Human Trafficking In Madagascar

Although the days of slavery are decades in the past, cruel and tragic abuse of people continues to this day. Across the world, vicious transactions have led to the movement of thousands of innocent persons. These citizens are then subjected to intensive work, ranging from prostitution to mining. Sadly, this type of enslavement is most prominent in underdeveloped nations, with the most concentrated areas of human trafficking being in Africa. Of these third-world countries, the island of Madagascar stands out, being an isolated location. While it may appear that human trafficking would be difficult to execute in such a far-off location, various statistical studies would suggest the contrary.
As this intolerable handling of innocent civilians
In addition, the United Nations must aid victims of human trafficking by returning them to their hometown or bringing them to a First World country as an immigrant, and assisting the liberated workers in finding new jobs. Finally, an effective mechanism to terminate this trafficking must be implemented in the form of rigorous observation, as well as sprinkled investigations into suspicious activities to locate domestic slavery victims even in the most obscure of crevices. According to the United States’ 2010 report on human trafficking statistics, Madagascar is a source country for women and children who are subjected to trafficking, especially that of prostitution and forced labor (Madagascar - Office to Combat Trafficking in Persons). In fact, an estimated 6,000 Malagasy women are employed in the country of Lebanon, most of whom are illiterate and poorly educated. Sadly, this means that they are most prone to maltreatment or deception at the hands of their employers. Additionally, children in rural areas are victims of forced labor, as well as kidnapping operations. Conversely, the most wretched element of human trafficking in Madagascar is that of younger children. As reported by the
Often, after arriving in countries such as Jordan or Kuwait, they are stripped of any potential they have, and the true, fraudulous, nature of the employment offer is exposed. In fact, one such story of a survivor was brought to public attention in August of 2011. As Abeline Baholiariosa recalls, her life was turned upside down as soon as she boarded the plane for Beirut, where she was promised a nursing job for three years with an eight-hundred dollar monthly salary. However, in a sickening twist, her employers immediately retracted their contract, claiming that it was now utterly worthless. To rub salt in Baholiariosa’s metaphorical wounds, they also pilfered her papers upon arrival. Baholiariosa was then forced to laboriously tend to a wealthy family’s needs, along with another Malagasy woman. “We didn’t have time to eat or sleep - night and day”, she recollects, “we didn’t even have time to clean ourselves” (Baholiariosa, quoted in McNeish). Baholiariosa would go on to endure this type of horrifying abuse for twelve more years, as she lacked the documents she needed to return home. During this time, she would witness numerous other cruelties being committed to fellow