Wikipedia defines human trafficking as the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for traffickers or others. We define it as modern-day slavery. The existence of human trafficking in the world today demonstrates that slavery is far from being eliminated.
Slavery is no longer about race or specific cultural domination, it is a worldwide phenomenon. It is a complex issue that deals with poverty, human rights, international crime, and thousands of victims. Human trafficking creates so many other challenges including terrorism, illegal prostitution rings, abductions, and slavery.
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Impact
When we hear about human trafficking or sex slavery, we often imagine young girls being abused or beaten in faraway places such as Africa and Asia. Human trafficking and exploitation is a global health concern that affects millions of people every day. Every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide-including here in the United States. It can happen in any community and victims can be any age race, gender, or nationality. 27 million people all over the world are currently being forced into human trafficking or modern-day slavery, and 161 countries including the US will be affected by human trafficking. 1 million children will be exploited by the commercial sex trade each year. (Rothman, Stoklosa, Baldwin, Chisolm-Straker, Price, & Atkinson, 2017) (pg. 348) However, human sex trafficking and sex slavery occur locally as well, in cities big and small, all across the United States (Walker-Rodriguez and Hill 1). The areas of the world that are most affected by human trafficking are countries that have extreme poverty and are less developed. An area that had a recent natural disaster or countries that are considered war zones are more likely to have an increase in human trafficking crimes. These statistics show that money and power are two main advantages the traffickers have over the victims. The traffickers first grab their attention by luring them into believing there’s a better life out there for them; an escape from their prison. They prey on the vulnerability and innocence of these victims and succeed in tricking them into thinking they are headed for a world full of opportunities. The traffickers also prey on the victims that are runaways and living in homeless environments, especially females with low self-confidence and esteem since they are considered the weaker target. If all else fails, the trafficker uses the power of force and kidnaps the victim, where they are beaten and raped. If the victim chooses not to comply with their obligations, the trafficker would threaten the victim with the life of their families and loved ones. Once they have settled in, they are set to live in their own filth. They are rarely fed causing them to have a lack of malnutrition, have no medical attention, work in hazardous environments, and are constantly being beaten, drugged, and raped by one man and/or several men at once.
Debt bondage is another form of human trafficking. Debt bondage is the act of using labor to pay off a debt. Many become a victim of debt bondage by the traffickers promises the victims that they have a way for them to pay off their debtors. Traffickers often promise the victims a better lifestyle filled with money and trips to a new country. They are getting their travel expenses paid for, such as travel documents, food, flights, and any other necessities they will need to live in a new country. When arrived in the new country, they are told they have to pay off a debt, which is not a simple debt to be paid off. The traffickers will add to the victim’s debt for any requirements they will need, such as room and board, food, and clothing, thus making it troublesome to ever pay off their debt. The debt is paid off by working in various situations like agriculture, mining, cleaning services, and construction, and at times forced into prostitution in order to pay off their debt. There have been a few cases where the victim doesn’t know which country they will be taken to and is then forced to live in a country where they have no knowledge of the language; therefore, the victim will not be able to escape from their debt and capturer. A different form of debt bondage is using child labor to pay off a debt. In some situations, the parents sacrifice their child into paying off the family debt. The child is forced to follow any orders they are given. This is an example of how some people don’t have freedom of choice; they are living their life in fear of their traffickers to the point where they have to sacrifice their children. These children are deprived of their childhood, while kids their age are playing freely on the playground with their friends. Some children are even born into human trafficking. To exemplify this information, if a woman who is involved with traffickers gets pregnant, her baby will be sold to traffickers as soon as the baby turns two months, due to the belief that the baby will be able to survive on its own at the age of two months. This is often seen in China. Interventions
Social service professionals work to address the problem of human trafficking in a number of ways. Social workers are unique in their approach to this issue because they can address it from a number of angles. For example, social workers concentrate on both the individual victim as well as their social and economic situation which distinguishes it from other professions such as counseling (Palmer, 2010). Social workers meet the needs of human trafficking victims according to the principles outlined in the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics. (Palmer 2010). Nancy Palmer (2010) notes, that despite some similarities, human trafficking victims have “more complex and wide-ranging service needs” than those who suffer from related criminal acts. (p.48). Education is an important aspect of a social worker's job not only to be aware of the problem and of the appropriate standards of action but also to recognize potential victims. Stotts & Ramey’s (2009) research shows, “it is entirely possible for a counselor to come in contact with a victim of trafficking without knowing it. Situations in which counselors are most likely to come into contact with a potential victim include homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, or crisis hotlines” (p.44). Social workers who suspect a possible victim can confirm through the National Trafficking Resource Center as well locating local services available to sufferers. If the victim is in immediate danger then social service workers notify local law enforcement (Stotts & Ramey, 2009). Once victims are identified, then social workers turn to meet their physical and psychological needs by providing mental and health care to individuals and groups. Studies indicate that victims especially women suffer from a variety of issues such as rape, forced drug use, physical abuse, sexually transmitted infections, and cervical cancer. They are also likely to be diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. In addition to that, victims can suffer physically from broken bones due to excessive force, health issues arising from forced abortions, problems with their digestive system, lice, and excessive weight loss. Trafficked victims can additionally experience mental health problems such as suicidal depression, alcoholism, and drug addiction (Jones, Engstrom, Hilliard, & Diaz, 2007). “Ninety-five percent of trafficked victims in the European Union had been violently assaulted or coerced into a sexual act, and more than 60% reported experiencing fatigue, neurological symptoms, back pain, vaginal discharges, and gynecological infections” (Jones et al., 2007, p.116). Social workers will address all these conditions and issues by connecting the individual with the appropriate medical assistance such as a hospital or a clinic, treatment programs as well as individual and group therapy. They also teach coping skills and lead substance abuse treatment programs for victims. Social workers do not only address the immediate psychological, physical, and financial needs of victims, they also work in conjunction with other professionals such as the judicial system and law enforcement. As well as being active in politics and the public arena. The National Association of Social Worker’s Code of Ethics, “requires social workers to engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that all people have equal access to resources needed to meet basic human needs” (Palmer,2010, p.45). This means that they are ethically and professionally obligated to serve as advocates for those affected by human trafficking. #
Social workers appeal to their governments to use financial resources and to create legislation that opposes human traffickers and their support systems such as corrupt governments. They also promote support for women and children that are affected by working with international social workers and the resources that are available to them (Jones et al., 2007). Furthermore, social service providers work to prevent human trafficking in a more direct way. Social workers are trained to recognize victims or potential victims of trafficking. Social workers are taught to not consider victims as illegal immigrants despite their unlawful presence within a country (Jones et al., 2007). Lastly, they serve as educators whose primary role is to prevent future cases of human trafficking by educating groups who are at risk (Conahan, & Kyere, 2010).
Resources/Prevention
As governments struggled to address the issue of human trafficking, the meaning of the term migrated from specifically transnational sexual exploitation to exploitation in a much more general sense. Advocacy groups, religious groups, and other civil society organizations contributed to the discussion on human trafficking and broadened its definition to include other forms of exploitation such as slavery, forced labor, bonded labor, child labor, and so on.
The Freedom424 organization is a non-profit organization that was established to bring awareness to the human sex trafficking of women and children across the world (freedom424.com). The organization was founded by a college student Christine Gelatt. Gelatt was made aware of the human trafficking issue in Thailand after a close friend had spent several years in Thailand working with women establishing disciplines on how to improve their skills and knowledge in order to learn a trade other than being a sex slave (relevantmagazine.com).
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