Human Trafficking

Running head: A GLOBAL MATTER: HUMAN TRAFFICKING

A Global Matter: Human Trafficking

Denisse Guerrero, Cami Venhaus, Kim Douglas, and Marissa Selaya

University of Phoenix

A Global Matter: Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is the act of transporting, enlisting, or harboring an individual by use of force or intimidation for the sole purpose of exploitation. Exploitation can be caused by prostitution, domestic servitude, sweatshop work, and construction. This is considered a crime against humanity and effects thousands of men, women, and children in every country around the world. Human trafficking has been in existence for many years; however, the intricacy of the topic has evolved due to social and economical conditions or globalization such as increase poverty. Also, advancements in technology have contributed to the increase of human trafficking by allowing fast, easy availability, and unidentifiable information available to offenders (Salett, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to explore the history, social impact, major targets, demographics, current issues, and intervention strategies of human trafficking.
History of Human Trafficking Human trafficking runs back in time in the United States History. By far the most notorious story of human trafficking in the United States was that of the African people being brought to the Americas to work as slaves. The conditions were horrific and the legacy of those actions is still felt today, with over 20 million people forcibly transported over the Atlantic Ocean. At least 20% of the people died on the way, a staggering statistic when considering that it is probably a low percentage compared to the reality. That does not take into account the internal displacement that happened during the time period, when practically the entire continent was caught up in the slave trade (Pearson, 2009). The United States did not begin the consideration the topic of human trafficking until 1994, when it began being covered in the Department’s Annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. Majority of laws have been passed against it in the United States, and the United States has become active in advocating against it internationally as well. However, what is important to note is the fact that even in the United States, with all of its laws and all of the government action, this is still something that happens. Approximately 14,500 and 17,500 people are kidnapped and brought to the United States every year. Housemaids, sex workers, farm laborers or factory workers are brought in to the country – perhaps with their permission – but then held here against their will and not paid for their work, making them victims of human trafficking. These are groups of people that are already marginalized from the greater American society, due to cultural or language barriers and a growing nationalistic public that rejects the modern immigrant in favor of the “home-grown” American. When an entire group of people, migrant workers or other kinds of “untouchables”, is ignored by society at large it is relatively easy for the people who make up that class to be abused and have no justice on their behalf. Approximately 800,000 men, women and children are kidnapped and transported every year. Keeping in mind that the number is probably lower than reality, it is a staggering amount of people this problem affects today in the world. In reality, there’s no firm number when it comes to human trafficking (Pearson, 2009).
Impacts on Society To describe the impact that human trafficking has on society as a whole it must first be broken down into the many ways that it affects its victims as individuals. The way a single individual is affected by becoming a victim of human trafficking cannot be summarized in one word, no, it takes many to be able to describe what they go through. Words such as mental anguish, anxiety, extreme fear, physical pain, exploitation, physical and psychological abuse, etc. The list could go on even further, but it is not necessary, and these same words could even be used to describe the impact that human trafficking has on society as whole because really the common thread is suffering. The women and children who are forced into human trafficking suffer tremendously, and these effects carry over into our society as well. Society feels the impact of human trafficking on many levels physically by way of spreading deadly disease such as the HIV virus and AIDS, as well as many other STDs. There is an increase in the death of children because they are exploited for various types of labor including, but not limited to, sweatshop work. The extreme environments that these victims are kept in often leads to mental breakdowns and drug use, and even if some people are able to escape they are then burdened with the stigma of people who have been part of human trafficking. All of these effects have their impact on political level effecting domestic and foreign policies, especially migration policies and the human rights arena as well.

Demographics

Indonesia is one of the countries with the highest rates of human trafficking. Approximately 100,000 women and children are trafficked each year, and force to work in the commercial sexual exploitation. “40,000-70,000 Indonesian children are victims of sexual exploitation (Bertone, 2007, Human Trafficking, para.5)”. The main cause of human trafficking in Indonesia is due to the lack of birth registration, this makes it easier for trafficking. According to Bertone (2007), about 60 percent of children who are under five years old do not have birth certificates; about half are not registered anywhere. The second country with a high rate of human trafficking is Saudi Arabia. “Saudi Arabia was designated, together with Bolivia, Ecuador, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Burma, Jamaica, Venezuela, Cambodia, Kuwait, Sudan, Cuba, North Korea, and Togo, as a Tier 3.”(Bertone, 2007). Tier 3 countries are "Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so (Bertone, 2007)”. Unfortunately, these third world countries are at their high peek of human trafficking due to the lack of authority not doing anything.
Major Targets After having gone through several different articles it is obvious that the targeted victims of human trafficking are women, young girls, and children in general. This has become a wide spread problem in third world countries because of the extreme poverty that is rampant among them. Another issue that factors into human trafficking and forced prostitution is that women are still considered second class citizens in so many other countries, and are really viewed as expendable items rather than people. Many women and children who are looking for a better life actually turn to prostitution; however, many become literally enslaved in to this lifestyle. The Human Rights Watch website makes a statement regarding women and girls who are being trapped into human trafficking and prostitution situations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Seeking better lives and opportunities, trafficking victims migrate only to find themselves trapped in debt bondage, forced labor, and slavery- like conditions.” Those who are experiencing extreme poverty and financial hardships are often the ones who are preyed upon and become victims of human trafficking.

An article found on the UNICEF website observes that, “…Trafficking occurs when a child 's protective environment collapses from such things as conflict, economic hardship, and discrimination. Traditional attitudes and practices, early marriage, and lack of birth registration further increase the vulnerability of children and women exploitation…Poverty can create a desperate situation for many women and children, making them marks for manipulation.”

Current Issues and Intervention Strategies Human trafficking has been an issue for many years that is not taken lightly. What started out as slavery has taken a modern day form as human trafficking, in which many fail to realize that this form of slavery still exist. Since this is not only a national issue, it takes an international collaboration in order to combat this issue. The U.S. Agency for International Development is an organization that raises the awareness of human trafficking around the globe (U.S. Agency for International Development 2002). In the effort to, successfully attack this issue, President Bush signed a directive that commits the United States government to raise awareness about human trafficking (U.S. Agency for International Development 2002). Since human trafficking is a problem greatly affecting women and children, programs around the globe have been set up, with monies donated to help in intervening and abolishing this practice.
One of the many groups fighting to combat human trafficking since 1968 is UNCRI which stands for United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. UNICRI has discovered through research that human trafficking stems from large numbers of people migrating, insecurities within a country/nations government, poor economies, problems within a states institutions, and growth of sex industries (http://www.humantrafficking.org/). Current issues with human trafficking, involves war conflicts taking place within countries (http://www.humantrafficking.org/). During and after armed conflicts human trafficking is very common because a lack of law enforcement (http://www.humantrafficking.org/). While this time of conflict is tearing apart the countries stability to maintain order it is easy for people to exploit the time of crisis and enslave women and children into human trafficking. According to the Polaris Project, “The National Public Outreach Program aims to increase public awareness about the realities of human trafficking in the United States and build local capacity to combat human trafficking by engaging media, community members, and key stakeholders in anti-trafficking activities on the local and national levels. Program efforts focus on awareness-raising, state and federal policy advocacy, and education about resources and services available through the National Human Trafficking Resource Center,” (National Public Outreach Program). The National Outreach Program believes that their efforts of informing people and getting the community involved with human trafficking will bring social change (National Public Outreach Program). The United States is one of the main countries that the victims of human trafficking are a transit and destination for (http://www.humantrafficking.org/). The U.S. passed The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, in order to help fight human trafficking practices (http://www.humantrafficking.org/). This Act reinstates and aids in enforcing past laws against those partaking in human trafficking, and it also protects those who have been victimized in the process (http://www.humantrafficking.org/). In 2002 the “T” Visas became part of another program implemented to assist the victims (http://www.humantrafficking.org/). This regulation permits victims that assist government officials in capturing criminals affiliated to trafficking the opportunity to reside in the U.S. (http://www.humantrafficking.org/). The victim is also able to remain in the U.S. permanently with the provision that they would be in danger if they were to return to their country. There are many efforts being implemented to help aid victims and enforce laws of human trafficking. Intervention is crucial in order for law makers to have success in eliminating this problem. With worldwide efforts human trafficking will seize to exist as long as communities, different programs, and law officials continue to fight for human rights. Human trafficking is a crime against humanity. Human trafficking takes away individuals basic human rights including the freedom to move, to control his or her body and mind, and the ability to control his or her future. The history, impact on society, major targeted areas, and current issues of human trafficking establish the need for concern and intervention strategies for the world today.

References
A Web Resource for Combating Human Trafficking. (2009). Retrieved July 3, 2009, from www.humantrafficking.org
Bertone, A. M. (2007). Human trafficking. Academy for Educational Development. Retrieved Jul. 2, 2009, from http/:www.humantrafficking.org
Cotonou, B. (2004). Human trafficking, including children, affects nearly all African countries. UNICEF. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://www.unicef.org/media/media_20449.html
Hartfiel, R. (2008). An introduction to human trafficking: vulnerability, impact and action. United Nations // United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime // United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafficking. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://www.humansecuritygateway.info/documents/UNODC_IntroToHumanTraff
National Public Outreach Program. (2004). Retrieved July 3, 2009, from www.polarisproject.org
Pearson, C. (2009). An Alaskan’s disposable world. Marking the Connection. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http/:www.humantrafficking.org
Salett, E. (2009). Human trafficking and modern-day slavery. National MultiCultural Institute. Retrieved July 3, 2009, from http://www.nmci.org/news/news_items/trafficking.html
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. (2005). Retrieved July 3, 2009, from www.unicri.it/ U.S. Agency for International Development. (2002). Retrieved July 3, 2009, from http://www.usaid.gov

References: A Web Resource for Combating Human Trafficking. (2009). Retrieved July 3, 2009, from www.humantrafficking.org   Bertone, A. M. (2007). Human trafficking. Academy for Educational Development. Retrieved Jul Cotonou, B. (2004). Human trafficking, including children, affects nearly all African countries. UNICEF. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http://www.unicef.org/media/media_20449.html Hartfiel, R National Public Outreach Program. (2004). Retrieved July 3, 2009, from www.polarisproject.org      Pearson, C. (2009). An Alaskan’s disposable world. Marking the Connection. Retrieved July 2, 2009, from http/:www.humantrafficking.org Salett, E. (2009). Human trafficking and modern-day slavery. National MultiCultural Institute. Retrieved July 3, 2009, from http://www.nmci.org/news/news_items/trafficking.html United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute