Human trafficking is the act or form of trade in persons through force, coercion or threats in an aim to exploit them sexually, through forced hard labor and or slavery. Human trafficking at the essence denies people their freedom and fundamental human rights through its different forms of both the means and ends, purpose. Human traffickers use coercion to recruit, transport, and transfer persons with the primary aim of sexual exploitation, slavery and using them to extract organs. This trade is recorded to be a multi-billion, 150 billion dollars, illegal industry affecting 20.9 million people around the globe with women and children hardest hit (“profits and poverty”’ 2014). In perspective, the very act of trafficking individuals and taking advantage of them deny them their legal and human rights which necessitate for considering ethical issues related to the inhumane and heinous acts. This paper, therefore, aims at discussing the ethical issues, breaches of moral behavior and its impact about utilitarian and deontology theories and the relativism concept.
According to deontology theories, associated with Emmanuel Kant, universal moral laws precede ethical actions. In this regard, every individual is bound by duty and or rules without the consideration of the consequences. This theory is vital in discussing human trafficking issues since it easily resonates with the natural human intuition about what is ethical or not (Cameron and Newman, 2008). In retrospect, trafficking of persons denies individuals their freedoms and rights of choice. This notion bases on the fact that involvement in this trade is under duress with the intention of taking advantage of others’ weaknesses and treating them inhumanely, sexually or otherwise. In Kant’s view, every human has a duty and obligation to do what is ethically right by examining the moral principle associated with the action. Therefore, involvement in human trafficking should not happen since it negates the universal human experience and denies people their dignity.
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The second approach to examining the trafficking of person trade is the utilitarian theory. This supposition dictates that an act is seen as morally correct if the benefits, good, outweigh the detriments, bad. Therefore, this Consequential approach is evident on the premise not matter what the action involves; right can only be ethical if it benefits the majority. Since human trafficking causes more harm than any resultant benefit, it is a breach of moral and legal laws to engage oneself in human trafficking. Despite the subjectivity of happiness, as held by utilitarianism, the human intellect acknowledges that this behavior disregards any morality. Additionally, human trafficking elements contradict the fact that human rights are inalienable and absolute. Although some benefits are identifiable, for example, paying a prostitute for sexual favors to the client, they are too meager to define as majorly sound to the larger society. Therefore, this illegal vice is not justifiable through utilitarianism and breaches the moral laws.
Another aspect to consider morality of trafficking people is through relativism as an ethical issue. Ethical relativism holds that there are no absolute moral rights or wrongs. This notion asserts that all views are correct and valid concerning the individual’s determination. However, morals do evolve with culture, technology, and comprehension ("The Cultural Relativism Argument", 2017). Hence, to some extent, human trafficking is right morally since what is good for one individual is not necessarily wrong for the other. On the other hand, this argument is disruptive since what is culturally correct for one community does not necessarily reflect on others of different opinions. This is based on the differences between subjective and cultural ethical relativism. For example, slavery was and still is okay in some societies but morally and ethically abhorring to others. Since human trafficking involves coercion and breach of ethical behavior concerning exploiting people for labor and sex, then a cultural relativist is incapable of keeping an open mind when it comes to an understanding of the rationality and moral standing of the means, and consequences of modern day slavery.
In conclusion, every aspect of ethical theories and perspectives of utilitarianism, deontology, and relativism are double-edged concerning ethical behavior and breaches thereof. Despite the objectivity observed in deontology, the pragmatic approach is unclear due to its shortcomings about happiness. As long as rules, duties, and obligations are followed, according to the deontology approach, then it makes it difficult to engage in the heinous act of trading human beings for their exploitation as it is immoral and denies them their rights. Additionally, the concept of relativism is varied as subjective ethical relativism presupposes that moral behavior bases on individual opinion which dictates the way one lives their life. Therefore, this aspect most certainly is contradicting as some people consider it morally right to promote slavery, transfer of individuals for money and forcing them to engage in prostitution for their benefits. However, conventional cultural relativism dictates that good ethical behavior is determined by what one’s culture assumes to be right or wrong. Therefore all aspects of human trafficking from ethics are different.
References
Cameron, S. and Newman, E. (2008). Trafficking in Humans: Social, Cultural, and Political dimensions . United Nations University Press.
Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour. (2014). “Profits and Poverty: The Economics of Forced Labour” (PDF). International Labour Organization . p. 4.
The Cultural Relativism Argument . (2017). baderd16 . Retrieved 1 July 2017, from http://blogs.stchristophers.com/baderd16/2015/06/11/the-cultural-relativism-arguement/
