effect of human traffickinh

THE IMPACTS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

No region of the world has been untouched by trafficking. The paper concludes with a summary of regional patterns of human trafficking, including main origin and destination countries/regions. Surprisingly, there is little correlation between the development status of a country and its status as a country from which people are mostly trafficked. Central and Eastern European countries feature prominently, and it would appear that the transition from a closed economy, higher aspirations and a desire for opportunities abroad have fuelled people’s desire to go migrate, by whatever means, which has made many vulnerable to trafficking (Danailova-Trainor and Laczko 2010).

It is difficult to accurately measure the impact of trafficking because of its clandestine nature and hidden economies in which trafficked people work. Lack of legislation and inadequate national definitions; lack of political will; inexperience in dealing with the issue; corruption; victims’ inability or unwillingness to cooperate all make it difficult to determine the scale and impact (Aronowitz 2009).

However, while trafficking is too covert to accurately measure, the numbers involved are significant. Estimates suggest that 400,000 illegal immigrants reach Europe each year, while 850,000 arrive in the US annually (however, these figures include those who have paid smugglers, as well as trafficked victims). In 2004, the US government approximated that 600,000-800,000 are trafficked internationally annually, of which 80 per cent are female and 50 per cent are minors, with 70 per cent of females being trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation (US Department of State 2004). ILO estimates that 2.44 million people are in forced labour worldwide as a result of trafficking (out of an estimated 12.3 million people worldwide in forced bonded labour, child labour, and sexual servitude) (ILO 2008).

It is also clear that everywhere it occurs, the consequences are devastating for victims and the larger community – all society suffers, as well as principles of democratic freedom, principles of democratic society, rule of law and human rights. The scale of trafficking also deals a particular blow to gender equality and women’s rights, presents a strain on law enforcement, and affects security and health systems (Danailova-Trainor and Laczko 2010). Below is a closer examination of the impacts of trafficking in specific areas.

Trafficking represents lost opportunities domestically, including an irretrievable loss of human resources and future productivity (US Department of State 2011). According to the 2008 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report (US Department of State 2008: 22) trafficking also results in a huge loss of remittances to developing countries, because trafficked persons often have to pay off the ‘debt’ they incur for being trafficked (which they may never do). Given that the annual level of remittances to developing countries is an estimated US$ 325 billion (US Department of State 2011), the lack of remittances from trafficked victims could imply a loss to development (according to Danailova-Trainor and Laczko (2010), of approximately US$ 60 billion).

Additionally, the costs of coercion and exploitation cannot be measured but it is clear that the worst forms of child labour (and by extension trafficking), for instance, represents a loss in productive capacity of a generation of individuals who would have otherwise gained from increased education and improved health (US State Department 2004).
Further, if the fight against trafficking is successful, funds currently used to fight trafficking crimes may be channelled towards alternative development initiatives.

In addition to the foregone benefits in terms of remittances and human capital, there are other human and social costs to development attributable to trafficking. The direct impact on the family and community left behind cannot be easily quantified but nevertheless should not be ignored. Trafficking undermines extended family ties, and in many cases, the forced absence of women leads to the breakdown of families and neglect of children and the aged (Danailova-Trainor and Laczko 2010). Victims who return to communities often find themselves stigmatised and shunned, and are more likely to become involved in substance abuse and criminal activity (US Department of State 2004).

Children trafficked into forced labour or sexual exploitation have their development as a person

‘irreparably damaged’ (US Department of State 2004: 17). Survivors often suffer multiple traumas and psychological problems.

There are significant health impacts for victims both while they are being transported and when they have reached their destination. Perilous journeys expose trafficked victims to injury and even death, while overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, and shortages of food and water increase the risk of spreading infectious disease (Todres 2011).

Trafficked persons experience ‘physical, sexual, and emotional violence at the hands of traffickers, pimps, employers, and others. They are also exposed to various workplace, health, and environmental hazards’ (Todres 2011: 463). Individuals trafficked for the sex industry also experience increased risk of contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STIs). Frequently denied the choice to use condoms, sex trafficking victims can introduce HIV to the broader population. Trucking routes served by prostitution rings along trucking routes, can cause HIV/AIDS and other STIs to be spread even more widely, including across international borders (Todres 2011).

Health effects are not limited only to those trafficked for sexual exploitation. Trafficked workers live and work in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, with no consideration of safety (Todres 2011). These are problems not just for the individual, who may suffer from long-term adverse health, but as such conditions can harbour infectious diseases, wider populations may also be put at risk.
The impacts of human trafficking fall disproportionately on women and children, who are the main victims, largely trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation. That this is a billion dollar industry, worldwide, and growing, is a continued expression of unequal power relations that reinforce women’s secondary status in society.

It goes without saying that trafficked victims are stripped of their human rights. Trafficked people are subject to all manner of human rights violations, not least of all the rights to life, liberty and freedom from slavery. Trafficked children are deprived of the right to grow up in a protective environment, and to be free from sexual exploitation and abuse (US State Department 2004). Less considered are the rights to adequate healthcare, education, a decent work environment, and freedom from discrimination, to name a few (Todres 2006).
The profits to be made from human trafficking, a process that often requires the control of the entire migration cycle, attracts large crime syndicates, unlike smuggling, which can be run by small enterprises. Human trafficking is estimated to be the third largest international criminal enterprise, generating an estimated US$9.5 billion annually (US State Department 2004). Organised criminal groups often combine human trafficking with other types of criminal activities, and its profits fuel other criminal activities, which present huge security threats to countries, such as the drug trade, particularly as some of the trade routes, which they control, are the same (Väyrynen 2003).

Human trafficking operations undermine government efforts to exert authority over its territory, threatening the security of vulnerable populations. Many governments are unable to protect women and children who are kidnapped from their homes and schools or from refugee camps. Moreover, the bribes paid by traffickers impede a government’s ability to battle corruption among law enforcement, immigration, and judicial officials (US Department of State 2004; Shelley 2010).

In addition to the societal impacts on destination countries, other costs include the costs of anti-trafficking measures. For example, the US government has provided approximately US$ 447 million in foreign assistance to non-governmental organisations, international organisations and other governments to combat and help eliminate human trafficking since 2001 (Danailova-Trainor and Laczko 2010).

Additionally, to support US efforts to investigate trafficking in persons within the United States, the US Bureau of Justice Assistance funded a total of 42 law enforcement task forces on human trafficking, at a cost of over US$ 17 million between 2004 and 2006 (Danailova-Trainor and Laczko 2010).

There are also significant impacts of unregulated migration on both the economy, and security, particularly given that trafficking is considered an element of the larger problem of organised crime and the illicit global economy, and closely linked with the trade of illicit drugs, arms, and so on.

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