Human Trafficking as a Global Travesty
Shauna Nguyen
University of South Florida Saint Petersburg
Abstract
This research paper dives into the world of human trafficking looking into key details about the ethical implications of human trafficking as well as proposed solutions. With information such as statistics, methods of trafficking and the ending of trafficking that is found from websites from organizations that are dedicated to ending trafficking, the involvement of all countries are cited as necessary in ending this worldly crime. Information was found through University of South Florida’s library system and websites with information pertaining to their organization’s attempts at ending human trafficking. Articles utilized include Unintended Effects of United Nations Intervention, From Bush to Obama: Rethinking Sex and Religion in the U.S. Initiative to Combat Human Trafficking, Human Trafficking, and Supply and Demand: Human Trafficking in the Global Economy. In addition to these scholarly articles, websites used include the organizational websites of UNODC and UNICEF. Keywords: Human trafficking, ethics of trafficking, trafficking
Shauna Nguyen
INR 3038
27 November 2016
Research Paper Assignment
Human Trafficking as a Global Travesty
At a global level, Human trafficking has two terms that are key to defining it: “[It is] trafficking in Persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or
Human trafficking exists in several nations all around us. No nation, including the United States is exempt from human trafficking. There may be factors that create unique anti-trafficking issues and obstacles for each nation, but the characteristics are all the same or very similar worldwide. These characteristics are how the trafficking is conducted, how the victims are kidnapped, the percentage of victims, the gender of the victims, and the percentage of each gender in different trafficking situations. The situations include children, adults, male, and female victims. The situations the victims fall into are pornography, forced labor, sex slaves, prostitution, child sex tourism, and many more. These are the issues and key points made by the authors to persuade the reader to agree with their position.
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will. (“Human Trafficking.”) Differing definitions of sex trafficking in state laws make it difficult to know if the studies on sex trafficking are including consensual, adult sex workers, who are not victims of trafficking under federal or international law in their numbers. Vulnerable Native American women and youth are targeted by traffickers more than any other ethnic group. The data collected for the “Shattered Hearts” report from 95 Native women and girls suggest that the trafficking of Native girls into prostitution is a significant, though rarely discussed as a problem. Still, the studies do suggest that sex trafficking of Native women and girls, specifically, is present in the United States. (“Shattered Hearts.”)
Human trafficking is viewed as modern day slave exchange. It is a genuine crime under both global and national legal systems. It opens casualties to economic exploitation with a significant number of them being women and children less than 18 years old years. It is essential to know the way that human trafficking has raised critical human rights issues, particularly concerning women and children as stakeholders are beginning to reexamine their way to deal with this societal issue. Human trafficking has emerged as the third greatest criminal industry by drug trafficking and illicit arms. The human trafficking industry has helped in the expansion of different crimes, such as child abuse, prostitution and violence against women. With the assistance of existing research, this paper seeks to explain the different measurements of human trafficking and how it has influenced the general public at the individual, national and global level. The paper offers a few proposals with regards to the most ideal route concerning managing the issue of the current slave trade.
The illicit trafficking of humans for purposes of slavery continues to be a global issue and clear violation of fundamental Human Rights. Article 4 of The UDHR states; “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms”. Human trafficking is defined as the commercial trade of human beings for the purpose of some form of slavery or exploitation, a clear violation of individual human rights. It is hard to quantify the extent of the issue, however the UN has estimated that there are over 2.5 million victims of human trafficking across state boarders. As an international issue, human trafficking requires international attention - however for international laws to be most effective they
Human trafficking is a complex phenomenon hence difficult to conceptualize (Maclnnis, 2012). Scholars, nations and international organizations have individually or collectively tried to define human trafficking and, not surprisingly, they disagree with one another. United States (US) for instance does not consider organ trade as human trafficking whereas the United Nations (UN) and Canada do (United States Department of State 2010; United Nations 2012). According to Malawi Human Trafficking Act (2015), trafficking in persons means:
The a wide range of sorts of human trafficking imply that there is no single, common casualty profile. Cases are found in all parts of the world and casualties are focused on independent of sexual orientation, age or foundation. Battling human trafficking ought not simply be viewed as the duty of the powers. Conventional individuals can handle the wrongdoing by monitoring it and by ensuring that the predicament of casualties does not go
Human trafficking is a public health problem within the United States and Internationally. The victims subjected to the lifestyle of human trafficking can have sexually transmitted disease, HIV virus, and AIDS. It is an estimated 30,000 victims of human sex trafficking dying each year from abuse, disease, torture, and neglect. According, to U.S. government an estimates, of 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders annually, and up to 17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year (Hodge, 2008). “According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), over the past 30 years, over 30 million children have been sexually exploited through human trafficking” (Random Facts, 2015, para. 24).
Sex -trafficking has not dissipated over time; it is a growing, adaptive market that is prevalent across the world. We are not talking about an industry that sells depleting commodities. Sex trafficking is a giant market that profits on human slavery. It is paramount that this issue be moved nearer to the forefront of global consciousness, in light of violations of basic human rights and losses of autonomy.
Human trafficking is the trade of humans by force, mainly women and female children, for the purposes of sexual slavery, sexual exploitation, and domestic labor. Global human trafficking has often been labeled as modern- day slavery; however the history and causes have been identifiable just as the causes of traditional slavery have been. What causes human trafficking? In this present paper, the hypotheses on the primary causes of global human trafficking will be identified. There are three major themes that cause human trafficking: a nation’s economy, political and legal factors, and social factors that enable the continuance of human trafficking. According to previous research indications of historical influence and social hierarchy have the greatest impact on the causes of human trafficking; these topics will further be elaborated upon during the discussions of political influences and social factors that impact human trafficking.
Human trafficking refers to the movement of persons across borders for forced labor, sexual exploitation or other illicit activities. Sex trafficking is the most lucrative sector of human trafficking America, Southeast Asia, East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia. The global political economy, political corruption, human rights, gender and ethnic stratification, and migration are all related to human trafficking.
Human trafficking is a serious global issue that needs the awareness and attention of the world. The United Nations Office for Drugs and Crimes identifies human trafficking as “an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion, or other means, for the purpose of exploiting them” (UNODC). According to the book Trafficking in People by the policy analysts Clare Ribando Seelke and Alison Siskin, this exploitation can include forced prostitution, ”forced labor and services, slavery, servitude, or the removal of organs” (Ribando Seelke and Siskin 4). Human Trafficking is a violation against fundamental human rights. But even 63 years after the United Nations Universal Declaration
"People were created to be loved, things were created to be used. The reason the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used". This is a statement by anonymous, and it is a statement that rings all too true for many adults and children being used in human trafficking. Human trafficking is a topic that too many in society ignore, and it is arguably that ignorance that serves as a bigger conundrum than the topic itself. Human trafficking, also known as slavery, is when humans are sold to the highest bidder at an auction or used in businesses as slaves, and all too often these slaves are used for sexual purposes. Roughly 79% of slaves are sexually exploited according to The United Nations Protocol against Trafficking in Persons. Dictionary. Reference defines a sex slave as a person who is forced into prostitution and held against their will. Sex trafficking is a major issue around the globe, for no matter how diverse cultures may seem they all share the common horror of sex slavery which results in grave violations in human rights. Being a global problem that creates a common factor in nearly all cultures, one would expect humanity to be able to spot the sign of a slave or even know what’s going on and help solve the crisis, but conversely people have shunned the topic of slavery and try not to even think about it. How ignorant people have become is the real problem, for if more people were aware of the issue then more people would be willing
The United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children (2000) defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction,
Human Trafficking is a serious Global matter that violates a multitude of the Human Rights articles outline in The Universal Declarations of Human Rights. Thousands of individuals are subjects of Human Trafficking every year; the perpetrators of this crime do not discriminate, targeting men, women, the young and the old all over the world. Human Trafficking is indeed a Global issue, occurring in nearly every country on the planet. Not only does this heinous crime include sexual exploitation and forced labour, it is also a large contributor to the transnational organized crime epidemic. Although there are already measures put in place to put a stop to this issue it is
Trafficking in human beings is now the fastest-growing business of organized crime. Men, women and children are trafficked within their own countries and across international borders. More than one person is smuggled across a border every minute which is the equivalent to ten jumbo jets every single day. And the trade earns twice as much as the Coca Cola brand. (STOP THE TRAFFIK 2014)