(Photo from GDJ, 2017).
It is Time to End Human Trafficking
In the year 2020, one would think that modern slavery is dead. However, did you know that slavery exists today? Did you that there are currently 21 million people worldwide who are victims of human trafficking? To put that in perspective, according to worldschildren.org, “There are more slaves in the world than the population of London, New York, and Los Angeles combined” (Goodrum, M. 2019).
What is Human Trafficking?
When most people think of human trafficking, they think about sex labor and possibly prostitution. However, it can also be forced labor slavery or using children to fight wars. According to The Legislation of Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Immigrant Smuggling, human trafficking is defined as “the recruitment, transportation, harboring, transfer, or receipt of any persons utilizing threat, coercion, abduction” (Europol, 2005, p.10). Often traffickers will make the victim feel hopeless and use their power to manipulate the victim in staying, sometimes telling them they have a debt to work off (known as bondage slavery) (Burke, 2018).
What Are the Implications of Human Trafficking?
Victims of human trafficking are often treated like animals, kept in subnormal living conditions with very little food, pay (if any), and are often given drugs to force compliance. Often, the victim is maltreated that they are unrecognizable (Burke, 2018). Victims also suffer from physical abuse, including physical exhaustion, starvation, and mental health problems such as PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). It is not uncommon for a victim to suffer from reproductive problems, broken bones, concussions, and even death at the hands of their traffickers (Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights, n.d.).
What can be done about this problem?
Education and public awareness are the most effective solutions to this problem. By continuously educating the public about human trafficking and its implications it allows the public to become more aware of the problem. Moreover, being aware of your surroundings and reporting things that seem suspicious to the police can potentially save lives.
References:
Burke, M. C. (2018). Human trafficking: Interdisciplinary perspectives. New York, NY: Routledge.
Europol (2005) Legislation on Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Immigrant Smuggling.The Hague: Europol.
GDJ. (2017, March 4). Human Trafficking Black [Digital image]. Retrieved September 04, 2020, from https://openclipart.org/detail/274679/human-trafficking-black
Goodrum, M. (2019). Human & Child Trafficking: World's Children. Retrieved September 05, 2020, from https://www.worldschildren.org/trafficking-guide?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_qLk59XS6wIVExx9Ch2rSQNMEAAYAyAAEgKPnfD_BwE
Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. (n.d.). Effects and Consequences of Trafficking Women. Retrieved September 05, 2020, from http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/svaw/trafficking/explore/4effects.htm
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