¶ … Human Trafficking Opening Statement

Over the last several years, the issue of human trafficking has been increasingly brought to the forefront. This is because the industry is considered to be a major source of income for organized criminal gangs and other groups with it accounting for $31.6 billion in profits worldwide. Depending the region, these returns will vary with some having greater rewards from: socially acceptable practices, a lack of regulation and the ability of criminal groups to move with impunity in certain regions. The below table is showing, those areas with the highest returns and levels of human trafficking. ("An Introduction to Human Trafficking," 2008) ("Human Trafficking," 2013)

The Profit Margins and Amounts of Human Trafficking

Location

Profits

Number of People

Industrialized Countries

49% ($15.1 billion)

Asia

% ($9.7 billion)

56%

Latin America and the Caribbean

4.1% ($1.3 billion)

10%

Middle East and North Africa

4.7% ($1.5 billion)

9.2%

Sub-Saharan Africa

5% ($5.6 billion)

5.2%

("An Introduction to Human Trafficking," 2008) ("Human Trafficking," 2013)

These figures are showing how human trafficking is big business. There is tremendous demand for different kinds of slaves, inside industrialized and Asian / Pacific countries. ("An Introduction to Human Trafficking," 2008) ("Human Trafficking," 2013)

At the same time, the Asia / Pacific region has severed as the primary breeding ground for recruitment. According to a report conducted by the UN, they found a number of revealing statistics. The most notable include:

52% of the victim's recruiters are males.

42% of the victim's recruiters are female.

6% are both men and women are recruiting together.

54% of cases involve the recruiter being a stranger to the victim.

In 46% of cases, the recruiter knows the victim.

The majority instances involve someone of the same nationality as the country where the abduction is occurring. ("An Introduction to Human Trafficking," 2008) ("Human Trafficking," 2013)

These statistics are showing how the overall scope of the problem has become very serve. In a number of regions, these kinds of agreements are reached between the family and the organization. The basic objective is for them to have a better standard of living. While at other times, deception is used to make the victim think they are going to study in a particular country. Then, once they arrive at their final destination, is when the find out that this was nothing more than a cover story. ("An Introduction to Human Trafficking," 2008) ("Human Trafficking," 2013)

The impact that this is having on communities is devastating. According to the UN, this will negatively impact every aspect of the individual's life and the community with it saying, "The negative effects of human trafficking goes beyond the individual level and generates its negative effect on the whole society. As trafficking is either a process that happens in one country or in more than in one country, it has its effect on each part of it. Its negative impact affects the donor country or community (places where victims are recruited), transit countries, or communities -- places where victims are transported towards the final destination and finally it affect the destination country (where victims eventually arrive and are exploited). As Kenya is a source, transit and destination country for victims of human trafficking, all the effects have a heavy impact on the society. Human capital is a necessary component for development and as we examine successful cases of development (for example the East Asian Miracle); investing in human capital (i.e. health, education) was a main component of successful development policies. Human trafficking causes lost opportunities domestically including an irretrievable loss of human resources and future productivity. Interestingly, some activists like Rebecca Clay nickname human trafficking as a silent epidemic, while describing the social cost of this phenomenon. Using such a phrase, often unintentionally, describes human trafficking as a form of an epidemic with all its negative social effects. As Epidemiology, has a concept of the 'Burden of Disease' which looks at the financial and social cost of the disease. While taking into consideration the difficult task of calculating the cost of human trafficking, calculating a Social Burden of Human Trafficking should be a future field of professional studies. Loss of human capital is also followed by the loss in remittance as the victims generate the profit that is either transferred abroad, or used by traffickers to fuel their criminal activities. In cases of child labor, the loss of human capital is more severe as children's health, psychology and overall capacity is not ready...

People who are lured into trafficking could be the possible future of the country. Their work, knowledge, and experience could have been a contribution to a common good. Instead, after being trafficked, they live in a situation of exploitation enriching traffickers and other exploiters. Many of them after the return to the place of origin become frustrated as they try to account for the time and capital lost. It is also very plausible that due to the physical and psychological damage, as they are likely to rely on the social assistance. They will depend on their families thus being a burden to the family, friends and local community." ("An Introduction to Human Trafficking," 2008) ("Human Trafficking," 2013)
This is showing how human trafficking is having a negative effect on communities. To fully understand what is happening requires conducting a study that will examine its long-term impacts on individuals, families and communities. This will be accomplished by conducting background research on the topic, discussing the problem statement, purpose of the study, research questions, the theoretical / conceptual framework, the nature of the study and its significance. Together, these elements will offer a better understanding of the impact human trafficking is having on different stakeholders. ("An Introduction to Human Trafficking," 2008) ("Human Trafficking," 2013)

Background of the Study

Previous research that was conducted is indicating there are many different effects of human trafficking on stakeholders. For instance, Turner (2009) concluded that it was the need for cheaper labor in various parts of the world that was fueling this phenomenon. This is because many poor families form different regions do not have any opportunities. They will do anything to realize greater rewards and benefits. In some cases, this means that they will sell their children to these organizations. While at other times, they are deceived and do not realize what is happening until it is too late. (Turner, 2009)

Kyle (2011) concluded that the problem is compounded by corruption among government officials in many developing nations. This is problematic, as it helps to make the situation worse by effectively enabling these activities to occur. In many regions such as Asia, this fuels the number of victims. (Kyle, 2011)

At the same time, human trafficking can involve focusing on turning children into soldiers or becoming sex slaves. This can be fueled my military regimes and leaning organizations. While at the same time, there have also been instances of UN peacekeepers supporting these activities directly or indirectly. According to Kirby (2008), this is something that has been occurring regularly. This is in spite of the UN's focus on combating these practices in regions where they have operations. These insights are showing how these practices are openly supported by some of the same organizations which are fighting against these practices. (Kirby, 2008)

Furthermore, Jakobsson (2013) determined that the penalties will have direct impact on if human trafficking is occurring. This is because those nations with more severe consequences will see a decrease from it serving as a deterrent. While those countries with have loose regulations will see an increase in these activities with him saying, "International trafficking in humans for sexual exploitation is an economic activity driven by profit motives. Laws regarding commercial sex influence the profitability of trafficking and may thus affect the inflow of trafficking to a country. Using two recent sources of European cross country data we show that trafficking of persons for commercial sexual exploitation (as proxied by the data sets we are using) is least prevalent in countries where prostitution is illegal, most prevalent in countries where prostitution is legalized, and in between in those countries where prostitution is legal but procuring illegal. Case studies of two countries (Norway and Sweden) that have criminalized buying sex support the possibility of a causal link from harsher prostitution laws to reduced trafficking. Although the data do not allow us to infer robust causal inference, the results suggest that criminalizing procuring, or going further and criminalizing buying and/or selling sex, may reduce the amount of trafficking to a country." (Jakobsson, 2013) This is showing how human trafficking will depend upon if the perpetrators feel they can get away with these actions. In those nations with more lax enforcement and regulation, is when this will take place regularly.

In many cases, human trafficking is increasing because of the free movement of people across different borders from globalization. According to Salt (2000), this is rising with more people and organizations taking advantage of liberal immigration and trade laws. Evidence of this can be seen with him saying, "The article argues that a market for irregular migration services has emerged, in which the mechanisms and forms of organization are still relatively…