Perils of Human Trafficking to Human Society - Dissertation Example

Perils of Human Trafficking to Human Society Introduction With globalization certain criminal activities have also found ways in societies. These illicit activities have shaped into forms of businesses which are run by crime syndicates all over the world. These crimes syndicate are also well linked with each other. Human Trafficking is one of the crimes that have found inroads in developing countries due to increased globalization. Innocent people are given incentives and they fall in traps of agents who smuggle them illegally in countries and then exploit them. Poverty in developing countries is one of the reasons why human trafficking is increasing every day. Strict policies and law enforcement is required so that this abuse of human life could be stopped. In this essay we will present some dangers of human trafficking to human society and the many forms in which human trafficking exists all over the world. All this will provide framework for policy development on the issue which is our main aim. Human trafficking is defined as transportation, recruitment or harboring of a person, by deception, fraud, force or by giving incentive to a person, for the purpose of exploitation (United Nations Convention, 2010). Human trafficking is very common is developing countries where people are giving incentives of employment and are transported legally or illegally into developed countries where they are exploited. The impact of human trafficking on human society is disastrous. People who are transported in the country are kept in bondage labor. They are not allowed to use their passports so they cannot leave the country. We can say it is a form of modern slavery. These people are deprived of their civil rights and forced to undesirable activities. Women are mainly the victims of human trafficking and they are usually used for prostitution. Prostitution is illegal in most countries so girls from third world countries are brought to the developed world in hope of employment and later they are forcefully used for prostitution purposes. These girls are not allowed to leave the country and criminal syndicates earn money from the work of these girls. A number of diseases can also spread in the country due to prostitution of trafficked women. In United States people have a fair bit of knowledge about sexual diseases but these girls come from backward societies so they have little or no idea of sexual diseases and their prevention. This makes these girls more prone to sexual diseases then other girls in the same business. Also they cannot go to hospitals because of their lack of identity so they are forced to live with it. These girls can transfer these diseases to their customers and in this way sexual diseases spread through prostitution. Human trafficking is harmful for society because trafficked people are used to fuel the illicit activities of the criminal groups. These people usually have no record of their existence so under coercion they perform activities like drug smuggling and prostitution. These crimes are fueled by people who are brought in the country by human trafficking. These people are easy targets because they are threaten and in turn they do anything their ‘masters’ want them to do. Bondage labor is another way in which human trafficking victims are exploited. They are used for producing a variety of products in factories or are made to work in mines (Penketh, A. 2006). Victims of human trafficking are very good workers because they are very cheap and they can even perform hazardous jobs. Also there is no need for insurance benefits or other benefits for these workers. The products produced by these victims are sold at low prices and competitive advantage is achieved (Penketh, A. 2006). Human trafficking also impacts human society by reducing employment opportunities for people of the country. Trafficked individuals are cheap labor so they are preferred by industries where manual labor is required. It is very common in export oriented countries to hire cheap labor in order to lower production cost. It is very hard to believe that an evil like bondage labor still exists in our society but the truth is that it is ubiquitous in many countries due to lack of international cooperation. Children are also victims of human trafficking and the damage caused by child trafficking is great on human society. Children are used for child labor and are exploited sexually. This is the worst consequence of child trafficking because the child is helpless and his or her life is destroyed as a result. Also when these children grow up they join criminal gangs and this adds to the problem. Mental disorders are common in children who face sexual and physical abuse which is common in most cases. They are mainly trafficked from poor countries to work in industries and are used for prostitution purposes. Such illicit activities can only be fueled by trafficked children in developed countries. What is lacking is the awareness towards this issue. In developing countries people are so desperate for money that they are sometimes willing to voluntarily opt for human trafficking (Institute of War & Peace Reporting, 2007). They also do not consider their exploitation as they have no other option for survival. Therefore awareness is required for fighting this evil. Prostitution and drug trade have bad impact on society and this is how human trafficking affects the society. Prostitution is a very lucrative business and it is growing at a fast pace all over the world. No one can deny the adverse impact of prostitution on family life and society. Drugs are also dangerous for society. Human trafficking is linked with these crimes so the adverse impact of this crime cannot be ignored. The evil of human trafficking is not only thriving in developing countries but abducting of children and women in the developed world for trafficking purposes is also no unheard of. They are transported to countries where drug or prostitution industries are developed. The crime of human trafficking can also affect the local people of the developed world. Forms of Human Trafficking According to estimates around 27 million people are victims of human trafficking in the world today (Polaris Project, 2010). United Nations estimate that around 2.5 million are in forced labor at any given time (United Nations, 2007). These statistics are scaring and are a slap on the world. Today countries are aiming for nuclear technology and bio fuel and weapons but still after all the scientific inventions and progress of society a crime like slavery is persistent and flourishing in the world. This is surely a reason of concern for many countries all over the world. In United States alone around 20,000 people are brought annually by illegal human trafficking (Human Trafficking, 2010). And this number is only a conservative estimate. These people are employed in factories and workshops against their will. They are also used in the prostitution industry. This should be a serious cause of concern for policy makers because after all surveillance and terrorist threat still people are coming in the country. These people can be forced to do anything. What if they get in hands of terrorists? This should be seriously looked into before formulating a policy on the issue. It is important to understand the different types or forms of human trafficking so as to get insight on preventing it. Criminal groups have developed mechanisms through which they traffic people in countries and then take their passports. As a result they are forced to work where their bosses want them to work. Most common forms of human trafficking involve bringing the victim through deceit by giving him or her incentive of an employment opportunity. In this type of human trafficking the victim is brought in the country legally and all paper work is complete. Sometimes victims are brought into a country illegally from ships using containers or by land means. Here victims pay the trafficker a fee to enter a country illegally and the trafficker then delivers them to groups who hire them in different areas. Women and children are also abducted and brought to different countries. Here no paper work is done and the victim is forcefully brought to another country. This form of human trafficking is the worst because it seriously jeopardizes the life of the victim. They are brought in containers on ships or through lands in an awful manner. There are more implicit forms of human trafficking. Sometimes victim is married to a person who is linked to a trafficker and after marriage the victim is used for prostitution or labor. In this kind of trafficking a personal belonging to some developed country like US or UK marries a girl from a third world country. After gaining her trust he brings her to United States and forces her to perform different jobs like prostitution. This is a form of human trafficking that is very difficult to stop. Human trafficking also involves taking human organs for the victims and then selling them at high prices (ADL-WG, 2006). In countries like United States and United Kingdom organs are not available that easily and legal paper work of organ donation is a costly process. Human traffickers make full use of this and sell human organs of victims. This is another evil form of human trafficking. Human trafficking is also done for smuggling purposes. Human beings are used to smuggle drugs, gold and diamonds to other countries. Victims are forced to swallow pills of drugs and then move to other countries. This is a very dangerous method and a person can easily get killed as a result that is why victims are usually promised huge amount of money or are threaten to smuggle drugs. Policy Regarding Human Trafficking First of all it is important to develop a federal level stern policy against human trafficking in order to curb this crime. It is important to develop a federal policy so that there are no legal loop holes from which the traffickers can benefit. Also federal policy will also tackle interstate human trafficking. This is the first and the most important step in development of a policy against human trafficking. The main problem is that victims of human trafficking are too afraid to contact relevant authorities. Sometimes they are not willing to report because they will lose their jobs as a result. Victims who are not legal immigrants are afraid that they will be sent to their native countries and then they will live their normal lives. Because they have everything to lose if they report so they prefer to keep their mouth shut. This is the main problem or hindrance in preventing human trafficking. A policy will only work if victims are somehow encouraged to come out and blow the whistle. This can help in fighting human trafficking. For this incentives should be given to victims for coming out. Illegally brought victims should be given temporary legal citizenship and should be helped in getting jobs. This can help the victims of human trafficking a lot because mainly they are afraid to come out. Also a fund should be created which should help victims in getting back to their own feet. They should not be sent to their native countries and should be allowed to live in the country temporarily. A special force is required in order to fight this evil so officers should be collected and a special team should be made. This can speed up the process of actions against human traffickers. This force can also prove useful because it will specialize in this field. This force will deal with all matters of human trafficking and victims of trafficking will also report to them. Almost all the times victims are deprived of their passports so even if they report they are not believed and are considered illegal immigrants (in most cases they are because their passports are not renewed). Now in this case their stories are often difficult for police officers to understand and believe so that is why they face problems. Any policy that is in placed should look into this. The victims should be given protection in case they come forward. Rules for immigrants should not apply for them and they should be sent to social services under protection. Their protection should be given to witness protection unit of police force. It is important that victims of human trafficking should feel safe so that they can come forward. The problem is that victims are not educated most of the times so they are not aware of their rights. Most of the time victims are from the developing world, so they are totally unaware of the laws governing the country. They should be made aware of their rights and this can be done by raising awareness among other people. Victims of human trafficking always visit hospitals for bruises and cuts because most of them are physically abused. This should be reported by the doctor to the authority. It should be made obligatory for a doctor to report to authorities if he or she gets a hint of human trafficking. Places like hospitals and clinics should have proper guidelines because they are pivotal in identifying victims of human trafficking. Justice system has to be developed if the evil of human trafficking is to be curbed. Most of the time human traffickers are set free due to lack of evidence and legal loop holes. It is difficult to prove that the victim was brought to the country by force or coercion. This allows human trafficking groups to function without any fear of legal action. Justice system also takes into account whether the victim is legally in the country or not, and this goes against the victim itself as he or she is flown away to their native countries. It is essential that legal loop holes in the justice system are removed. Human trafficking cases should be heard on different legal grounds and law making is required in this regard. Police should be given authority to hold the trafficker for a period of time and bail should not be granted at all. These changes are important because victim cannot easily give proof that he or she was trafficked against their will. Provision should also be made for bondage labor and courts should listen to the victim and grant them security. As discussed earlier victims of bondage labor should be offered jobs so that they have an incentive to blow the whistle against their bosses. No one will come out of bondage labor if he or she will be looking forward to a dark future. Incentives should be given to them so that we can get rid of this modern form of slavery. People in general will be happy to help financially in this regard. If a meager amount of tax is imposed in order to give employment to victims of human trafficking then this will not be a problem. Political implementation of this policy is difficult because industries and factories employ victims of human trafficking. They have a significant influence in political arena so action against them would be tough. The rapid industrialization has created this aura of competition among business owners. They want to be cost effective in order to earn more and more profits. This is why this evil is still persistent in the world. The demand for cheaper products is actually causing human trafficking industry to thrive. Will is actually required to abolish this criminal activity. Police officers know where cheap products are sold. People know where products will be available at a lower price. Police and law enforcement agencies can also track human traffickers in this way. After a proper legislation regarding human trafficking and creation of a special anti-human trafficking unit this evil can be tamed. Incentives are required for victims who come out and blow the whistle, and their protection should be the main concern. Conclusion Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery that still exists in today’s world. It has significant impact on society as it causes health problems and other social and moral issues. Human trafficking is comes in many forms. Victims are lured by employment opportunities and then deceived in to bondage labor. Victims sometimes are trafficked for organs as well. Abduction is also common in human trafficking. It is not a crime but an industry as victims are used for prostitution, drug trade and other purposes. A strict policy is required to fight this crime which should include a special task force, a legislation that allows law enforcement agencies to hold alleged traffickers and reforms in justice system so that insufficient evidence cannot allow human traffickers to go free. References Human Trafficking Fuelled by Ignorance. (2007). Institute for War and Peace. Retrieved from http://iwpr.net/report-news/human-trafficking-fuelled-ignorance Human Trafficking Statistics. (2007). Polaris Project. Retrieved from http://www.dreamcenter.org/new/images/outreach/RescueProject/stats.pdf Human Trafficking: the facts. (2007). UN Global Compact. Retrieved from http://www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/issues_doc/labour/Forced_labour/HUMAN_TRAFFICKING_-_THE_FACTS_-_final.pdf Penketh, A. (2006). Human Trafficking is 'Slavery That Shames World', Independent UK. Retrieved from http://www.commondreams.org/headlines06/0424-05.htm Types of Human Trafficking. (2006). ADL-WG. Retrieved from http://pfpdev.ethz.ch/SCORMcontent/70633/scos/1/index.pdf Read More