Paper Sample on Modern Slavery: Human Trafficking and its Global Impact

Introduction

Human trafficking refers to a cruel crime against an individual's human rights and has been perceived as the type of modern-day slavery. Currently, the issue of human trafficking has created global attention, as about 18,553 people are trafficked in America yearly. New research indicates that the human trafficking business generates approximately $13.4 billion annually across the globe (Aronowitz, 2009). Usually, the trafficked victims are exposed to physical, psychological abuse, sexual abuse via forced labor, corporal beatings, commercial sex, and slavery practices. Unfortunately, the traffickers sell trade and overexploit the trafficked victims through the use of brutality and oppression as a way of controlling them (Gallagher, 2010). Therefore, this article will illustrate various features of human trafficking, myths regarding human trafficking, as well as the concept of trafficking versus smuggling. Additionally, it will discuss different challenges that the law enforcement experience and societal groups of people prone to trafficking.

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Elements of Human Trafficking

Based on its definition, human trafficking has become a severe offence that violates human rights. Annually, various people, including men, women, as well as children, fall victim to human trafficking in their native countries or foreign countries (Gallagher, 2010). Thus, human trafficking three common elements:

The Act (What is done during human trafficking)

This element involves recruitment, transportation, harboring of the victims, transfer, or receipt of those people.

Means (How human trafficking is done)

The element means it involves the use or threat of force, coercion, deception, abduction of the victims, fraud acts, taking advantage of someone's vulnerability or abuse of power, or enticing children with gifts like sweets.

The Purpose (Reasons for human trafficking)

Normally, traffickers practice human trafficking for exploitation reasons such as sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery, and illegal trade, such as the removal of human organs, among others.

Myths about Human Trafficking

Indeed, there exist various myths and misconceptions regarding human trafficking based on what it is and who are the potential victim of this particular criminal act and events happening during the human trafficking process. Therefore, some of the myths include:

The first myth is human trafficking is the same as smuggling

The fact indicates human trafficking, as well as human smuggling, are two different offences under American federal law (Aronowitz, 2009). Human smuggling means unlawful border crossing, whereas human trafficking means forced labor as well as commercial sexual exploitation that is stimulated via force, fraud, enticement, coercion among others through transportation of the victims from one place to another.

The second myth is that only women and children experience human trafficking

Generally, any individual can fall victim to human trafficking irrespective of the vulnerability or gender of an individual, including men. The traffickers lure the vulnerable victims frequently through false pledges of a great life and enticement.

Another myth is that human trafficking is only about sex trafficking

Sex trafficking exists; however, it is not the only type of human trafficking. Another way of human trafficking involves forced labor, which consists in exploiting the victims against their human rights.

Analysis of Human Trafficking vs. Human Smuggling

Human trafficking, as well as human smuggling, is mostly confused by people. These two crimes are very distinctive, based on their meaning. For instance, human trafficking means exploiting people for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation reasons (Campana & Varese, 2016). On the other hand, human smuggling means providing services through transportation or other fraudulent documents to a person who voluntarily crosses the border illegally into a foreign country. Similarly, it is possible such crime may begin as human smuggling but quickly change into human trafficking. Hence, relevant security bodies in various countries across the globe have implemented strict rules and regulations to stop these two criminal acts which violate human rights.

Challenges faced by Security Officers to Prevent Human Trafficking

Research indicates that about 25 million people worldwide experience human trafficking practices, and it is a lucrative business that generates about $13.4 billion annually (Campana & Varese, 2016). However, most law enforcers face several challenges to prevent this crime since it violates the human rights of the victims. Some of the challenges they face include identifying human traffickers and bringing them to the full force of law. Again, the families of the victim’s face threat of death or other harm if they try to expose or turn the perpetrators of human trafficking to law enforcement authorities. This challenge prevents security officers from obtaining relevant information regarding the whereabouts of the victims and traffickers (Aronowitz, 2009). Lastly, some casualties of human trafficking may be unwilling to cooperate with the law enforcement forces to provide relevant information regarding the perpetrators due to fear of getting killed or being harmed by the traffickers.

Vulnerable Groups prone to Human Trafficking

In general, anyone can fall victim to human trafficking irrespective of gender, vulnerability, or any other factor. Usually, people fall victim to human trafficking through enticement and pledges for great life (Campana & Varese, 2016). However, in turn, they become casualties of forced labor as well as commercial sexual exploitation by the traffickers. Similarly, some of the vulnerable groups in the community are prone to human trafficking, including homeless children, refugees, and people with disabilities, among others.

Solutions to Prevent Human Trafficking

First, the government should create public awareness of the effects of human trafficking practices in society. Second, the government should impose strict laws on the perpetrators of human trafficking to prevent them from doing the crime against human rights (Aronowitz, 2009). Lastly, people should volunteer to support the anti-human trafficking efforts in society. Therefore, when these recommendations are implemented, they will prevent people from promoting this crime.

Conclusion

To conclude, it is evident that human trafficking is an offence that violates human rights as it exposes victims to corporal labor as well as commercial sexual victims. Thus, the government and human rights organizations in the whole world should adopt strict policies to prevent the traffickers from continuing with the vice on other human beings. They should also create community alertness on the effects of human trafficking in the society.

References

Aronowitz, A. A. (2009). Human trafficking, human misery: The global trade in human beings. Greenwood Publishing Group. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zslQ54Z4ZzQC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=human+trafficking&ots=GkpnJdtJ6U&sig=5uvhoyJVi08neVgRzEQLVQ6LUG4

Campana, P., & Varese, F. (2016). Exploitation in human trafficking and smuggling. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 22(1), 89-105. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s10610-015-9286-6.pdf

Gallagher, A. T. (2010). The international law of human trafficking. Cambridge University Press. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=b4JxTgtih1UC&oi=fnd&pg=PR13&dq=human+trafficking&ots=WkliqSLrm9&sig=TC2GFZ02xsCCu2ct6dP1BebkObo