Human trafficking: causes, consequences, and countermeasures

Human trafficking is a noun and it is defined as the unlawful movement of people, usually for the purposes of involuntary manual labor or marketable sexual utilization. People who are trafficked are usually kidnapped and sent to other countries where they are then forced into working or selling their bodies.

What is Human Trafficking?

Human trafficking is the enlistment, conveyance, allocation, hiding or receiving of persons, by means of the danger or use of power or other forms of intimidation, of kidnapping, of deceit, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of disbursements or benefits to attain the agreement of an individual having control over another individual, for the purpose of manipulation. Manipulation shall include, at least, the misuse of the prostitution of others or other practices of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, servitude or practices comparable to servitude, slavery or the exclusion of organs. Human traffickers typically operate in groups and run entire businesses off of the people they get from trafficking. They house them for prolonged periods of time in housing that not only conceals them, but also conceals their operations.

Human trafficking affects each year, a multitude of men, women and children, with women and children falling prey to sexual exploitation, fall into the hands of traffickers, in their own land and even overseas. Most countries have experienced in some way or form instances of human trafficking. It can be experienced as a country of source, transportation or terminus for victims. "UNODC, as guardian of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and the Protocols thereto, assists States in their efforts to implement the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Trafficking in Persons Protocol)" ("United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime").

Elements of Human Trafficking

"On the basis of the definition given in the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, it is evident that trafficking in persons has three constituent elements" ("United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime"):

1. The Act or what is done involves the enlistment, transference, handover, harboring or delivery of people

2. The Means or in what manner it is done, consists of use of threats or use of power, intimidation, kidnapping, fraud, trickery, abuse of power or susceptibility, or giving payments or reimbursements to a person in control of the target.

3. The Purpose or why it is done is for exploitation in order to make money. Men trafficked are typically trafficked for labor. Women and female children are trafficked for sexual exploitation or forced prostitution. Some practices may include the removal of organs. To determine whether a specific condition establishes trafficking in individuals, one must understand what constitutes a human being trafficked and what does the person gain from the individual caught and sold or exploited.

Victimization

Victims of human trafficking are often delivered to a country the victim is not a citizen. If they were to try to escape, they would have little rights, and little means to get home and out of the country. "Each year about 17,500 individuals are brought into the United States and held against their will as victims of human trafficking… up to 60,000 annually" ("United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime"). On top of the growing number of trafficked people is the growing cases of women in the late teens to early twenties who are targeted for the sole purpose of sex slavery and sexual exploitation.

Human traffickers also target high risk people like runaways and migrants who will not have any family looking for them or reporting them missing. "These numbers do not include those who are here from previous years, migrants already in the U.S., runaways, displaced persons, and those from oppressed/marginalized groups and the poor" ("United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime"). Because so many young teenage females run away from home due to poor living conditions, they are at highest risk of getting kidnapped and trafficked.

Risk Factors

Most human trafficking victims are women and children. "An estimated 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked annually in the United States alone. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country are even higher, with an estimated more than 200,000 American children at high risk for trafficking into the sex industry each year" ("United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime"). The people traffickers typically target are poor, burdened or disregarded, and/or may come from broken homes. Traffickers take both U.S. And non-U.S. people. Anyone could fall victim to human trafficking but because over 80% of the victims are said to be women and children, if a person is female and young, that person's risk of being trafficked is higher than an old man's.

What Victim Identification Means: Another Aspect of Government Responsibility

Most of the problems related to human trafficking is the inability of the government to identify potential victims. Since women are often sexually exploited in these scenarios, it is hard to differentiate them from regular prostitutes and forced prostitutes. The same can be said of day laborers and migrant workers who appear like regular workers but could indeed be victims of human traffickers. In order to properly identify them, there should be a better record of illegal immigrants and sex workers in the government. Anyone new can be interviewed to determine origin and reason for being there. High risk groups should be monitored.

Types of human trafficking

Humans are trafficked for three main things. The first is sex slavery or forced prostitution. This helps the people that traffic them make money from the sale or use of the victims. The second is organ removal. Organs cost a lot of money and acquiring fresh, healthy organs makes a lot of money on the black market. The last is labor. A man for instance, can be brought in to work for free under the control of someone who purchased or kidnapped him.

Modern Day Slavery

Labor traffickers use or threaten violence, as well as use deception or other various forms of coercion to make people work against their will over several types of industry. "Common types of labor trafficking include people forced to work in homes as domestic servants, farmworkers coerced through violence as they harvest crops, or factory workers held in inhumane conditions with little to no pay" ("Labor Trafficking in the U.S. | Polaris Project | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery"). These victims are often considered modern day slaves. They have no human rights under the control of the traffickers and are exploited and never compensated for their work and labor.

Identifying the Victims of Human Trafficking

Victims of human trafficking come in all shapes and sizes. However, since most are forced into prostitution, interviewing arrested prostitutes to find out if they have been trafficked can help increase victims identified. Going to high chance areas for possible victims like illegal massage parlors can also help determine and identify possible victims. Additionally any day laborers working in farms are more likely to be victims.

Challenges towards Identifying of the Violators

Sometimes victims are too afraid to report their traffickers. Other times the victims are housed by businesses that paid for delivery of the victims from a middle man that never gets identified or caught. The complex process of acquiring, transportation, delivery, and transference makes it hard to pinpoint and identify violators. People are often never caught for their criminal activities and are left free to continue.

Law Enforcement Agencies:

National

Domestic problems in relation to human trafficking often involve illegal immigrants or victims from abusive or problem homes. Many places that house and support human trafficking in the United States are massage parlors, restaurants, and illegal brothels. The victims who are taken are often mistaken as regular prostitutes or day laborers. Many of the people who traffic in the United States reside in the United States and perform business near their areas of residence. Homeland Security is a law enforcement agency against human trafficking that shares information to the public to help in providing information on possible criminal activity concerning human trafficking.

International

International human trafficking is just as extensive as domestic human trafficking in the United States. "Human trafficking affects every country around the world, regardless of socio-economic status, history, or political structure. Human traffickers have created an international market for the trade in human beings based on high profits and demand for commercial sex and cheap labor. Trafficking affects 161 countries worldwide" ("International Trafficking | Polaris Project | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery"). Regardless of a country's socio-economic status or population, human trafficking is still a considerable problem that must be addressed. Americans are even taken and put in international countries to avoid possible legal problems as certain countries are more lax than other in regards to human trafficking. The United Nations of Drugs and Crimes or UNODC is a law enforcement agency that tracks and monitors human trafficking.

Collaboration across Governments and Law Enforcement Agencies

UNODC and Homeland Security team up to share information on suspected human traffickers and areas where people are smuggled and delivered overseas and domestically. Projects like Polaris also offer information to call a hotline that is available to assist in most countries. This makes reporting suspected activity and requesting help for victims easier and faster. Faster response time ensures resolution of cases that ordinarily would never get resolved.

Enhancing Government Efforts Interagency Partnerships

Law Enforcement: Investigative Techniques towards Stopping Human Trafficking

Organized crime is often linked with trafficking. Current studies establish a link between trafficking in persons and trafficking in arms and drugs. "Organized crime syndicates may be involved in all three illicit activities, or use trade routes already established by related illicit organizations to facilitate their criminal enterprise. Organized crime groups have been associated with human trafficking schemes and operate across borders" (Venkatraman). If law enforcement can identify instances of organized crime pertaining to transport of illegal arms and drugs, they can then establish possible connections with human trafficking. Stopping suspected vehicles along the highway is a great way for law enforcement to track criminal activity.

Investigative Techniques by Government Law Enforcement Agencies

Department of Homeland Security Combating Human Trafficking

State of California Battling Human Trafficking

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Combating Human Trafficking

Federal Bureau of Investigations Combating Human Trafficking

Polaris Project Combating Human Trafficking

Project Polaris has a website that informs the public on ways to report suspected human trafficking. The fastest and easiest way is to reach the hotline by phone at 1- [HIDDEN] or text BeFree (233733). The hotline has specialist available 24/7 and they help take in any reports from all over the world. Most importantly they have interpreters that speak various languages and any information given is kept confidential. If a person cannot call they can submit a tip online where it is reviewed and forwarded by the NHTRC to expert law enforcement and/or services providers where suitable. Reporting incidences of suspected human trafficking can help save lives and diminish activity in this sector.