The Human Trafficking - Essay Example

Why has human trafficking become such a popular crime over the last three decades? Lecturer Introduction Globally, millions of women and children are being trafficked, even after the banning of human trafficking in the 1960s. A new form of human trafficking exists today (Richardson, 2007).This activity has been recognized as the third most profitable criminal activity after arms and drugs. Human trafficking can be simply defined as the transfer of people from their country or community to other destinations for purposes of exploitation. This exploitation may come in the form of prostitution, forced labour or different forms of exploitation. Although article 4 of the Universal declaration of human rights says that people should not be bought and sold, human trafficking is the fastest-growing global crime (Chalke and Blair, 2008).This essay will analyse the practice of human trafficking and identify the reasons behind the growth of this crime. Over the last few decades, human trafficking has grown tremendously. Many criminals have ventured into this form of crime because of the high profits and the low risks associated with human trafficking. With the growth of globalization, human trafficking has grown due to the demand for certain services (Lee, 2007). Human trafficking: high profits, low risk and little investment According to Chalke and Blair (2008), human trafficking generates between 10 and 12 billion dollars a year, with a modest investment. However, in recent times, human trafficking has caught media attention. The abuse of young women trafficked into prostitution, the dynamic of poverty and the actions that humans make to obtain wealth help to understand why these children and women are victims of human trafficking. Poverty is a great force that drives an individual to think the unthinkable and the undoable .The need for money and the unavailability of alternative means and ways to generate income creates an environment where a faint-hearted individual can easily succumb to the temptation that a sex industry has to offer”(Chalke & Blair ,2008,p.73).The need of economic opportunities in poor countries has encouraged women to look for employment elsewhere. This makes them an easy target for the traffickers. In Vietnam, the majority of women that are part of the trafficking syndicate use it as a means to earn a living. In fact, some parents sell their own children willingly in order to make money (Penh, 2007). The sad reality of this traffic is that this “unnoticed crime estimates a profit of over 10 billion dollars, with almost 4 million people trafficked each year” (Kanics, 2003). Although the selling of drugs remains the most lucrative and profitable organized crime, some criminals have entered human trafficking business due to the initial costs of entry and the large demand for smuggled and trafficked people. As realistic actors, these criminals have seen marvellous business opportunities in this field. They are rarely arrested and prosecuted because of their ability to neutralise law enforcement officers through bribes and intimidation. They also prosper in a globalised world because the legal controls are state based, whereas the criminal groups are international. This makes the enforcement of such laws difficult. Another aspect in human smuggling is the illegal entry of a person into a country across the border without following the law. At the beginning, these individuals may appear as if they are being smuggled, but it is often seen that they end up being trafficked. They are coerced into believing that they are being smuggled, and then once they reach their destination, they are forcefully held. The smuggler will then make his profits and the relationship that once existed between him and the smuggled persons diminishes. The profit made from the trafficked person is normally obtained from a variety of sources. These include: prostitution, sweat shops, sex tourism, commercial marriages, domestic work, agricultural or whatever activity that can obtain huge profits for the traffickers (Coonan &Thompson, 2003). The insatiability associated with human trafficking reflects the demand in the market. This market is characterised by competition, economic gain and profits. This shows that globalisation has had a massive impact on the increase and growth of the human trafficking cases. The impact of globalisation and large demand In the modern globalized market, the competition for goods and services is very high. There is high demand for labor, and this provides a good market for human traffickers. . As a result of the impact of globalisation, coupled with the possibility for increased profits, it is likely that human trafficking will remain part of human existence because crime groups will use this opportunity for personal gain. In addition, to start this business, one does not require large capital investments. Wealthy consumers are able to purchase from poorer countries not only a labour force, art and antiques, but also the sexual services of men, women and children (Aas, 2013). Traffickers recognise the need for such services and therefore ensure there is a regular supply of people (Aas, 2013). It is obvious that local issues become globalised where lack of employment or opportunities for young men and women is common .These people are easily convinced, with the false guarantee of a better life abroad, to agree to migrate without really understanding what is ahead of them. The recruitment process is thus ingeniously designed to ensure that the recruiters are usually people they know; relatives or anyone they trust. This makes the situation even worse. Modern technology has allowed for easy and fast transfer of messages and information across the world and this has been used by traffickers to their advantage. . For example, in the countries of former USSR, there exist hundreds of thousands of websites promoting bribes and sexual services; and in Europe, websites promote sex tourism (Shelley, 2003). In their report on the trafficking of women in the UK, , Kelly and Regan (2000) explain that trafficked women are under the management of their traffickers and are treated as part of the transaction. Traffickers will inevitably incur expenses for the travel, falsifying documents and corruption, among others. However, this is done in order to facilitate the process of trafficking, and will in turn transfer the costs to the victim and will require her to pay through prostitution or other activities. In many cases, women are trafficked into countries where the demand for sex business is greater due to the active sex industries. Trafficking is a continuous process where women are trafficked all the way through one or more transit countries. During the process, they are also made to work for or sold to other traffickers. The ending is unknown to the traffickers, so all communities can help confront trafficking because the challenges connected with combating human trafficking and protecting victims are numerous. Trafficking has become a global problem. It requires a multidimensional approach to tackle the issues of human trafficking .It should include not only legislative initiatives and crime prevention ,but also development initiatives in order to satisfy the needs of victims (Aronowitz,2009). Conclusion The overall aim of this essay was to examine why human trafficking has become such a popular crime over the last three decades. It is obvious that human trafficking is a growing global issue. The reasons for the raise in human trafficking have been down to the structural variations or globalising of the international economy as well as the gradually deepening gap between the richer western and poorer countries. The gains made from human trafficking outweigh the risks the traffickers face. Women, seen as goods, can be sold repeatedly, therefore accumulating more profit for the trafficker. Persons that are trafficked are not only strained into the sex trade, but are persistently mistreated and then transferred to the next person for exploitation. The problem of human trafficking does not affect only certain parts of the world but it is actually a global issue. The unsuccessful prosecution of traffickers could be seen as the main support for traffickers. It gives them the courage to continue with their trade. Therefore, tackling this crime requires partnership among governments, working with diverse groups of victims. Finally, governments all over the world have a duty to fight this battle through tougher punishments for traffickers. This should also involve proper enforcement of legislation aimed at preventing trafficking. References AaS, K. F. (2013) .Globalisation and Crime .London: Sage Publications Ltd. Aronowitz, A. (2009).Human Trafficking, Human Misery: The global trade in human beings: United States: Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated. Chalke, S.and Blair, C. (2008) Stop the Traffik: People Shouldn’t be Bought and Sold. Oxford: Lion Book. Coonan, T., and Thompson, R. (2003) Florida responds to human trafficking. Florida State University for the Advancement of Human Rights.10-26. Kanics, J. (2003) Trafficking in women .Foreign Policy in Focus.3, 1-3 political science. Kelly, L .and L. Regan (2000). Stopping Traffic: Exploring the extend of, and response to, trafficking in women for sexual exploitation in the UK. Police Research Series.Paper125.May 2000. Lee, M. (2007). Human Trafficking; Maggy Lee (Ed). Collumpton: Willan Publishing. Penh, P. (2007) Innocence for Sale .Economist.384, 53-54. Richardson, D. (2007).The Transatlantic Slave Trade: A History Revised edition. By James A. Rawley, with Stephen D. Behrendt. History, 92(305), 98-99.Retrieved 19 February, 2015 Shelley, L. (2003). Trafficking in women: The Business Model Approach ‘, Brown Journal of World Affairs (I):119-31. Shelley,L . (2000).’Post –Communist Transitions and Illegal Movement of Peoples: Chinese Smuggling and Russian Trafficking in Women’, Annals of Scholarship, 14(2):71-84 Read More