Human Trafficking: Types, Pervasiveness, and U.S. Role

Introduction

Human trafficking is the illegal movement of human beings across borders, often against their will. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime defines it as "the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them" (UNODC, 2015). According to Kristof (2007), 10 million children are trafficked around the world every year. The International Labour Office in Geneva, however, estimates that 1.2 million children are trafficked throughout the world "at any given time" (Child Trafficking—Essentials, 2010). Accurate statistics are difficult to obtain because much trafficking happens covertly and goes unreported. Parents of trafficked children may even be complicit in the crime and therefore do not report it. Nonetheless, children and adults are trafficked—some for sex work and others for cheap or slave labor.

The problem is that not everyone agrees about the nature of human trafficking. Some argue that certain adults, for instance, agree to be trafficked in order to pursue a better life (Brock & Teixeira, 2014). In some cases, sex workers voluntarily agree to be trafficked because they want an opportunity to work in a different country and are comfortable engaging in that work—yet laws still view trafficking in such cases as illegal and treat sex workers in this industry as victims (Beatson & Hanley, 2017). The problem of human trafficking is thus a complicated one: it encompasses both people who are abducted and forced into work against their will, and people who voluntarily choose to be trafficked because they are seeking work opportunities—not all of which involve sex work.

Understanding Human Trafficking

The pervasiveness of human trafficking is difficult to determine, although the United Nations affirms that every country is affected by it. With the globalization of economies and the worldwide reach of the Internet, trafficking has been bolstered by changes in how the world communicates and conducts business. The extent to which it occurs, however, remains unclear because much hyperbole surrounds the issue—politicians seeking to establish their credentials as opponents of social injustice have at times overstated its scope (Brock & Teixeira, 2014; Lam & Lepp, 2019). Some discredit the seriousness of the threat; others, like Kristof (2007), view the testimonies of human trafficking survivors as proof that the crime is being committed on a large scale, especially among vulnerable populations in developing countries such as India.

Efforts have been undertaken at the international and national levels to address human trafficking, but it is really at the local level that the most attention must be given if trafficking is to be better understood and curtailed. Yet measuring the effectiveness of anti-trafficking efforts is difficult, according to numerous studies on the matter (Gallagher & Surtees, 2015). The reason is that data on human trafficking are often unreliable. Because there is no clear baseline measure of the current extent of trafficking, it is nearly impossible to determine whether intervention efforts produce any positive results.

Moreover, addressing human trafficking from a law enforcement perspective is complicated by the fact that some trafficked individuals do not view themselves as victims, while others clearly are. The issue is further complicated by the political agendas embedded in anti-trafficking policies (Lam & Lepp, 2019). There is also evidence that police do not always take the issue seriously, perceiving it as overblown by media coverage and by politicians engaging in self-flattering rhetoric to appeal to their voter bases (Clawson et al., 2006). In prostitution stings, those arrested are sometimes charged with complicity in human trafficking even though they may have been customers or voluntary workers. Several of these factors cloud the issue simultaneously, and the lack of consensus on what does and does not constitute human trafficking makes it even more controversial.

Slavery vs. Hyperbole

For some, the issue of human trafficking is clear: it is a modern form of slavery that targets women and children (Kristof, 2007). For others, human trafficking is a hyperbolic label used to oppress the rights of women who wish to engage in sex work of their own free will (Lam & Lepp, 2019). If the stories Kristof (2007) references are accurate, then there is clearly an element of slavery occurring in some parts of the world that must be addressed at the local level. Individual communities, families, and governments must take matters into their own hands to curb the lawlessness of coercive human trafficking.

At the same time, Lam and Lepp (2019) make a valid point that one should not hastily label every woman working in the sex industry as a victim, or every migrant worker as a victim of human trafficking. In many cases, these are adults who choose to be moved from one place to another in search of better economic opportunities, regardless of the nature of the work or the pay. Cracking down on these individuals is viewed by Lam and Lepp (2019) as a violation of their human rights.

To argue definitively one way or another is to oversimplify the matter. In some cases, human trafficking does involve enslavement; in others, it involves opportunity and the voluntary actions of those involved. This reality may not change many people's opinions, but there is a legitimate case to be made for why not all human trafficking should be viewed as inherently evil or even labeled as such.

Conclusion

Human trafficking involving the illegal abduction of vulnerable women and children is heinous and must be addressed. However, not all forms of human trafficking are alike. Some individuals charged with human trafficking are, in practice, providing relocation services to adults who voluntarily wish to engage in sex work or seek domestic labor in wealthier parts of the world. These forms should not be labeled identically. Trafficking that involves stealing young girls for exploitation is obviously different from adult women choosing to work in the sex industry and seeking to relocate where clientele is wealthier and earnings are higher.

To combat coercive trafficking, the U.S. should seriously consider intervening by offering financial aid to disadvantaged communities and working with countries like India to provide law enforcement support targeting trafficking networks. Distinguishing between forced exploitation and voluntary migration—while robustly prosecuting the former—is the most principled and effective path forward.

References

Beatson, J., & Hanley, J. (2017). The intersection of exploitation and coercion in cases of Canadian labour trafficking. Journal of Law and Social Policy, 26, 137.

Brock, D., & Teixeira, R. (2014). Beyond exploitation and trafficking: Canadian critical perspectives on sex work. Labour: Journal of Canadian Labour Studies/Le Travail: revue d'Études Ouvrières Canadiennes, 74.

Child Trafficking—Essentials. (2010). International Labour Office. Geneva: ILO.

Clawson, H., Dutch, N., & Cummings, M. (2006). Law enforcement response to human trafficking and the implications for victims: Current practices and lessons learned. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.

Gallagher, A., & Surtees, R. (2015). Assessing the impact and effectiveness of anti-trafficking interventions in the criminal justice sector: A discussion paper on issues, obstacles and opportunities. Retrieved from https://nexushumantrafficking.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/assessing-impact-and-effectiveness-of-at-interventions-in-cj-sector-gallagher-surtees-2011.pdf

Kristof, N. (2007). The 21st century slave trade. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/opinion/22kristof.html?ref=humantrafficking&_r=0

Lam, E., & Lepp, A. (2019). Butterfly: Resisting the harms of anti-trafficking policies and fostering peer-based organising in Canada. Anti-Trafficking Review, (12), 91–107.

UNODC. (2015). UNODC on human trafficking and migrant smuggling. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Retrieved from