Mass media has been an instrumental partner in publicizing the vice of human trafficking. The media has played a vital role in giving the victims a voice while helping the relevant authorities to intercept this crime rings. The public perception has also been broadened to expand human trafficking into a bigger bracket than that of forced labor. Human trafficking is now recognized as an avenue for drug mules, sexual slavery, forced begging and organ harvesting among others. The media has also helped to expand the modes of trafficking beyond those walked across the border. Others are sold online within their own states, while others are transported as stowaways in ships. Others are tricked into traveling voluntarily in the name of acquiring employment in neighboring states (Whiting, 2015). Social media is responsible for many such victims.
The media has made the issue more publicized. This makes it possible for influencers and law makers to take note of the issue and act accordingly. The media also shows that a large percentage of trafficked people are female. Statistics place this figure at a shocking 71% (Staff, 2017). It helps the victims get justice such as access to their travel documents, offering legal means of income, repatriation back to their homes and even giving medical and psychological treatment when necessary (Whiting, 2015). Social media has had a greater effect as it is robust and it reaches a greater number of people. People can now empathize with the victims as they understand that they are victims of circumstances.
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An article that highlighted the plight of young women who were trafficked between the years of 2015 and 2017. The article is set in Connecticut where a group of survivors share their experiences. The young women in their teenage years were targeted due to their social economic status. The traffickers preferred teenagers from low income neighborhoods and female girls of color. Those who had been in the foster system were also targeted as they did not have a strong support system to protect them (Gallucci, 2019). Many of the girls were not even of the age to offer consensual sex. The victims were trafficked between different states in the US. The article shows that the victims and the perpetrators of trafficking are active citizens of the US (Staff, 2017). Refugees and migrant women are also named as the highest potential victims of human trafficking. This is significant as it shows that trafficked women are the most vulnerable and needy members of society.
The US has been named as an ideal haven for human trafficking in various articles. The US did not have any laws against human trafficking until the year 2000 (Austin, 2016). Despite this laws being applicable currently, the vice still continues. The traffickers ply their trade under the cover of prostitution. It covers the traffickers from prosecution because only the women are arrested for prostitution (Whiting, 2015). Their ‘clients’ are not held liable for their actions or prosecuted for procuring prostitution services. The article highlights the fact that law enforcement officers are not aware of the scope of the problem as they assume that the problem of trafficking is exterior.
The agencies therefore channel all energy towards this and they downplay the effect of internal human trafficking. However, the article points out some states that have attempted to tackle the situation. States like Arizona and Los Angeles have begun punishing those who seek prostitution services (Whiting, 2015). Media coverage of these issues is a positive step towards managing the vice. Although the discussion was centered on girls in Minnesota and Connecticut, the media were able to influence readers in all the states, and around the world.
References
Austin, R. (2016). Human Trafficking in the Media: A Content Analysis of Human Trafficking Frames in Documentaries, Movies, and Television Episodes. Northeastern University.
Gallucci, J. (2019) Human Trafficking Is an Epidemic in the U.S. It’s Also Big Business. FORTUNE. Retrieved from https://fortune.com/2019/04/14/human-sex-trafficking-us-slavery/
Staff. (2017). Human trafficking and the role of media. WACC. Retrieved from http://www.waccglobal.org/articles/human-trafficking-and-the-role-of-media
Whiting, A. (2015) How traffickers use social media to lure vulnerable teenagers into sex work. REUTERS. https://venturebeat.com/2015/11/15/how-traffickers-use-social-media-to-lure-vulnerable-teenagers-into-sex-work/
