Analysis of Urgent Issue: Human Trafficking

 Imagine living every day in constant fear and anxiety over whether or not you would live to see another day, while at the same time being constantly watched, threatened, and manipulated into performing actions against free will. Imagine living this life only to continue living yours, to pay off a debt, or make someone happy. This is the life of a human trafficking victim, and for some, this life never ends; unless of course, theirs does. This is human trafficking argumentative essay where this topic is discussed. 

Human trafficking has been prevalent in society since before antiquity. Human trafficking is an organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited. Men, women, and children of all ages and races become involved for a variety of purposes, mostly drug and debt-related. Regardless of the reasons, human trafficking is global. However, contrary to popular belief, trafficking does not necessarily mean a human is shipped to different locations. A violation of human rights according to the International Labor Organization, trafficking produced about $150 billion dollars through forced labor alone in 2014, not accounting for the millions estimated to be generated through forced prostitution. At the current rate, human trafficking is becoming a more common issue, and it must be addressed with a stronger, more coordinated response than ever before. Trafficking of persons is not a subject that should be ignored or taken lightly. In order to fully understand the severity of this issue, we must examine the causes, facts, and the impact of human trafficking domestically and internationally, as well as a coordinated solution to curb its increasing statistics.

There is a variety of reasons as to why human trafficking takes root. In relation to individuals, trafficking can stem from a plethora of influences including social, economic, and cultural factors. Though a majority of those trafficked are introduced to the practice involuntarily, some begin voluntarily, later becoming victims who cannot leave as easily as they entered. Forced coercion dominates one of the major factors seen in sex trafficking victims, especially in foreign victims. Sex trafficking exists because of the principle of supply and demand. The trafficking of millions for exploitation would not be in existence if the demand for its existence was not present. Such demands usually involve sexual acts, labor, or drug trafficking.

Through forced coercion, fraud, and manipulation through endangerment, individuals have little to no choice to participate in these acts, unless of course, they would rather face severe and cruel punishment and even death in extreme cases. In explaining why there exists a demand, we must also explain as to why a supply exists as well. In relation to the individual being trafficked, there exists an individual trafficking the aforementioned body. “Pimps” as our society has labeled them, benefit from the practice of human trafficking. These benefits often come through monetary gains, status, control, drugs, and in some cases, a guarantee of keeping their own life who is in the hands of another pimp too. Societal views and tolerance also impact the normalization of the practice. The sexualization of children, women, men, and dominance feed into the desires of consumers, and thus the demand for the availability of having an individual at their disposable to fulfill any and all of their desires for little to no price. Thus, in economic terms, the existence of a demand correlates with the existence of a supply.

In terms of geographics, areas can be put into three main categories in regards to human trafficking: sources, trading hubs, and destinations. Some can be a combination of all three as well. Less developed countries more often than not serve as sources, due to their limited government initiatives to battle the practice, or resources for those involved. More developed nations serve as destinations due to their vast amounts of land, intricate crime networks, and diversity. People in less developed countries are vulnerable to being trafficked by the circumstance of conditions such as poverty. At times, families willingly give up their children, thinking they will be given a better opportunity.

While there are instances of long-distance trafficking, most trafficking stays within the trafficker’s borders, and often times within their county lines as well. Human trafficking for sources of labor thrives in underdeveloped countries, where services are outsourced to more developed countries. A common occurrence of this practice is often seen during international competitions such as the Olympics, World Cup, and other internationally covered and broadcasted events. Laborers are promised wages, housing, food, etc. by construction companies and agencies, then later forced to revoke those privileges through force. Governments tend to turn a blind eye to the practices of those that are building their stadiums, fields, and venues when prepping for these events, as they put the benefit and virtues of international fame on the global stage above the rights of humans, as well as putting the vasts amounts of income above the requests and needs of those working for them. Sex trafficking also sees an increase during these international events, as foreigners often seek cheap and private encounters outside of their own borders, knowing that leniency in terms of repercussions and laws being enforced will be to their benefit.

In terms of the effects of human trafficking, we must first begin with the victims. 71% of human trafficking victims are women and children, with the remaining 29% being men. Within both sex groups and all ages, there are both short term and long term effects, both physically and psychologically. Some injuries sustained physically through sex trafficking include scars, damage to genitalia, injuries through punishment from either traffickers or customers, as well as sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, AIDS, and a variety of others. The real damage some may argue is what is left psychologically in the victim. Common problems developed by victims immediately or in later years include depression, anorexia, disassociation, anxiety-related symptoms, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Often times, these problems lead to a return to the practice as victims find themselves unable to function in a life outside of what they experienced. The worst-case scenario, however, is often suicide due to shame, guilt, or other factors.

Human trafficking impacts children as well. Those who are introduced to the practice at a young age often are not given the educational resources to develop the ability to understand their situation or seek resources. Domestically, human trafficking is not done by the force of a stranger, but by a family member or close friend. This develops trust issues within victims that often leaves them isolated from their family, or dependent upon the member who introduced them to the practice. Once these children have developed into teens and young adults, some are reintroduced into human trafficking as a way of life, either to make ends meet, or seeking some sense of normality or affection in the only forms they know. Regression back into trafficking is one of the most common effects on victims, besides mental and physical trauma.

As the issue of human trafficking becomes more apparent both domestically and internationally, a solution to combat the practice must be implemented in short due time, and to a wide degree with a combined coalition of the public, law enforcement, government agencies(internationally), and resource centers. First and foremost, geographically popular hubs for human trafficking must be scouted undercover routinely by law enforcement, to ensure that any suspicious activity begins to dwindle down in the area. Law enforcement must have the proper training to understand the signs of human trafficking occurring, and have a routine crackdown schedule to irradicate the practice in the present and surrounding areas. Secondly, international coalitions must be created to dismantle the practice of human trafficking for labor. Any industries that employ a vast amount of outsourced labor must be subject to routine “wellness” checks, making sure that wages are being given to the workers employed, and that those employed have not had any of their personal identification information such as IDs, visas, and similar material confiscated. These industries must also have mandatory offices that employees can report any illegal practices to. This can be funded through a significant percentage of proceeds that go to funding international competitions such as the World Cup and Olympics. In terms of resources, a percentage of the revenue made from any fines, tickets, violations, permits, etc. from law enforcement can go into funding centers for the health and help of human trafficking victims, keeping support systems running for little to no cost to the victim.

With measures such as these in place, and the resilience of advocates to make sure these measures stay properly funded, human trafficking can begin to be battled on all fronts, and in time, eliminated from society, or at the very least, reduced to a very small issue that can be more effectively combatted.