The Problem of Human Trafficking - Essay Example

The worldwide problem of human trafficking The of the problem The problem of human trafficking is one of the current issues nowadays. The factors influencing the growth of human trafficking in the different countries of the world: the poverty among women that pushes women and children in conditions where their sexuality is exploited; the economic policy of the international financial institutions which demand some structural reforms in cutting down financing of social services and services of employment that forces more and more women to search earnings abroad; the predatoriness of the recruiters, who gain some profit from women’s poverty and involve them in sex-industry; the repressive immigration policy; the military presence creating demand for sex-service in different parts of the world which is ignored by authorities including American; the racist myths and the stereotypes pushing sexual operation, for example, by means of tourist booklets or the Internet, advertising “ exotic women for sexual pleasures " abroad. The globalization of economy meaning the globalization sex-industry without borders. At a transnational level there are the greater and smaller networks of the dealers hiring women and girls from villages, from city streets and the transport centers. In the process of human trafficking are involved the sex-tourism hotels, airlines and the charter companies, and frequently with the connivance and corruption actions of authorities(Janice, 2001). The primary factor of the stability of this system is the international relations of dealers. The women are threatened not only by their punishment, but also by their relatives. Corruption also serves as one of the factors for stability of a human trafficking phenomenon, because it “protects criminals and their political helpers and refuses to citizens in usual justice”. Such situation explains why many countries do so a little for struggle against the networks of human trafficking. The ranges the organizations, engaged in human trafficking, vary from the small groups, annually forwarding abroad some women, up to large criminal structures for which human trafficking is the main source of their income. Some dealers operate through the tourist agencies which form groups and receive visas for such women, as for usual tourists. Such method, in particular, has been revealed while studying the visas received in embassy of Germany in Moscow in the end of 1990th years. For some groups - for example, operating in Israel - human trafficking is a way of money-laundering because the incomes of criminal activity pass through bars and other institutions where women work. Quite often women are sold on account of debts payment of the dealer. The prices differ depending on the region; in Holland, for example, the woman can be sold to the brothel owner for 15 thousand dollars. In Turkey the prices are not so high, but nevertheless the Slavonic women are appreciated more, than the women from Caucasus. The cruel treatment with the sold women in Belgium and the Netherlands became so obvious problem, that in the middle of 1990th years under the initiative of the Dutch and Belgian women parliamentary trial on this question have been held(Janice, 2001). The ways involving women for sale are the following: The tourist, modeling, marriage, personnel agencies, dancing collectives; The announcements in newspapers about the work abroad; The private recruiters (as a rule, friends); The souteneur, offering marriage; The Internet. The human trafficking represents the "multivariate" threat: it deprives with people of their human rights and freedom, it is a global risk for health, and this phenomenon supports the growth of the organized crime. The human trafficking renders devastating influence on victims which often suffer from physical and emotional mockeries, violence, threats under the attitude of the person and its family, theft of the passport, and even death. However the influence of human trafficking is beyond individual victims; it undermines the confidence and safety of all countries. The rights of Women still remain one of the thorny questions of international law of human rights. At the international level it is possible to define two basic phases in movement for the rights of women: 1. The first is a phase of struggle against discrimination which has been crowned with an acceptance of the Convention on liquidation of all forms of discrimination concerning women. 2. The second phase has begun in 1980th years. This phase has crowned with an acceptance of the Declaration of the United Nations about liquidation of violence over women and creation at Committee of the United Nations under human rights of a post of the Special lecturer of the United Nations concerning violence over women. As a result of the vigorous activity on international scene many debatable questions of human rights began to be considered in close connection with the rights of women. Taking into account the serious state of the problem connected with the human trafficking, it is worth mentioning that many programs exist in order to get rid of this problem and to stop violence towards women(Janice, 2001). So due to this fact the main programs for solutions should be discussed in the work. The way to solution The first program that should be discussed is the program of GAATW (the Global Alliance against traffic in women. The history of GAATW is a history of women; it is history of the women creating alliances, despite of frontiers. It is history which has designated the moment of a maturity of a womens movement when women have recognized, that: the vision global sistership is full of numerous conflicts on the basis of a sex, race, class and presence of citizenship; have realized, that they should listen to other women before to speak on their behalf; have admitted, that alliances, female or other sort, are constructed around of the unequal attitudes existing in the world; have understood, that solidarity in political actions can be effective, only if participants of these actions can agree about how to combine their problems even if they strongly differ from each other. GAATW has begun the work with search of answers to simple questions: Why do women migrate? Why do some of them get in difficult situations? What makes elements of human trafficking? Are human trafficking and prostitution synonyms? What can be made for the protection of the rights of the women who have suffered from human trafficking during migration? Up to the middle of 1990th there was no precise definition of human trafficking, and the treatment to the women who have suffered from it, from the side of state and society was awful. Instead of granting the help and support, women were considered as the criminals who have broken the migratory legislation, and imposed on them a brand of prostitutes. While the creation of the Alliance two precise problems have been put: 1. To develop a clear and unambiguous understanding of human trafficking which could be included into the legislation and would be used at work with the public. 2. To arrange the legislative protection of the rights of the women who have suffered from the human trafficking.    The research held in several countries of the world, has led to the conclusion, that the problem of human trafficking should be considered by people directly in a context of globalization, growth of informal economy, strengthening of female labour migration and an existing inequality on the basis of sex, race, class and presence of citizenship. It was revealed, that the infringements of human rights are simultaneously a cause and effect of human trafficking. The research of existing international conventions and agreements has shown that possible measures of protection of human rights are stipulated in many such documents, but their realization is problematic. The activity of the Alliance included the organization of trainings in human rights in various parts of the planet, development of the document under the name "Standard legislative principles of the treatment towards persons who have suffered from human trafficking" and lobbying of the international-recognized definition of human trafficking(Janice, 2001). Today there are more organizations working on problem of human trafficking, than 10 years ago. Almost in all places of the globe are researches carried out and reports on this problem are written. The international-recognized definition of the human trafficking is accepted, and some countries of the world work at inclusion of norms of Palermo Protocol to their internal legislation. Today in the world there are tens of international agreements and contracts concerning protection of the rights of women. Among them the Convention concerning slavery (1926), the General Declaration of human rights (1948), the Convention on struggle against human trafficking and operation of prostitution by the third parties (1949) Conventions on the political rights of women (1952), the additional Convention on abolition of slavery, institutes and the customs similar to slavery (1956), the Convention on the rights of the child (1989), and others. For the first time the violence over women as infringement of human rights has been declared in 1993 at the World conference of human rights in the Vein. In 1994 the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization has noted, that human trafficking is «illegal and secret transferring of people through the national and international borders with a ultimate goal violently to lay down women in conditions of sexual or economic oppression and has offered such definition: «Human trafficking means employment, transportation, operation for the sake of a profit of criminal syndicates». At the fourth World Conference concerning the position of women in Pekin in 1995 the questions of violence over women were rose. «The violence toward women is an infringement of human rights and basic freedom of women; it interferes or does not allow women to have these rights and freedom». In 1997 the Parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe has accepted the Recommendation concerning women trafficking and compulsory prostitution. According to it the committee of the Council of Europe has prepared the project of recommendations on struggle against human trafficking for the purposes of sexual operation. In November 2000 the resolution 55/25 of the General Assemblies have accepted the Protocol in the prevention and suppression of human trafficking, especially of women and children, and punishment for it, supplementing the Convention of the United Nations Organization against the transnational organized crime. The human trafficking is considered to be a crime against humanity and is considered as the phenomenon at which human rights on freedom are broken: movement, words, a choice of a sort of activity, protection of advantage and honor, work, rest, health, medical and a legal aid, the minimal standards of social and economic security, etc. The USA is against human trafficking. In 2004 Kolin L.Powell represented the report concerning the human trafficking to the President and the Congress as it is demanded by the law on protection of victims of trade human trafficking. Human trafficking takes the important place in the list of priorities of President Bush as it has emphasized it during its performance on General Assembly of the United Nations in September last year. The more you learn about how the most innocent are exposed to mockeries and the most vulnerable as a result of these crimes, the less it is obviously possible not to notice these phenomena. Women and girls of 6 are the objects of sale with the purpose of sexual commercial operation; men are sold as a labor force; children are sold for participation in wars as "children-soldiers". Human trafficking is connected with the activity of the international criminal syndicates which illegally are engaged in drugs trade, the weapon trade. Human trafficking creates a global threat to the health of any society, promotes distribution of AIDS and other awful illnesses. Already there is a great number of the international pacts and national laws which condemn human trafficking and put it outside of the law, and it is pleasant. However the agreements and laws should be observed and realized in practice fairly and consistently that they really mattered. This force cannot be only the American force. Human trafficking represents the transnational problem demanding transnational cooperation, and it is still not enough. All the countries also should double the determination to prevent involving people, first of all, in a network of trafficking. The Base sources of human trafficking lay deeply. So there is an important question: What do the United States do with the purpose to put an end to the human trafficking? The Congress has accepted a number of laws according to which Americans who "hunt" for children abroad, can become the objects of suit and receive the term up to 30 years of imprisonment. The Ministry of Justice has concentrated on increasing the number of the rescued victims of trafficking, and also the number of cases of suit and condemnation of organizers of trade. The Ministry of Health and social services spends registration of victims of human trafficking so that they could apply for reception of the same help which appears refugees. The ministry also carries out the large program on increase of awareness of the public about this phenomenon to inform victims of trafficking in the USA that they can receive the help, having called on "telephone hotline". The Ministry of Defense has taken a position " zero tolerance " concerning any actions of workers of the Ministry of Defense promoting human trafficking, and also begins realization of the program of compulsory education within the limits of all ministry. The Ministries of work and internal security, АМР of the USA and other governmental agencies now carry out the plans of actions on struggle against human trafficking. So, another important issue is: What does the USA undertake to help other countries? Considering transnational character of human trafficking, creation of partnership between the countries has a key value for success achievement in struggle against this modern form of slavery. In this connection the United States address to other countries with the important offers: In the speech said on General Assembly of the United Nations, President Bush has touched a question on human trafficking and has suggested the world leaders to cooperate to put an end to this phenomenon; The State department carries out a wide cooperation with the governments concerning plans of actions concerning the prevention, protection of victims and on suit guilty; The Congress has strengthened the legislation concerning struggle against human trafficking and has allocated more than 70 million dollars for financing the activity of struggle against slavery all over the world. The USA give money resources all over the world for: a. The centers of rehabilitation and vocational training of victims; b. Special " inhabited refuges " for victims; c. Preparations of law enforcement bodies and the help in legal reform; d. Campaigns according to the increase of awareness on a problem; e. The Voluntary repatriation of displaced persons; f. The preparations of officials on immigration, medical and social workers; g. Struggle against "sexual tourism"; h. Rescue of victims from the situations close to slavery. The third important issue is: What it is necessary to make? Dealing with a question of such importance and promptness, it is necessary to make much. The USA suggest the governments to arrange immediately on strengthening struggle against human trafficking: There is the sharpest need for increasing in number of the rescued victims of trafficking and cases of suit of dealers; With the people released from slavery, it is necessary to treat as toward victims of a crime, instead of criminals; It is necessary to put an end to the need for modern slaves. So, it is obvious that the problem of human trafficking is one of the most important current issues nowadays. For the researching the problem some sources were used. So, the first source is by Janice G. Raymond, Donna M. Hughes. Their work “Sex Trafficking of Women in the United States: International and Domestic Trends” includes the analysis of the main problems of human trafficking in the USA. It would be interesting to note that the work is focused on the criminal nature of the human trafficking (Janice, 2001). The second source - the article “North Texas Receives $1.35 Million to Fight Human Trafficking” contains vital voices concerning the problem of human trafficking. The source “Clinton Administration Anti-Trafficking Initiatives” is focused on the legal steps for human trafficking prevention. The source ‘Stop Human Trafficking’ is focused on the main problems of human trafficking. The source “Trafficking in human beings” gives the overview of the problem. References Janice G. Raymond Ph.D., Donna M HughesPh.D. ‘Sex Trafficking of Women in the United States:International and Domestic Trends’ 2001 North Texas Receives $1.35 Million To Fight Human Trafficking www.ovc.gov/help/traffickingmatrix.htm Clinton Administration Anti-Trafficking Initiatives www.nbc5i.com/print/9992937/detail.html Stop Human Trafficking http://www.christianity.ca/news/social-issues/2007/04.000.html Trafficking in human beings http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafficking_in_human_beings http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0461872/ Read More