Human trafficking is the recruitment of people for commercial sexual exploitation (unfair use) or forced labor for little or no pay. It is most often carried out through deceit, force, the threat of violence, or taking advantage of a person’s vulnerability. Vulnerability is the condition of being unable to defend oneself. Most human trafficking victims are women and girls. Human trafficking has often been described as a form of modern-day slavery . It affects almost every country in the world.
Most human trafficking victims are recruited for commercial sexual exploitation. Others are forced to labor in agricultural fields, mines, fishing industries, textile factories, and quarries. A human trafficking victim may be used for both sexual exploitation and labor during the same period. Some victims are placed in private homes as domestic workers, where they may also be subjected to sexual assault.
Human trafficking is one of the most profitable illegal activities in the world. It is also one of the fastest growing criminal enterprises. Human trafficking is most often carried out through underground (secret) criminal networks. Countries in which high numbers of people are recruited by human traffickers include Albania, Belarus, Bulgaria, China, Moldova, Nigeria, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates. The chief countries in which victims of human trafficking are forced to work, are sexually exploited, or both include Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Thailand, Turkey, and the United States. However, many people become victims of human trafficking in their own country.
Human trafficking often involves an abuse of power over a person who is vulnerable. People may be vulnerable because they are members of a discriminated group, such as women or girls in a society where females are less valued than males. Other vulnerable individuals include members of certain racial, ethnic, or religious minorities . Such social conditions as poverty , unemployment , and lack of opportunity can also make people vulnerable to trafficking. War and such natural disasters as earthquakes and floods are also known to increase the incidence of human trafficking in certain regions or countries.
Victims of human trafficking are often kept in bondage through a type of physical and psychological abuse known as traumatic bonding. In this type of relationship, the victim develops a strong emotional tie with the abuser, making it difficult for the victim to flee. A trafficker may also use threats to harm a victim’s family to keep the victim under control. Few human trafficking victims are discovered or identified. When sex trafficking victims are identified, they often face a high level of stigmatization (being marked by disgrace). Victims often require specialized services to heal from the trauma (damaging shock) caused by the abuse they have endured. Many sex trafficking survivors suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder , a psychological response in which people repeatedly remember, relive, or dream about a terrible experience. See Rape .
International efforts to end trafficking of women and children began in the United States and Europe in the early 1900’s. In 1999, Sweden enacted the first law based on human rights that has proven effective at discouraging sex trafficking. The law recognizes that women and girls are human beings and therefore cannot be bought or sold for sex. It is also based on the idea that commercial sexual exploitation is violence against women. The law criminalizes the buyers of commercial sex. It provides those who are exploited a way out of exploitation through social services and employment training. Norway, Iceland, and Ireland have since passed similar laws. In 2003, the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons came into force. The protocol defined human trafficking for purposes of international law. Countries signing the protocol are required to create their own laws against human trafficking and take measures to discourage the demand for prostitution.
