. With that being said, other areas of the D personality do not accurately line up with some of the traffickers’ common traits. Some traits that are associated with a D personality but are not commonly seen in traffickers are disliking repetition and routine, ignoring details, and fear of being taken advantage of (DISC Theory and DISC Personality Traits).

I do not believe traffickers would have a high I (influence) personality at all, if any. The characteristics and traits of someone with an I personality does not agree with the common personality we see in human traffickers for the most part. People with a high I personality fear rejection, are talkative, emotional, optimistic, motivators, have a good sense of humor, etc. None of these traits line up with a trafficker’s common personality. The only trait that would be present in a trafficker from the I personality style would be persuasive as they use persuasiveness as a tactic to lure victims into their line of work (DISC Theory and DISC Personality Traits).

The S (steadiness) personality style has few areas that agree with a trafficker’s personality and more areas that disagree, so traffickers may not have a high S personality. The S personality traits that are also commonly seen in traffickers include being friendly (in their social life), like patterns or repetition, and are very generous, possessive, and open with loved ones. Other traits in the S personality, including being predictable, avoiding conflict, being grounded, being loyal, and being even-tempered, do not reflect a trafficker’s personality (DISC Theory and DISC Personality Traits).

I believe that traffickers would have a relatively average to somewhat high C (conscientiousness) personality. Traits that are included in a C personality type are accuracy, precise, paying attention to detail, systematic thinking, realistic thinking, doesn’t stray from order, organized, and “do it yourself” managers. These are characteristics that agree with common personality of traffickers because most of the time they have to have these in order to carry out and accomplish their given job without running into any trouble. The traits in a C personality that are not seen in traffickers are being passive, avoiding conflict, avoiding confrontation, and fearing criticism (DISC Theory and DISC Personality Traits).

Conclusion

In conclusion, looking at the psychology of personality can give us explanations and reasoning behind personality characteristics, traits, and styles. Personality is not solely influenced by an individual’s genetics but can also be altered or changed based on different factors of life. Specifically looking at the personality of human traffickers, factors such as childhood, health, social life, motives, traits, and characteristics are important to review because they can determine who the individual becomes throughout their life. By comparing all of these factors, finding commonalities within them, and analyzing them with different personality methods, we have basic assumptions about the human trafficker’s most common personality. We also have explanations and reasoning for why this personality occurs and how it develops.

References

1. DISC Theory and DISC Personality Traits. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2019, from https://discinsights.com/disc-theory.
2. Leidholdt, D. A., & Scully, K. P. (n.d.). PDF.
3. Rijken, C., Muraszkiewicz, J., & Ven, P. (2015). Trace: Trafficking as A Criminal Enterprise. TRACE: Trafficking as A Criminal Enterprise. Retrieved from https://trilateralresearch.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/TRACE_Deliverable-3.1_Final.pdf.
4. Seals, R. J. (2019). The Big 5 [PowerPoint slides]. (Accessed: 25 November 2019.)

Introduction

Every year millions of people are trafficked worldwide, including in Pakistan. Trafficking can happen with people regardless of age, gender, nationality or ethnicity. Traffickers may use force, manipulation, false promises or even romantic relationships to lure their victims in.

Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons (the act), by threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim (the means), for the purpose of exploitation, which includes exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery or similar practices and the removal of organs (the purpose). (UNODC, n.d.)

The trauma caused to such victims is so great that they are sometimes unable to ask for help even in public or even identify themselves as victims. Recognizing the signs of a victim and creating public awareness can help combat this issue to some extent.

The Difference Between Smuggling and Human Trafficking

Smuggling and human trafficking are two very different things. Smuggling is defined as the movement or facilitation of illegal entry into a country or across international borders through violation of the countries’ laws.

People who are smuggled across borders may or may not be victims of human trafficking. In most cases, smuggling occurs as a consent between the smuggled person and the smuggler, but due to the weak position of the customer, smuggling generally transcends into grave human rights abuses including but not limited to threats, abuse, rape, exploitation and torture, and even death at the hands of smugglers. (Anon., n.d.)

The 3 most common types of human trafficking are sex trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage. Sex Trafficking: Around eighty percent of the victims of sex trafficking are girls who are exploited internationally. Around One million happen to be children under the age of eighteen.

Forced labour is the most common type of human trafficking occurring worldwide. Victims may be forced into any of the following types of labor, among others:

• domestic servitude
• agricultural work
• manufacturing
• janitorial services
• hotel services
• construction
• health and elder care
• hair and nail salons
• prostitution
• strip club dancing

Debt bondage is when poor persons are forced into labour to pay off a debt, which is ever increasing due to interest. ( County of San Francisco Human Rights Commission, n.d.)

Recent Happenings

Recent refugee influx has fuelled the million dollar human trafficking Network

Cause

Global refugee levels have reached record highs with people displaces due the war in Syria and Iraq, the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar and the recent incident of Indian Muslims being forced to Leave. With over twenty-five million people displaced who routinely face harsh living conditions, perilous journeys and difficulties form the host countries, they become an easy target for criminals looking to exploit them. Among migrants traveling to Europe through North Africa, alone, more than 70 percent have been trafficked or exploited, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Incidents

Between 2012 and 2015, some Rohingya refugees fleeing genocide in Myanmar boarded ships to Malaysia or Thailand with the promise of jobs and a new life. However, they were kept as prisoners at sea and forced to fish for the traffickers. They were starved, beaten, tortured and some were even raped or killed. Recent incidents have brought to light that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya girls were taken from the camps at night with the promise of jobs in Malaysia but upon arrival were taken captive and were sexually abused for months.

In Libya, traffickers have taken advantage of the increased flow of African refugees and migrants on their way to Europe. Some customers after paying heavy fees have been abandoned in the deserts with nowhere to go. Since they do not have identification papers or VISA, they are unable to go to the authorities for help.

Armed groups impose ‘taxes’ on them to allow them to pass through their areas along the routes and some migrants have been sold to ‘open slave markets’ or held where they are subject to forced labour and sexual violence.

Geopolitical Loopholes

Corrective immigration policies and lack of entrance to safe migration methods further worsen refugees’ vulnerability to trafficking. Many victims of trafficking abstain from looking for government and law enforcement support, dreading not only arrest due to their crooked migration status, but also retaliation from their exploiters. (Web, n.d.)

The Twenty-eighth session of Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice was held in Vienna, 20–24 May 2019, titled ‘Enhancing the role of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in contributing to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,’ was adopted by the General Assembly on 17 December 2018.

The resolution invited Member States and other stakeholders to share with the Commission, through its Secretariat, views on how the CCPCJ can further contribute to the review of the Sustainable Development Goals.

On (a) Proposals relating to the organization of work of the Commission, the format of its meetings and its cooperation with other intergovernmental bodies: (included the following)

(ii) There is a need to strengthen cooperation among the relevant national institutions of the Member States in combating organized crime, terrorism, corruption and human trafficking by providing specific training for officials and facilitating legal cooperation and capacity-building at all levels in order to more effectively combat such crimes.

Efforts to tackle modern slavery and human trafficking are at the heart of initiatives to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Notably, in Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals, States pledge to take immediate and effective measures to end modern slavery and human trafficking by 2030

Previous Framework

The Protocol against Trafficking in Persons, which supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC), is the primary legal instrument concerning trafficking in persons. It was adopted by the General Assembly under resolution 55/25 and came into force on 25 December 2003. However, it is noted in the preamble that despite there being a number of acts and kaws in place to deal with the exploitation of persons, especially women and children, there is infact no single ‘universal instrument’ that addresses all aspects of trafficking of people.’ It also notes that to combat the issue, a comprehensive international approach is needed to deal with human rights violations among minors, women and persons.

Previous Frameworks that had been in place before included

• Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women of 1979
• Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women of 1993
• Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, Child Pornography of 2000.
• ILO Convention No 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour of 1999
• Convention on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families of 1990

Which laid the basis for The Protocol against Trafficking in Persons. However, none managed to address the issue of human trafficking in isolation. i.e. Defining the term human trafficking, focusing on other forms of trafficking besides child and woman sexual exploitation and understanding the wider concept of slavery to include other types of control and bondage. (UNODC, 2009)

Flaws in the Previous Framework

In spite of these security implications, many countries policies, including the U.S. often remain detached from broader safety initiatives. For the sake of more efficiently preventing human trafficking in refugees and advancing amity and stability, the governments need to

• (a) Invest in research on the association between human trafficking, conflict, and migration; make sure that its rules on conflict and security issues better include human trafficking
• (b) Prioritize prevention, justice, and defence efforts for refugee trafficking victims and survivors.

The intersection between conflict-induced migration and human trafficking should be understood so that security efforts be in effect in a world with a huge numbers of moved people.

Significance of Border Security

Border security plays a significant role in Human trafficking- whether in preventing it or promulgating it. However, the technical ability of border guards to deal with the issue is often inadequate and needs improvement. For example the border security in many states in the US have no record-keeping, whether manual or digital and neither are any telecommunication facilities in place. Border control units often lack the funding, expertise and infrastructure. Criminals make full use of the situation to get past. The situation could be improved by improving coordination among different units of border control agencies and taking measures that permit border control to temporarily keep in detention persons without national identification or visas. Another important step would be not prosecute trafficked persons for their illegal entry or other traffick-related offences.

Preventing Slavery

Recent years have seen an influx in political and media attention on ‘modern slavery.’ Slavery is essentially any situation in which a person is forced to stay in a place or work against their will or exploited under threat or use of force. Modern concept of slavery has moved away from just the physical bondage aspect of it. Aside from physical coercion, people in countries such as Ghana and even some parts of India have accepted and internalised their position as salves. To them, it represents the best of their limited options. In these cases rescue by humanitarian workers was therefore undesired and even abusive. Worse still, it averted efforts and funds away from more robust, equality-promoting initiatives. A good example here would be the descent-based slavery in Mauritania which has been happening for years despite laws passed in 2015 and 2017 to combat it.

Adverse Impacts of Organ Trade

Organ trafficking is the practice of stealing or buying of human organs, tissues, or other body products, usually for transplantation to be sold on a black market for profit.

Traffickers often exploit the neediness of their victims to aid their criminal activities. In some cases the trafficking may be through force i.e abduction as well. An interesting thing to note here is that the professions of said traffickers may be as ambulance drivers, nurses or even doctors which allow them to get close to patients and equipment needed for the harvesting of organs. A recent example is the increase in the organ trade business in Egypt, which has been caused by clampdown on refugees funded by the EU. Migrants desperate to cross the Mediterranean have been known to sell their kidneys for $5000 dollars.

Role of Media in Human Trafficking

The media has an important role in mobilizing public support to end human trafficking. However, it has to be careful to not let out information that may advertently end up abetting the criminals instead.

Secondly, misinformation is common and in some countries media outlets and journalists do not have sufficient understanding of the situation and may confuse smuggling and illegal entry with trafficking. The media should also take an ethical approach and ensure that there is no violation of the rights of the victims.

Rights of the Victims

Victims of trafficking must be given rightful protection and provided safety so they do not fear retaliation from their abusers. In this situation it is important that survivors are provided justice through support programmes. A rights-based approach is most successful, because if the situation is seen as simply a criminal prosecution one, witnesses may be harassed with regards to testifying in court proceedings.

This will deter them from approaching the system for justice

Significance and Status of Victims in the Society

The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally, and there is no single profile for the victims. It occurs to adults, minors, all genders and nationalities. However, following are the people who are more at risk for being trafficked;

• Runaway and homeless youth
• Foreign nationals who are trafficked within the United States face exceptional challenges that can make them more vulnerable to trafficking
• Individuals who have experienced violence and trauma in their past lives

Rights of the Accused

Prosecutors in dealing with those accused must (according to the UNODC guidelines) maintain a professional conduct, impartiality and independence (free from political influence or otherwise) in their proceedings. Prosecutors shall also perform their duties fairly and consistently and provide confidentiality as demanded by their profession. (UNODC, n.d.)

Conclusion

An emphasis needs to be placed on international cooperation and all-inclusive tactics to make sure that reactions to trafficking and smuggling do not simply result in new means by the criminals behind these crimes.

Bibliography

1. County of San Francisco Human Rights Commission, n.d. What is Human Trafficking. [Online] Available at: https://sf-hrc.org/what-human-trafficking#Types%20of%20Human%20Trafficking
2. Anon., n.d. People smuggling. [Online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_smuggling
3. UNODC, 2009. International Framework for Action To Implement the Trafficking n Persons protocol, New York: s.n.
4. UNODC, n.d. Human Trafficking. [Online] Available at: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html
5. Web, R., n.d. Fleeing Home: Refugees and Human Trafficking. [Online] Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/fleeing-home-refugees-and-human-trafficking

Although it is unheard of, human trafficking is rising and has become a global crisis. This phenomenal has been an ongoing practice for a million of years and has not been stopped. Human trafficking can be defined as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex from another person. Human Trafficking is unethical because it is incorrect to exploit vulnerable people; some consequences are that victims are harmed, and it allows for the practice of patriarchy in gender roles.

Traffickers exploit vulnerable people that are unable to fend for themselves. Social worker Miriam Potocky,in her article “, Social Work Practice with Victims of Transnational Human Trafficking,” shares the story of Maria 12 years old girl that was sold to a man, Fernando, in Guatemala (111). Fernando smuggled her to United States and used her as his maid. He also used her to even out the debt with his brother (112). Human trafficking is becoming a common practice and something you hear about daily. According to Dr. Miriam Potocky, an expert on refugee resettlement and social worker states that there is an estimated of 27 million victims worldwide (114) Traffickers give them false hope to brighter future and lure them into the system. They offer them “false and deceptive offers of employment, marriage, or a better life” (115). Females and males are proposed to move countries in hopes that they will find a job and build a home, but instead they are put in the trafficking system. Most of the time females are in the sex industry and males are put to work. Traffickers seek easy targets, such as countries in severe poverty or teenagers. As stated by Alyssa M. Barnad,“youth seeking to escape dysfunctional homes, sexual abuse or other neglect” puts them at risk to human trafficking (1467). The trafficker begins to “groom” their victims until their mindset changes. The grooming process is “a form of psychological conditioning may include beatings, sexual assault, confinement, verbal abuse, brainwashing, document confiscations, and techniques, such as the renaming of the victim” (1469). Dr. Miriam Potocky shares that countries such as “Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa” are frequently targeted places by traffickers (116). Vulnerability makes victims easier targets for traffickers to exploit them.

Maria shares with her social worker that “one morning Fernando savagely” beat her and had to attend a hospital afterwards. Like Maria many of the victims get exposed to abuse and endangerment. According to the article” Sex trafficking of women and girls” by Dr. Deshpande and Dr.Nour, victims of sex trafficking are likely exposed to adverse conditions that can negatively affect their physical, mental, and emotional health (Deshpande). Victims can be exposed to sexual transmitted diseases and if they participate in commercial sex, they may have pelvic pain, rectal trauma or urinary difficulties (Deshpande). In most cases they are abused and tortured; scars, bruises, burns, and broken bones can be seen on them. Not only that, but women who have exploited in commercial sex are unstable, traumatized, and have great health issues than other crimes. Victims also become attached to their traffickers and according to social worker Miriam Potocky “victims may develop loyalty and positive feelings toward their traffickers” (116). Although this may seem surprising, victims incline to their traffickers because they protect and provide for them. Human trafficking victims were ripped away from their homes and they are not familiar with their new environment. Since they come from other countries, victims fear being deported. Victims will protect their trafficker from authorities because they fear that if they are gone, they will not have anyone to care for them. Victims of human trafficking get hurt physically and mentally through this process.

Lastly, human trafficking is unethical because it supports patriarchy. Patriarchy is a system of society in which the male is the dominant figure and women are subordinate to them. Human trafficking physiologically relates to power and control typically over others. According to Turner’s article titled “Root Causes, Transnational Mobility and Formations of Patriarchy in the Sex Trafficking of Women”, Turner, sex trafficking can be “understood by reference to patriarchal gender orders predicated on women’s subordination to men” (195). For instance, sex trafficking is one of the biggest practices in human trafficking socially constructed by male dominance. Turner believes that the current gender order lies in “the system of inequality in which women and girls are exploited, discredited and vulnerable to abuse and attack” (195). Not only do traffickers have power over women and girls, but the person behind the electronic device paying to see these victims tortured also do. Turner states traffickers may use these women and girls to make profit, but most of the time “sex buyers also have more specific demands” (197). Patriarchy plays a big role in the practice of human trafficking.

Article “The Representation of Human Trafficking in Documentaries: Vulnerable Victims and Shadowy Villains” by journalist Nataliia Vdovychenko, raises the question “Are human smugglers inspired by anything other than greed and disregard of human life?” (503). Vdovychenko compares several different documentaries to break down how these movies distort human trafficking and how traffickers may be different (497). She states that males are always portrayed as the bad ones versus females, but according to the website National Human Trafficking Hotline, their article “Hotline Statistics,” out of the 4,585 cases 3,736 are female victims, only 545 males and the rest are gender minorities. Females take up more than half of the cases in which they have been victimized.

It is incorrect for traffickers to take advantage of people’s vulnerabilities, use patriarchy to belittle others and damage the lives of their victims. Maria broke away from her trafficker and got a second life. Many victims are suffering and if we do not do anything to fix this global crisis the numbers will continue to increase.