Human Trafficking in Southeast Asia Essay

South East Asia, according to Emmers (2004) is one of the key regions where trafficking is extensively prevalent in over 200,000 women and young girls being moved across the boundaries for sex work. Notably, though, the figure is exclusive to the total number of persons trafficked for forced labor and other illegal businesses across the region. The factors that contribute to increased human trafficking activities in historically developing nations include the straggling economic development as in Cambodia, disproportionate industrial growth subjecting impoverished people into forced labor and minimum wages, devastating poverty levels prompting people to cross over boundaries in search for affluence, as well as the expansive sex tourism industry. The future of nations such as Cambodia whose trafficking activities includes even children can only incorporate the application of strict international sanctions to compel the governments to legislatively implement policies against forced labor, child abuse, sex slavery and promote women's rights (Betz, 2009). This will prompt the nations to embrace Social and Cultural Rights while ratifying the Organized Crime Convention, an international legal framework by the United Nations against trafficking.

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The Harvard School of Public Health outlines that HIV infection is a significant consequence of human and sex trafficking. The HIV transmission risk is often attributed to the survivor's experience of unprotected sex and the inconsistent use of protective condoms during sexual intercourse. Among the several girls that are subjected to trafficking for sexual exploitation, the preference and transmission of HIV are at its record high. This can be attributed to the perpetuated misconception that sexual relations with virgin girls prevent and cures HIV. A common motivation behind the trafficking of children by human traffickers is associated with the clients' demand for virgin girls as an assurance for safe sex (Silverman, et al., 2007).

As the Emperor of Asia, I'd institute policies promoting transparency through third-party monitoring. This will allow independent organizations and experts to conduct random interviews with the workers while steering indiscriminate inspection of the working conditions and living standards of the employees. The findings should henceforth be made available to the public, at least to the extent that human rights NGO's and workers' organizations can independently verify and initiate remediation processes. Some of the policies will include the prevention of labor contracting violation by ensuring that employers bear the cost of recruiting workers instead of shifting the burden to the workers.

UNICEF reports over 300,000 children and women aged between 12-30 years who have been trafficked between Bangladesh and India over the last ten years. According to the report, each month, 400 children and women are trafficked in Bangladesh. The children are taken to countries far from their homes across the borders and subjected to corrosive forms of unspeakable torture, agony, and violation of their fundamental rights like forced labor and prostitution (Unodc.org, 2009).

Organized crime groups in Japan operates freely thus making the groups easy to conceal human trafficking under the guise of doing legal business. The yakuza the largest more networked and organizes group in the most notorious for human trafficking. The victims of human trafficking are mostly women who are sold as sex slaves to China Russia and other parts of the world. The JK culture in Japan is no big deal as high school dating where girls in their school uniform date men in what is commonly referred to as walking dates. The men can be young and as old as above 50 years. However, recent documentaries and research show that behind the scenes the culture leads to exploitation of teens and consequently sexual prostitution and human trafficking is rife.

The culture is not prohibited in Japan as some cafes play it safe by employing school girls who apply for the job and close down their business before 10:00 pm. There are various forms of JK business where cafes are staffed with underage girls who sit behind one-way mirrors in their school uniform and pose in different ways as per client requests. Others are involved in tour guiding where girls walk with men who often end up in sexual service in the name of compensated dating hence payment for sex.as much as it is a business for several joints in Japan the practice is Cleary a form of prostitution as there is no regulation in- place and limit defined in the culture. Most of the girls are in stressful situations and do not wish to go back home. Additionally, they come from needy families and victim of child abuse at home thus in search of money and freedom end up trafficked as sex slaves. A case study is given of a 13-year old who has been sold severally for over two months, and no alarm is raised (State.gov., 2018).

The daily mail author Simon, traveled to Tokyo to explore the exploitation of young girls in a short documentary about the JK osanpo or enjoy kosai culture. He explains how old men in their 40s and 50 years attend the dance shows by highs school teenagers perform and after that request to visit the girls at a fee. Many teenage runaway girls facing difficulties in life see the practice as an opportunity to make ends meet and have freedom, however the fall into forced prostitution and human trafficking. The girls are readily available for rent, which affects their education. The society blames girls for the vice prompting most of them to ultimately commit suicide, disappear or get hurt in the business (Mail Online, 2015).

Thailand's fishing industry and human trafficking are proliferating amidst reports by Thai authorities to address the issue. Survivors reveal that the shrimp supply chain sector compels children, as young as 12 years old into forced labor aboard fishing vessels, coercing them to work up to 20-hours a day without pay. Social media videos point out reports of trafficking victims contacting neighboring governmental agencies to help them from the exploitation of fundamental human rights that include injuries sustained from beatings by staff members at government shelters which are designated to protect the victims.

Conclusion

The Fish business should not be boycotted as it is essential to Thai economy and global fish supply. However, any attempts towards ending human trafficking and solve the forced labor issues require migrant-worker-rights and activist groups to identify and implement the measures that are meant to address risks associated with labor law violations in the shrimp supply chain. Furthermore, the authorities of the business sector ought to improve the transparency of the supply chain, prompting suppliers to identify their factories, the fishing vessels, farms and any details involved during the purchase of the products (Betz, 2009). Remediation processes should be initiated, enabling the authorities to flag any contractors found in violation of the labor laws. In so doing, exploited workers can independently and freely access appropriate support services and remedies without leaving them in situations that may foster further exploitation.

References

Betz, D. L. (2009). Human trafficking in Southeast Asia causes and policy implications (Doctoral dissertation, Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School).

Documentary reveals on the dark side of Japan's 'schoolgirl culture.' (2015). Mail Online. Retrieved 20 July 2018, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3168563/Documentary-lifts-lid-dark-Japan-s-schoolgirl-culture-reveals-teen-students-forced-prostitution-obsessive-older-men.html

Emmers, R. (2004). Globalization and non-traditional security issues: a study of human and drug trafficking in East Asia.

Japan. (2018). U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 20 July 2018, from https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/countries/2017/271213.htmSilverman, J. G., Decker, M. R., Gupta, J., Maheshwari, A., Willis, B. M., & Raj, A. (2007). HIV prevalence and predictors of infection in sex-trafficked Nepalese girls and women. Jama, 298(5), 536-542.

Unodc.org. (2009). Interview: human trafficking in Bangladesh. Retrieved 20 July 2018, from http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/frontpage/2009/June/human-trafficking-in-bangladesh.html