Abstract
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Human trafficking has received significant attention as many victims continue to suffer and die because of this vice. Human trafficking is classified into three categories: labor trafficking, sex trafficking, and war slavery. Victims of the different forms of human trafficking are subjected to inhumane conditions. Human traffickers heavily target women and children, but men are also targets. This paper discusses the prevalence of sexual exploitation in human trafficking as well as make recommendations on successful steps for prevention of human trafficking.
Introduction
There are many definitions of human trafficking (HT). A standard definition is the one proposed by the United Nations that human trafficking is, “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose including forced labor or sexual exploitation” (Efrat, 2016). On the other hand, the US government defines human trafficking as, “The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.” The two definitions are almost similar. Most organizations and researchers borrow or extend the UN definition of HT.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Human trafficking statistics are astounding. According to Mo (2018) more than 2.4 million men, women and children are trafficked each year. There are approximately 27 million people who are enslaved. Poverty is the main reason or risk factor for trafficking. Poor people, especially women and children are more vulnerable to exploitation. Roe-Sepowitz (2019 ) asserts that while HT conjures the image of victims being forcefully taken away from their home, a significant number of the victims of HT are not physically abducted but are manipulated. Mo (2018) adds that the victims who are trying to escape a crisis are “pushed” and “pulled” into situations of risk. Kenny & Malik (2019) add that there is a prominence of HT in volatile nations with a history of terrorist activities, civil unrest or armed conflict. Libya has become a hotbed for HT, and so are the countries that are home to Islamic State, Boko Haram, and Al-Shabaab.
Global Slavery Index 2018 estimated that in 2016, approximately 403,000 people were living in conditions of slavery in the United States. The US has a prevalence of 1.3 per 1,000 for human trafficking. The U.S. government does not provide definitive statistics on HT, but different state agencies have information on HT. The National Huma Trafficking Hotline received 8,524 reports of suspect HT cases in 2017, and this shows that HT occurs in the US despite the many measures put in place to eliminate human trafficking.
Prevalence and Aspects of Sexual Exploitation in Human Trafficking
Trafficking for sexual exploitation is the most dominant form of HT. The nature of sex trafficking makes it hard to access reliable statistics on prevalence, location, frequency and other particulars of sex trafficking. Women and girls are the majority of the victims of HT as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) states that 79% of human trafficking falls under sexual exploitation (Efrat, 2016). Human trafficking is extremely gendered such that trafficking of women has become
According to the Global Slavery Index (2018), females make up three-quarters of sexual exploitation victims whereas 35% of the trafficked females are made to provide forced labor. HT for sexual exploitation is the most recognized and detectable form of HT in the U.S. and across the globe. The Global Slavery Index report (2018) adds that there regional differences in the age of the detected trafficking victims. For example, the victims of sex trafficking in West Africa tend to be young girls. Boko Haram is popularly known for kidnapping and sexual exploitation of young girls in their adolescence. The abduction of women in the Middle East and India for sexual slavery is also common. Young girls at the brink of adulthood also form a more significant percentage of human trafficking victims in Central America and the Caribbean. Sexual exploitation is still prevalent in America, Europe, and East Asia.
The women are involved in unique sexual roles once they are in the hands of the traffickers. According to Bell and Banks (2018), the women are either sold into prostitution, brothels/ massage places, escort agencies, strip clubs, forced marriages, or online porn or phone sex lines. Research on sexual trafficking shows that it is the most profitable form of HT. Victims of sex trafficking are not in control, and they undergo torture in the hands of their owners. Formerly trafficked women often give horrid details of how a group of men sexually abused them for days and years until they escaped. Some of the women are adults, but they cannot get out because they are under the chains of powerful oppressors who violate them physically and emotionally until they cannot escape because of the mental trauma.
Perpetrators take advantage of women in unsafe situations promising them a better life. For example, women in war-torn nations or a homeless woman with a history of abuse and neglect. According to Bell & Banks (2018), the vulnerability of women makes them the apparent victims of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Victims are controlled physically through assault, threats, false promises, isolation, and shaming, and a false sense of protection. The perpetrators have mastered the art of controlling their victims physically, mentally, and financially to get them to do what they want.
Steps taken by the U.S. government and the United Nations to Prevent Trafficking
The consequences of HT are many. Victims of HT suffer from physical, relationship problems, emotional issues, chronic health outcomes, and some of them are not lucky to survive the abuse. There is a need to prevent HT from victimizing more people. The UN, U.S. and other nations across the globe are in a fight against human trafficking. The US has adopted a holistic approach to address all the aspects of HT. The President’s Interagency Task Force (PITF) monitors and combats HT. PITF has ten strategic objectives from investigation and prosecution, providing relief services for the victims, forging partnerships with foreign governments among others. The strategic goals are meant to end the vice of human trafficking once and for all.
The agency has experts in trafficking from different agencies who work year-around to address the issues of human trafficking locally and internationally. The agencies bring together experts from the Department of State, Treasure, Department of Justice and other departments who play a role in the fight against human trafficking. The agencies meet regularly to advance and coordinate their efforts and policies. The agencies collaborate on the enforcement of criminal laws to end the impunity of the HT perpetrators, identifying victims and protecting them, education and public awareness. The agencies also utilize modern technology and data gathering tools to identify traffickers and gather evidence to use against them. For example, the Treasury analyzes the financial records of suspected individuals to determine their source of income.
The U.S. has changed its policies over the years to address HT. The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 was created to prevent different forms of HT and protect trafficking survivors (Global Slavery Index, 2018). TVPA has been amended four times to add positive changes. For example, TVPA 2008 requires employees to publish whether their products were produced by child labor or forced labor. State governments are also coming up with their legislation. Massachusetts created a Human Trafficking Task Force which uses modern technology to track and punish HT offenses.
The UN is at the forefront of fighting HT on a global level. The UN uses to prevent, combat, and protect strategy towards solving human trafficking. The UN has different chapters that adopt different policies to fight HT. The UNHCR, OHCHR, UNICEF, UNODC, ILO and UN Women are actively fighting against human trafficking across the globe. For example, the UNODC focus on the legal aspect of HR by training law enforcers and equipping them with resources and tools to fight HT. UNODC provides training materials to encourage international cooperation and implementation of holistic HT approaches. UNICEF focuses on preventing child trafficking by partnering with local agencies across the globe. UNICEF is a global advocate for children while the UN Women focuses on preventing trafficking among women. The UN provides practical guidance to member states to help them implement a human rights-based model against HT using relevant international standards. The UN also makes recommendations and directives to the member states.
Conclusion
Human trafficking is widespread. The UN reports that approximately 46 million people are under the chains of this modern form of slavery. Women and children are the primary victims of trafficking because they are vulnerable members of society. Human trafficking is high in nations such as India, Cambodia, and Syria, but it still exists in the US. The global society through bodies such as the UN and individual governments have to come up with strict policies and implement them depending on the trafficking situation. When all the responsible agencies partner to implement holistic strategies, the cycle of exploitation and trafficking will end.
References
Bell, S. R., & Banks, V. (2018). Women's Rights Organizations and Human Trafficking. Social Science Quarterly , 99 (1), 362-376.
Efrat, A. (2016). Global efforts against human trafficking: The misguided conflation of sex, labor, and organ trafficking. International Studies Perspectives , 17 (1), 34-54.
Global Slavery Index. (2018). United States- Prevalence. Retrieved from: https://www.globalslaveryindex.org/2018/findings/country-studies/united-states/
Kenny, C., & Malik, N. (2019). Trafficking Terror and Sexual Violence: Accountability for Human Trafficking and Sexual and Gender-Based Violence by Terrorist Groups under the Rome Statute. Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law , 52 (1).
Mo, C. H. (2018). Perceived Relative Deprivation and Risk: An Aspiration-Based Model of Human Trafficking Vulnerability. Political Behavior , 40 (1), 247-277.
Roe-Sepowitz, D. (2019). A six-year analysis of sex traffickers of minors: Exploring characteristics and sex trafficking patterns. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment , 1-22.
