Legal Studies Assessment: Human Trafficking and Slavery

Human Trafficking is defined as “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion” (U.S. Department of

Situation: Every year in the United States, there are an estimated 14,000- 17,500 people trafficked across our boarders. The issues of international human trafficking have only recently been brought to light as an increasing problem within the United States. The department of homeland security, which consists of many branches such as Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S Coast Guard, are some of the top combating agencies against human trafficking. With the rise of the amount of victims estimated to be trafficked into the U.S each year, there is much more that needs to be done in order to better address the issue.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 aims to combat human trafficking within the United States as well as abroad. On October 16, 2000, President Clinton signed the bill into law (Ryf, 2002). This statute states that slavery continues through the 21st century and is an issue that must be addressed. There is a three-tiered method to target human trafficking: prevention, protection, and prosecution. Additionally, this law requires the President to assign an interagency task force to monitor and combat trafficking as well as the responsibility to release the Annual Trafficking in Persons Report (Victims of Trafficking and Violence Prevention Act, 2000). Throughout this policy analysis, these areas of the law will be discussed in greater detail.

Although, smuggling and trafficking involve both humans, human trafficking differs from human smuggling because it is “compared to a modern day form of slavery”, involving “the exploitation of unwilling people through force” (Schmalleger, 2012, pg.605). Capturing, arresting and prosecuting human trafficking kingpins wouldn’t eliminate the problem, but rather encourage aspiring cartels to continue a “legacy”. However, fighting human trafficking is perhaps the most dangerous and difficult problem because of drugs and weapons, but nevertheless a rewarding accomplishment because “women and children compromise the largest group of victims” who are “often physically and emotionally abused” (Schmalleger, 2012, pg.607). A solution to this problem would probably be awareness, where the Federal government communicates to states, cities and communities to report suspicious activity. Therefore, proper help can be admitted to the victims by allowing new identities to be assigned; in addition, this would lower fraud and provide

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, brings forth more pre-existing criminal penalties, gives protection and benefits to the victims of severe trafficking. It also places a Cabinet-level federal interagency task force, a federal program that will provide services to people who are trafficked. Internationally, the US has placed many anti-trafficking programs that will assist countries to combat human trafficking

Continuing and adding on to Canadian accomplishments in relation to the subject, the Government of Canada has launched a National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking. The plan consolidates ongoing efforts of the federal government to combat against human trafficking whilst introducing aggressive new initiatives in an effort to prevent human trafficking, identify victims, protect the most vulnerable, and prosecute perpetrators. The National Action Plan aims to better support and uplift organizations whom provide assistance to victims. The plan also builds on Canada’s current responses and commitment to work cohesively with global partners to prevent and combat organized crime groups and their involvement with human trafficking. Additionally,

Trafficking in persons is a serious crime and a grave violation of human rights. Every year, thousands of men, women and children fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own countries and abroad. Almost every country in the world is

Inferences can reasonably be made from what is known about victims of domestic violence, torture victims, child sexual exploitation and prostitution, and runaway and homeless youth, and what we expect to find from similar studies of international and domestic victims of human trafficking. In the absence of existing studies, conclusions can be drawn only from overviews, commentaries, and anecdotalobservations and experiences of providers and others in the field (Gozdziak & Collet, 2005). The challenges associated with combating human trafficking and protecting victims are overwhelming but manageable. Many NGOs feel that a multi-dimensional approach to addressing trafficking should include not only legislative initiatives and crime prevention, but also social welfare, job training, rights protection, and development initiatives in the source, transit, and destination countries and locales (Caliber Associates, 2007; Richard, 1999). Effective strategies should be comprehensive and provide for collaboration among governments, governmental agencies, NGOs, advocacy groups, service providers, survivors, and affected communities (Miller & Stewart, 1998). Intensive case management, comprehensive services provided through partnerships, and ongoing outreach and education most likely will produce an effective response to the needs

There are more than 200 countries involved in the trade, and more than 500 trafficking travel routes. 40 percent of countries have admitted to only few or no convictions within this line of “business”. Yet according to the head of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Yury Fedotov, no one is safe:

Human trafficking, the newest form of slavery, had spread across the world, even in Kansas City (UNODC). Human trafficking is a form of forced labor, whether it may be working on farms to working as a prostitute (Kansas City Star). Human trafficking is considered one of the main criminal industries in the world (Polaris Project). Also, there are many forms of trafficking. The most common are sex trafficking or forced labor (Polaris Project). In many situations, traffickers are sex trafficking people and using forced labor (Polaris Project).

From the previous couple of decades the term which is getting a handle on consideration from both political and social regions is 'Human Trafficking';United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) propelled a report in the wake of examining 155 nations, and the outcome demonstrates that among all the trafficking 79% is sex abuse, 20% is tyke misuse while constrained work is 18% of entirety.

Luckily, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 authorizes the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to make foreign victims of human trafficking eligible for federally funded benefits and services to the same extent as refugees. This includes Refugee Cash and Medical Assistance, the Matching Grant Program, the Public Housing Program, and Job Corps. This aid is given out to the population of young children, teenagers, men, and women who are certified by the HHS. This provides help to thousands of people affected by human trafficking. These federally funded benefits help improve the living conditions of survivors and speed the time of recovery. This also helps victims to transition back into

According to Wikipedia, human trafficking is defined as “ The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or

Human trafficking is threatening or abducting people for exploitation. People, mostly gangs, kidnap men, women, and children to sell them on the ‘sex trade’ or use them to do hard labor. The money being made by using and selling people is much more than any other selling business, like drugs or exporting goods. This makes more people want to start in the trade. In order for money to be made, its is usually means smuggling people through borders. “If human trafficking is such a worldwide problem, it means that the government is losing control over their borders, not just in China or the U.S. but all over the world” (Yik-Yi Chu 42).

Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings mainly for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labour. Other purposes can be extraction of organs, or tissues or even surrogacy or ova removal. It can also be regarded as modern form of slavery. Trafficking is a lucrative industry. It is second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable illegal industry in the world. In 2004, the total annual revenue for trafficking in persons were estimated to be between USD$5 billion and $9 billion.