Human Trafficking: Present Day Tragedy - Essay Example

HUMAN TRAFFICKING: PRESENT DAY TRAGEDY Introduction Let me start this paper by giving you three stories: A young man was promised a good paying job in a hospital in Dubai. After the necessary preparation, he left his native country only to be welcomed by the stink of a tin factory in somewhere in Taiwan. He was forced to work on extended hours, made to endure the inhuman working conditions, with no salary for the first six months. His passport was taken away from him upon his arrival, for "safekeeping". A co-worker who openly complained about the situation was beaten up, and disappeared. His days were enveloped with fear and hopelessness. A teen-aged girl who ran away from home frequented this public park where fellow urchins hang out. From where she was seated, she chanced upon a conversation between a rich-looking man and a girl about her age. The man was offering the girl a job as a waitress in the nearby city, the pay was good and an opportunity to earn extra from customer's tips. She inched her way towards the two, and joined the conversation. In less than ten minutes, a small crowd has formed. The following day, she along with the same small group who gathered together the other day, they were already on their way to the big city. A brothel awaits these young girls. Drugged until they were numb, they were sold for sex and prostitution until the next batch of new girls arrive from the countryside. A woman leisurely strolling in the mall with her toddler in tow and her young child in her arms was busy looking around. Quite excited about the extra money she has, she unconsciously let go of her toddler. The child was looking around when a decent looking woman picked him up. Instead of turning him over to the customer services to have her mother claim him, he was taken to a van, where other 'lost' children awaits. They were transported 300 miles outside the state. The children were made to beg for money ran by an organized group. When they grow up, they will be trained to do more complicated crimes such as robbery and will be in-charge of kidnapping young children. These three stories may differ in plot but the main substance is present in all: it shows of how a person is transported, abused and discarded. It shows a gross disregard of a person's basic right to life, to freedom and to security. The stories are primitive and barbaric. These are real stories of present day Human Trafficking. By definition, human trafficking " shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, or abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation ((http://www.migrationinformation.org/feature/display.cfmID=66,1)." On the other hand, it is very crucial to define another term, often mistaken as one and the same crime for the purpose of clarity and accuracy. Human Smuggling is "the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a state party which the person is not a national or permanent resident (http://www.migrationinformation.org/feature/display.cfmID=66,1)." The similar aspects are that, the victims are transported to another city or nation, that they are lured by false promises and economic rewards. They however differ in substance, where in human smuggling the one who benefits in the long run is the (so-called) victim of the act, where in human trafficking the sole beneficiary is the oppressor himself, and victims are not rewarded in anyway; another difference is the amount of information given out to the victims; in human smuggling, the victims know where they are going, are given instruction as how to take cover, feign an arrest and work as co-conspirators while in human trafficking, the victims have less or no idea at all where they are going. And that even when victims of human smuggling are exposed to a certain degree of danger, abuse and exploitation, it is very minimal to a point of being tolerable while in human trafficking exploitation and abuse is a goal. Men and women of working age are most likely to be smuggled with their full consent while unwilling women and children are the potential victims of trafficking. What is the stand of Nations regarding this matter Basically, countries all over the world had made moves to combat the alarming occurrence of human trafficking. It is not only a violation of the basic human rights but it also encompasses migration laws and policies, labor rights and gender issues as well. National policies and legal warfare vary from country to country depending on the severity of its presence. For instance, in Asia Pacific where "the region is seen as the most vulnerable area for trafficking because of its huge population pyramid, growing urbanization, and expensive poverty (http://www.un.org/womenwatch/news/documents/DPKOHumanTraffickingPolicy,3)" the governments in this region are more rigid in their law making process to address the problem accurately and immediately. In progressive countries like America and Canada, the presence of human trafficking is detectable, laws and policies has been drawn out but certain issues are given more priority. What is United States doing to stop trafficking "Trafficking impacts many nations, including the United States. That is why the US government has taken a number of serious and significant actions to combat trafficking occurring at home. Actions/moves worth mentioning are: 1. Pungent Legislation to penalize Americans who sexually abuse children 2.) Focusing the Department of Justice on the prosecution and conviction of traffickers 3.) zero-tolerance stand against human trafficking and 4.) The Department of Health and Human services (HHS) to consider the victims of trafficking same benefits and assistance given to refugees (http://www.state.gov/r/ei/rls/33109.htm)." Where are we today Today, we are still at a standstill. In a time where everything is almost possible, where technology and science readily produce answers to varied questions, where in a push of a button, a country can wipe out another nation at its whim we are faced with this. Human trafficking is a reality in the 21st century. It may seem primitive in its purpose and barbaric in its process. To victimize clueless women and children, sell them for financial profit, or have them work as slaves or prostitutes. This is quite an irony, but the truth as well. The United Nations' estimate in the year 2004 is that, "one to four million women and children worldwide are forced into prostitution, and other forms of exploitation in a year. Domestic service, agriculture and factory work are other prime areas where trafficking is concentrated (Hile, 1)". The statistics until now is hazy, because very few victims come out in the open. It can be assumed that either they fear for their lives or that they have not lived long enough to tell the tale. We can not blame the law making bodies for such, because they are doing their share. The United Nation, along with international communities, non-government organizations, and concerned people has worked hand in hand to resolve this issue, and yet, after the Declaration of the Basic Human Rights in 1948, we have accomplished so little. With the acknowledgement of its presence (human trafficking), so many anti trafficking laws had been made to protect the population. More victims should come out; whether on their own, but mostly with the help of governing bodies, to be able to shed light to this matter. Their testimonies would empower the public, and around it, laws and guidelines will be built in order to safeguard the potential victims. Right now, we are at a standstill. What are the impacts of Human Trafficking The impact of the human trafficking is broad, because it is both a crime against person with both civil and criminal liabilities. To further understand the depth of this misdeed let us look into its effect to: The Victims. The most obvious effect of human trafficking on the victim is physical abuse. These people were either kidnapped, abducted or/and lured which means that considerable force was exerted to transport them from one place to another. That is only the start because when they get to the real purpose of the act, the physical abuse worsens. They are made to work long hours and sometimes without food; women and children are often sexually abused, starved and beaten. Every course of action is fueled by force and power. Another effect is mental/psychological abuse. Victims are pushed to their limits. They are threatened and maltreated. In effect, unfathomable mental/psychological damage is done. Even after the abuse (when the victim is rescued) the feeling of unworthiness and blaming oneself is still there. Local Community. The crime committed in a certain place tells the kind of society/community it is. So when a good number of people are victims of human trafficking, the community will eventually be tagged as 'uneducated', 'misinformed' and poverty-stricken. Aside from the mislabeling, there is a certain level of disgrace, both to the authority for not able to protect its people, and to the immediate family for not keen enough to sense something wrong. The level of defensiveness will be alarming, and perhaps detrimental to economic progress. Every stranger will be doubted, every venture will be questioned and instead of moving forward, the community will eventually digress into a quiescent town/city. Global Community. The global community is shocked and is having a hard time to accept that human trafficking is happening in all corners of the world. And even in their quiet but unrelenting effort to put a stop on it, it still continues to prey on unknowing victims. Like many other issues, it is yet to be solved. On the other hand, the presence of human trafficking will affirm the innate goodness of man. Nations will work together to rescue the oppressed; work hand in hand to combat the exploitation; will spend more on education and information drive; although it is a sad fate to truly accept that women and children are abused in a primitive in the 21st century, it has opened our eyes, ears and hearts to that one desire: to be able to afford every human being their basic rights to life and liberty. That is the reverse effect. Personal Reaction: I personally believe that this is modern day slavery, or worse. I feel sorry for the victims of this offense. It is more upsetting to know that most victims are women and children who are either defenseless, vulnerable or both. They are used as sex slaves, sold as prostitutes; there had been amateur studies conducted on how human trafficking and AIDS are related, interrelated or something like that. To be sexually abused is one thing but to be inflicted with an incurable disease is like putting salt, lemon and tequila in a fresh wound. Seriously, this matter, when closely scrutinized only gets worse. There is no beauty in the details of this act and majority of the people would want to stay out of it. I also think that people who are educated, well traveled and liberal are guilty of ignoring this reality. Super countries like America, Canada, England and Australia can not even claim that they have zero rate in human trafficking. These are host countries to which victims are lured because of its economic progress and the only time people react is when there is a high profile bust which the media covers. Then it will be talk of the town for days, and after that, back to nothing. The government can not do this alone. The non-government organization agencies have limited access. A single person can not solve this either. There should be a certain degree of concern, of community work, of vigilance. So that we can stop human traffickers before it has even moved to its next victim. Recommendations: This is a global problem and these recommendations are drawn from several readings I have made in the course of making this paper combined with basic common sense. The first move that should be made is to Educate the people. Education is the key. When children are sent to school, they are informed, more logical in their thinking and rational in their reasoning. They will not easily fall prey to the hands of hoodlums. In effect, it will also better their economic chances. For those who are too old, poor or far away from school, another type of education will suffice: Information. Information programs should be made available, and should be far reaching. Remote communities should be accessed, and satellite information centers should be everywhere. Through this information programs, people will be taught to be more discriminating, especially with strangers. In the side of the government, there should be more jobs. More jobs would mean stability. If people are employed, they will be less likely to entertain thoughts of transferring or relocating. If more job opportunity is impossible because the country is so poor, then training special skills is an alternative. People with special skills can create their own money making ventures. Another is the strict implementation of anti-trafficking policies. There are enough laws to cover all grounds of human trafficking but the problem is perhaps in the implementing body. This should be taken into consideration. For International communities/groups there should be a constant feverish vigilance of the presence of organized crime syndicates, because these groups are most likely to operate human trafficking. Note that human trafficking is a crime that demands a good number of people because it is a complicated, full of twists and turns crime. References: Hile, Jeniffer. National Geographic. US Laws helps victims of Human Trafficking. July 23, 2004. November 17,2008 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0713_040713_tvhumantraffic.html http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfmID=66. November 17, 2008 http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/rls/33109.htm November 17, 2008 http://www.un.org/womenwatch/news/documents/DPKOHumanTrafficking_policy03_2004.pdf November 17, 2008 Read More