International Human Relations: Human Trafficking Essay

According to UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, transportation, keeping or facilitating the receipt of human beings. This, as defined by adopted by the UN General Assembly, may be either achieved through the use of forceful coercion, threats, abduction or abusing a position of power to enable receipt of funds to grant permission to another human being to lord another for the sole purpose of exploitation. The UN Convention goes on to define exploitation such as to include sexual exploitation either through forceful prostitution, compulsive labor or any form of servitude including removal of organs. Human trafficking especially the selling of vulnerable people, both men and women into sexual bondage and other enslaving activities is one of the fastest-growing outlawed criminal enterprises in our world today. Since the wake of the 21st century, human trafficking has taken a new turn and has continued to pose a major challenge to human rights and relevant crime prevention authorities (Schauer & Wheaton,2006). Human trafficking violates some fundamental human rights outlined in the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. According to a research conducted by the US Department of State, it is estimated that an average of 700,000 human beings find themselves being trafficked across continents and international borders every year. The US state department goes on to give conservative statistics that almost 80% of those trafficked are women and girls. Out of this figure, about 50% are minors. This shows just the great extent to which the epidemic of human trafficking enterprise continues to thrive (US State Department, 2006). The trafficking of girls and women has raised eyebrows internationally. They are often recruited in their home countries and promised that they would work under specific "employer." As soon as they get into the target country, their travel documents are seized. Thousands of ignorant women and girls fall into deceptive contracts each year, and this is how they find themselves being enslaved in foreign countries. Several factors that make unsuspecting individuals very vulnerable to human trafficking need to be explored. This paper is going to focus on the economic, social, political and cultural aspects that are central to the human trafficking and also explore how this epidemic violate basic human rights.

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Economic factors are key to understanding how the structural fabric of human trafficking works. According to studies, the confluence of globalization and the national sovereignty of various governments is one of the major contributors of human trafficking. According to researcher Kinsley Alden, some governments assert sovereignty in specific areas which can be explored to understand what really fuels trafficking of persons from state to state (Dinan, 2008). The main area of concern when it comes to the sovereignty of governments facilitating human trafficking is their insistence on chose who moves in and out of their borders and to also to dictate the terms of movement. Some of these conditions afford the best thriving conditions for human traffickers who then have lure and traffic ignorant people with impunity. Despite the fact that a lot of attention has been given to human trafficking by governments, there has been a loophole in enforcing punishments to those found guilty of this criminal activity. They are often prosecuted for violating immigration principles and not under the more serious offense of human trafficking which carries harsher penalties. Another fact is that most of those who find themselves undocumented in other countries are often treated as illegal immigrants and not as victims of human traffickers. Unless governments divert more attention to solving loopholes in the immigration policies which favor cross-border smuggling of human beings, the human trafficking will never stop. It is an enterprise that generates millions of dollars annually to human traffickers.

Another most controversial topic that comes up whenever human trafficking is mentioned is the culture of prostitution. People are often forced into prostitution by poor economic conditions and poverty (Cameron & Newman, 2008). According to conclusive studies, prostitution has been known to be a key ingredient of human trafficking. Most of those who end up trafficked into foreign countries become find themselves in sexual slavery, often working in brothels for their masters. The worst form of human violation, listed under the UN convention of human rights is forced prostitution. It takes away human dignity. Prostitution is an economic activity that is legal in many countries. There have been major challenges in trying to curb human trafficking that is motivated by prostitution. Authorities have never satisfactorily handled this controversial topic. The question of whether this vice should be permitted or regulated in a bid to protect the welfare of sex workers has never been handled well. Prostitution, if it must form the laws of a specific country should be recognized as being legal but regulated heavily within the context of anti-trafficking rules. There has always been a struggle between authorities on whether prostitution should be recognized or banned since it is viewed as being innately exploitative in itself. Banning prostitution is virtually impossible since there are millions of customers everyday worldwide, and most sex workers are in it for profit. At the same time, it is responsible for up to 80% of the reported cases of human trafficking. Therefore, this sector continues to pose significant challenges in the fight against human trafficking.

Social issues have been known to foster human trafficking. The main reason why women and girls are heavily trafficked across international borders is that they are more vulnerable than men. Women, especially who are from developing countries are normally discriminated against socially more so when it comes to education and employment. Most of them thus lead poor and miserable lives, and this makes them vulnerable to exploitation and trafficking. Studies have revealed that more than half of the women and girls trafficked are ignorant and have a basic understanding of how foreign employment works. The most used bait to attract unsuspecting women and girls to foreign countries is that they would be afforded employment. Women and girls should be empowered by governments to avoid falling victims of human trafficking. Governments should address issues such as discrimination in employment based on gender. Cultures that encourage the discrimination of minority groups in any forms should be addressed as this is another factor contributing to human trafficking (Potts Jr,2003).

Conclusion

Human trafficking is an epidemic that needs to be brought under control as it violates fundamental human rights. Examples of the rights violated at the various stages of human trafficking include the right to live, the right to liberty, the right to protection from inhuman treatments and also the right to freedom of movement. These are unassailable rights as defined by the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Studies have suggested that most women and girls who are trafficked across international borders end up dying prematurely due to enduring both physical and emotional issue. They also live a life of fear, and their freedom of movement is highly restricted. Governments should seek to enforce strict observance of human rights since human trafficking recruitment has been shown to have its roots in those countries that have weak human rights enforcement laws. It is time for the world to rise against this vice as it places hundreds of thousands of lives each year in jeopardy. The only way to do this is to encourage international corporation in affording people good economic conditions and dismantling organized international criminal networks.

References

Schauer, E. J., & Wheaton, E. M. (2006). Sex trafficking into the United States: A literature review. Criminal Justice Review, 31(2), 146-169.

US State Department, Trafficking in Persons Report 2006, Washington, D.C.: US State Department, 2006, p. 6

Dinan, K. A. (2008). Globalization and national sovereignty: From migration to trafficking. Trafficking in Humans: Social, Cultural and Political Dimensions, 58-79.

Potts Jr, L. G. (2003). Global trafficking in human beings: assessing the success of the United Nations Protocol to Prevent Trafficking in Persons. Geo. Wash. Int'l L. Rev., 35, 227.

Cameron, S., & Newman, E. (Eds.). (2008). Trafficking in humans: social, cultural and political dimensions. United Nations Univ.