Many people today, including mainstream Americans, might be shocked to realize the human trafficking is commonplace in their countries and people are still bought and sold as so much chattel. Although women and children are most vulnerable, human trafficking can involve virtually anyone who is forced into a lifestyle against their will. Complicating the problem is the fact that human traffickers wield significant influence through corruption and bribery of high-placed government officials in some countries, making meaningful progress in combating the practice especially difficult. To determine the facts, this paper provides a review of the relevant literature concerning human trafficking to define the issue, describe its current status and to identify potential solutions to this social problem. Finally, a summary of the research and important findings concerning human trafficking and potential solutions are presented in the conclusion. Review and Analysis

According to the definition provided by the organization, Anti-Slavery, human trafficking involves “recruitment, harboring or transporting people into a situation of exploitation through the use of violence, deception or coercion and forced to work against their will” (Human trafficking, 2018, para. 2). In sum, then, human trafficking is a process whereby human beings are enslaved and forced into situations where they are exploited in various ways (Human trafficking, 2018). As noted in the introduction, while many people may believe that human trafficking is restricted to certain developing nations where they feel life is valued differently, the harsh reality is that the practice is global and affects virtually all nations today. For instance, Duong (2012) emphasizes that, “Human trafficking has become a globally prominent issue which attracts the attention of different countries worldwide because of its devastating consequences to human beings” (p. 49).

Although global in its effects and implications and affecting virtually every country, human trafficking is more pronounced in the developing world. In this regard, Duong points out that, “No other crime has such a high prevalence of victims like human trafficking. There are 1.8 victims per every 1,000 inhabitants. In Asia and the Pacific, the ratio is even much higher, with 3 victims per every 1,000 inhabitants” (2015, p. 50). As also noted in the introduction women and children are at greatest risk of being victims of human trafficking, and their exploitation in this fashion is so common that human trafficking is frequently conceptualized as being the trade in women and children (Duong, 2015).

In response to the growing recognition of the severity of the problem, the United Nations Protocol to Prevent,...

The Trafficking Protocol states in part that:
Effective action to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, especially women and children, requires a comprehensive international approach in the countries of origin, transit and destination that includes measures to prevent such trafficking, to punish the traffickers and to protect the victims of such trafficking, including by protecting their internationally recognized human rights. (Trafficking protocol, 2003, p. 1)

Since the Trafficking Protocol was approved in 2003, an increasing number of nations have enacted stronger laws that are intended to criminalize a wide array of the exploitive practices that are involved in human trafficking (Simmons & O’Brien, 2013). According to Simmons and O’Brien (2013), in the context of human trafficking, exploitation includes “forced labou or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery and servitude” but in the case of children, charges of human trafficking require two elements only: (a) the action and (b) the purpose of the exploitation (p. 3). Because the practice is relatively low risk due to the vulnerable nature of the victims and highly profitable, however, even stronger laws have failed to stem the growth of human trafficking around the world. In fact, Das and DiRienzo (2013) report that Interpol has estimated that human trafficking currently represents the third largest transnational crime and the number of human trafficking victims continues to increase each year..

Complex problems typically demand complex solutions and this is certainly the case with human trafficking. Besides the protections provided by the Trafficking Protocol, the U.S. Department of States offers several recommendations concerning how ordinary citizens can help stop human trafficking, including the following:

· Learn the indicators of human trafficking to help identify a potential trafficking victim. Human trafficking awareness training is available for individuals, businesses, first responders, law enforcement, educators, and federal employees, among others.

· Residents in the United States who believe that someone may be a victim of human trafficking should report their suspicions to law enforcement by calling 911 or the 24-hour National Human Trafficking Hotline line at 1-888-373-7888.

· Trafficking victims, including undocumented individuals, are eligible for services and immigration assistance.

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