One of the problems facing society that has attracted growing global attention over the years is human trafficking.
What originally began as a way to push women into commercial sex has become an outlet for women to be sexually abused and even forced into forced labor (World Health Organization, 1).
In two primary ways, sex trafficking may take place; external trafficking and internal trafficking.
Internal trafficking
is conducted within a region, with the goal of illicit adoption and exploitation of labor.On the other hand, on the international scene, external trafficking
is conducted, and its main causes include sexual abuse and organ harvesting.Some of the main factors that have been found to be the drivers of human trafficking include poverty, marginalization of a segment of the population, as well as the social exclusion of a proportion of the societal members (United Nations, 3).
Therefore, such issues must be effectively addressed for human trafficking to be abolished successfully.
Background Information
The human trafficking industry is considered as the second largest illegal trade, after the illegal drugs trade, all over the globe. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) defines human trafficking as the transfer or keeping of people through coercion, deception or even force for exploitation purposes such as forced labor and sexual exploitation (Oster, 1).
The history of human trafficking dates back to the 19th century after the abolition of the African slave trade. Even though the trade was legal (by then), the British government outlawed it in 1807 followed by the United States in 1820. The African slave trade was replaced by the ‘White Slavery,’ the use of deceit, drugs, or force to subject a white lady into prostitution (Seguraciara, 1).
However, international conventions were held, which led to the signing of the International Agreement for the Suppression of ‘White Slave Traffic’ in 1904. The main objective of the agreement was to ensure that all the victims were repatriated. In 1910, the International Convention for the Suppression of the White Slave Trade whose main goal was to criminalize White Slavery was signed. During the First World War, the scope of human trafficking rose to an international level as it also involved the trafficking of women and children from the African and the Middle East states.
To counter this trend, the League of Nations held an international convention that ended up with the signing of the International Convention for the Suppression of Traffic in Women and Children. By then, the main reasons for human trafficking included prostitution and sexual exploitation. After World War II, the United Nations signed the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others agreement in 1949. Over the years, the scope of human trafficking has broadened to include acts like forced labor and organ harvesting.
Lessons From Human Trafficking
There are various lessons that one can learn from human trafficking. To start with, the industry is illegal even though it is one of the biggest industries on the globe. As a result, most people are coerced abducted, or even tricked to join it on the promise that their lives will get better and that they will earn a fair wage (Amnesty International, 5).
The victims end up becoming slaves as their masters exploit them, hence, the reason why human trafficking is referred to as the present day slavery (Think Progress, 1). Another lesson learned from human trafficking is that it is very lucrative and, hence, the reason why authorities have not been successful in curbing it as people take part in it now and then due to its economic incentive. According to the International Labor Organization, human trafficking generates an estimated 150 billion dollars every year (Catholic Relief Services, 1). As mentioned before, the industry is ranked second – after the drugs industry – regarding the illegal industries taking place all over the globe (Johnson, 1).
Relevance of Human Trafficking Today
Lessons on human trafficking are still relevant in the present day society. First, it is important to note that slavery is still prevalent in the modern society despite the numerous efforts that have been put in place by governments to abolish it (Stevenson, 1).
Therefore, the buck does not stop with the authorities. Instead, every person has a role to play for this social evil to be eradicated. Any person can show their commitment to the abolition of human trafficking through various means such as supporting the organizations that fight against it or creating awareness about it among societal members through songs or poems (Sehgal, 1).
Societies should come up with favorable policies that would enable them to overcome some of the issues affecting them – for instance, poverty, discrimination, and corruption – as they have been noted to be some of the main factors that lead to human trafficking (Becker, 1).
In addition, evidence suggests that the victims of human trafficking are usually unrecognized by authorities that offer social services, which make them, get easily enticed by anyone who promises them any financial gains (Northeastern University, 2011).
Since it a member of global concern, policy makers have also opted to come up with rules that would enable the authorities to handle every case of trafficking within a short time. For instance, Brian Maienschein – a Republican senator – had formulated the Commercial Child Rape Prevention Act that would be used as a basis for suing the perpetrators of human trafficking more so the cases involving children (Littlefield, 1). Societal groups have also teamed with the authorities to rescue the victims of human trafficking. One such group is the ‘Operation Reclaim and Rebuild’ group in California that led to the rescuing of twenty-seven adults, twenty-eight children, one hundred and forty men who were solicitors, and another thirty-six men who were suspected of pimping (Serna, 1).
Notable Individuals
One of the notable people who has gained global recognition in the campaign against human trafficking is Josephine Butler. In 1874, Butler launched a campaign against sex trafficking all over the globe (Winchester Cathedral, 1). For instance, in 1880, she aided the rescue of thirty-four British girls from brothels in Belgium and also made sure that the owners of the brothels were prosecuted. In 1885, Butler played a key role in the exposition of the White Slavery trade in London, which lead to the passage of a bill that raised the age of sexual consent to sixteen years. The bill also called for strict punishment to be met on the perpetrators of human trafficking.
Mary Summer is another notable individual in the fight against human trafficking, she – together with Butler – founded a recovery home for the prostitutes, who had opted to change their lifestyles, in Canon Street – Winchester (Winchester Cathedral, 1). Another key personality in the human trafficking campaign is Antonio Maria Costa, who launched the Blue Heart Campaign. The foundation has been adopted in twelve countries where it encourages the governments to formulate adequate measures to counter human trafficking (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 1). Therefore, the main organization objective is to make sure that human trafficking all over the globe comes to an end.
Personal Reflection
Human trafficking is one of the social evils being committed all over the world. The business involves total violation of human rights due as it leads to acts of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Although the states have been committed to combating it, their efforts have not been successful due to corruption and failure by societal members to stand up against the vice. Therefore, it is important for the societal members to compliment the various efforts by the governments and foundations like Blue Heart Foundation for the trade to be brought to an end. For instance, members of the society can encourage each other to speak up whenever they are threatened or coerced by anyone to join the human trafficking business.
What I Didn’t Know Before the Assignment
Human trafficking is one of the profitable businesses all over the world. The business is illegal and, hence, its stakeholders use force, threat, or deceit as the means of enrolling people into it. The genesis of human trafficking can be traced back to the ancient times after the abolition of the slave trade. I have also noted that it has been difficult to bring the trade to an end due to vices such as corruption, which encourage the perpetrators of the trade to carry on with the illegal deal.
Conclusion
Human trafficking involves the transfer or harboring of people by use of threats, force, or deceit with an aim to exploit the person by either sexually exploiting him/her or turning him/her into a slave. Initially, human trafficking in the form of White Slavery, but it soon became an international practice. Although the trade is illegal, governments have not been capable of abolishing it due to corruption and failure by the societal members to speak up against it (human trafficking). Nevertheless, there is still some hope that the business will come to an end as some organizations such as the Blue Heart Foundation have opted to complement the governments’ efforts to make sure the perpetrators of the outlawed act are punished.
Works Cited
Amnesty International. ‘Slavery Today.’ Amnesty International, n.d., https://www.amnesty.org.uk/files/activities_-_slavery_today_english.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2017
Becker, Sarah. ‘The History of Human Trafficking.’ Old Town Crier, 2016, https://oldtowncrier.com/2016/01/01/the-history-of-human-trafficking/. Accessed 26 July 2017
Catholic Relief Services. ‘7 Things You May Not Know About Human Trafficking, And 3 Ways To Help.’ Catholic Relief Services, 2016, https://thinkprogress.org/girls-human-trafficking-and-modern-slavery-in-america-65ccbf08523a. Accessed 26 July 2017
Johnson, Susie. ‘Human Trafficking, Preventing, Protecting, Prosecuting: United Methodist Women’s Work To End Human Trafficking.’ United Methodist Women, n,d., http://www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/ht/packet.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2017
Littlefield, Dana. ‘California Lawmakers Say There’s More To Do To Combat Human Trafficking.’ The San Diego Union Tribune, 2017, http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/sd-me-trafficking-notebook-20170415-story.html. Accessed 26 July 2017
Northeastern University. ‘Background on Human Trafficking.’ Northeastern University, 2011, http://www.northeastern.edu/humantrafficking/background-on-human-trafficking/. Accessed 26 July 2017
Odukwu, Patricia. ‘Human Trafficking: Nature, Causes, and Effects,’ n.d., https://issafrica.org/acpst/uploads/Human%20trafficking%20nature%20causes%20and%20effects.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2017
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Seguraciara. Sex Trafficking and Prostitution. Green Park 2, 2017, http://stanford.edu/group/womenscourage/cgi-bin/blogs/sextraffickingandprostitution/2010/05/27/when-did-trafficking-in-women-become-a-human-rights-issue-the-white-slavery-panic/. Accessed 26 July 2017
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Serna, Joseph. ‘Dozens of Women and Children Rescued in Human-Trafficking Sweep in California That Nets 474 Arrests.’ Los Angeles Times, 2017, http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-human-trafficking-sweep-arrests-20170202-story.html. Accessed 26 July 2017
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United Nations. ‘An Introduction to Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact and Action.’ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2008, https://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/An_Introduction_to_Human_Trafficking_-_Background_Paper.pdf. Accessed 26 July 2017
Winchester Cathedral. ‘Josephine Butler: 19th Century Campaigner Against Human Trafficking.’ Winchester Cathedral, 2017, http://www.winchester-cathedral.org.uk/our-heritage/famous-people/josephine-butler-19th-century-campaigner-against-human-trafficking/. Accessed 26 July 2017
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