Introduction
Human trafficking is defined as “the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them” (UNODC, 2015). However, as with any definition or label, there is a subjective interpretation that exists alongside the objective viewpoint. While in most cases of trafficking, the human being involved can easily be depicted as a victim, in some cases the of trafficking the “victim” wants to be trafficked as it provides an opportunity for the individual to have a better life even if it is outside the normal or accepted means of society (Beatson & Hanley, 2017; Brock& Teixeira, 2014). Included in these cases can be situations of labor trafficking and sex trafficking. The point is that not every person feels the same about human trafficking or that it is necessarily immoral in every case. As there are numerous ethical perspectives from which one can examine the issue of human trafficking, there are different ways in which the morality of trafficking can be evaluated. This paper will apply deontological, utilitarian, virtue ethics and ethical egoism frameworks to compare and contrast moral approaches to human trafficking and show why trafficking is not a black and white issue that can be condemned across the board.

The Debate

Human trafficking is an issue that De Shalit, Heynen and Van der Meulen (2014) say has been politicized as a phenomenon meant to show that governments are addressing a moral evil that exists in the world—when in reality the governments are merely deflecting attention from their own crimes and virtue signaling to the populace. For instance, De Shalit et al. (2014) argue that the debate surrounding sex trafficking is corrupted by political influence and political paradigms adopted by non-government organizations (NGOs) that frame the problem within the perspective of emotional appeals to justice even though the reality of the sex worker industry is different from the way many governments and the NGOs that align with the governments’ positions frame the issue.

It is important to consider how the issue of human trafficking is framed by media, governments, and organizations because this framing is what leads to moral acceptance or moral condemnation. De Shalit et al. (2014) describe the issue as important because the debate is what leads to organizations receiving funding, laws being passed and public opinion being shaped. If information from the government and from NGOs is inaccurate the view of people in communities will be based on falsehoods and deceptions used for political purposes. A truly moral approach to the issue of human trafficking depends not upon sensationalized messaging but rather upon the experiences of those involved in the processes. The findings of De Shalit et al. (2014) indicate that the perspective of communities is being warped when it comes to sex work and that this is due to political reasons from governments, which are more interested in concealing their own crimes against the public than in actually promoting ethical policies. Thus, the belief of activists in the labor side of the political...…nature of the terms of society’s acceptance of subjective moral philosophy.

Ethical Egoism

Ethical egoism is the idea that morality is completely subjective and can best be determined by applying an ends-justify-the-means approach to action (Holmes, 2007). If the ends are good or beneficial for a person, then the action must be moral. In today’s world, it is ethical egoism that can best applied to the issue of human trafficking—whether one is looking for a way to justify it or to condemn it. Government representatives may seek to condemn it because doing so diverts attention from their own inefficiencies and offenses. Organizations seeking to help sex or labor workers who are trafficked may seek to justify trafficking and to provide legal support for the trafficked because they see the work as helpful to those people who are in it. Thus, ethical egoism provides the most appropriate ethical perspective on this issue for explaining all the various approaches that stakeholders take to it.

Conclusion

Though the virtue ethics framework is commonly promoted in the West as being the framework for moral action, the reality of today’s world is that ethical egoism reigns supreme. For that reason, the problem of human trafficking will remain a problem as all the different stakeholders have their own takes on it and their own reasons to condemn or approve it. Unless there is a return to a universal ethical framework and acceptance of a universal moral law, the issue is unlikely to be resolved.