Human Trafficking as a Modern-Day Form of Slavery - Essay Example

Human Trafficking

Introduction

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery that entails the use of coercion, fraudulence and force in obtaining cheap labor or sometimes commercial sex (Holtz, 2012). It is an act whose prevalence continues to increase throughout the years with men, women and children being trafficked around the world including in the United States of America. Human trafficking is said to be a chief illegal business with high-profit rates second only to drug trafficking and is classified as one of the transnational crimes. The victim rarely present themselves to the authorities for reporting citing language barriers, fear and safety concerns regarding law enforcement procedures (Kempadoo, Sanghera & Pattanaik, 2015). The traffickers target people that are highly susceptible including persons with psychological and emotional problems, the economically and socially unstable, and people within localities of political instabilities and places affected natural calamities (Huntley, 2013). The impacts of human trafficking can be so harsh that the victims may never consider themselves as such even in public places. The history of human trafficking is dated back in thousands of years involving the ancient Greeks and Romans and cutting across the mediaeval periods to the present day world. Even though trafficking of humans involves individuals from all walks of life, women and children, as well as the economically and socially unstable persons, are more predisposed to the vice. Currently, between 18,000 and 20,000 persons are trafficked every year in the US, explaining the need to discuss this topic (Spapens & Rijken, 2015). Existing guidelines on human trafficking and legal-ethical issues are ignored by the offenders as will be discussed in this paper. This paper will also discuss the burden of chronic care related to human trafficking in addition to the healthcare productivity and the economic impact of increased human trafficking.

Historical Perspectives of Human Trafficking

The concept of human trafficking came into juridical play early in the 19th century although it emerged with great force in the late 20th century (Holtz, 2012). In its initial occurrences, it was looked into with the perspective of seeing prostitution as a major social problem. Human trafficking for decades went largely unnoticed in the USA before the signing of the Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act in 2000 by President Clinton with the intention of providing justice to the victims. Initially, victims of human trafficking almost always went without legal services among other support systems for being in a country illegally. Even though the exact time in history when human trafficking started may not be accurately cited, it can be traced back in 1904 when the USA signed a treaty targeting the traffic in persons (Huntley, 2013). Trafficking appears to be a product of the globalization following the end of the Cold War. Understanding the historical perspective of human trafficking, and especially the unsuccessful attempts to tame this practice is important in establishing newer and more effective human trafficking control strategies. Looking at this problem historically can also inform the researchers on the degree of the global problem currently as opposed to what it used to be about a century ago. Even though the traffic of drugs and probably illegal arms may be slightly higher than human trafficking, it goes without saying that this practice is a global problem that can be ranked either second or third among the most prominent transnational crimes in the globe (Aas & Bosworth, 2013). Nonetheless, the reasons for trafficking, the methods of ‘goods’ acquisition, mechanisms of traversing states and methods used to combat the vice in the past are almost similar to the present day human trafficking business. As such, history is a key informant of the present practices based on the past successes as well as failures.

Published Disparities in Human Trafficking

Considering the many forms that human trafficking takes, it is unlikely that any group would be left out when considering the victims including persons served by the Title V Programs that include children, women, adolescents and their families. Furthermore, it is difficult to monitor human trafficking even after devising the National Human Trafficking Resource Center which takes calls from victims on a 24-hour basis. Apparently, any vulnerable child can become a victim of human trafficking, but research has shown that the majority of the victims of this evil act are girls and young women of color. The African American girls are particularly at a higher risk of being subjected to human trafficking for cheap labor or commercial sex. In addition to being disproportionately marginalized regarding human trafficking, they are also among the majority individuals criminalized for the same exploitation. In fact, information from the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) reveals that about 52% of all juvenile prostitution arrests are girls with an African American origin, considerably higher than any other racial group (Holtz, 2012). These individuals are re-exposed to such traumatic experiences in addition to having a criminal record to think about. Trafficking for sexual exploitation puts the victims at the risk of contracting infections such as HIV and AIDS. Most of the inequalities that cause the spread of disease are said also to cause migration which can be amplified during the process of migration (Spapens & Rijken, 2015). The victims experience limited access to health services regarding the strategy and veracity of access. The lack of support systems including family and the community at large also contribute to poor health outcomes among the victims considering that health is not limited to the absence of disease. Their isolation from the normal society causes stigma and discrimination resulting from a loss of the sense of anonymity and their segregation from the normal patterns of life. During their movement, while the human trafficking business is being transacted, the victims may experience sexual and gender-based violence which exacerbates their health conditions. As such, the persons being trafficked are put at higher risks of dying or suffering from otherwise preventable conditions.

Regulation Guidelines on Human Trafficking

The US enshrines trafficking victims protection in its constitution through the victims trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA). This Act protects individuals from human trafficking, sex trade, oppression and involuntary bondage. There have been three re-authorizations since the enactment of the Act including TVPRA 2003, TVPRA 2005 and TVPRA 2008. Another Act which seeks to discourage human trafficking is the Customs and Facilitations and Trade Enforcement Reauthorization Act (2009) in sections 307 and 308. These sections amended the Tariff Act of 1930 to stop the US from receiving goods obtained through forced cheap labor or human trafficking (Spapens & Rijken, 2015). The intelligence reform and terrorism prevention Act of 2004 in its 7202nd section provided the provisions for the establishment of the Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center which made addressing human trafficking more effective. It established a platform for cooperation among other governments to curb human smuggling and trafficking of persons. The Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children (PROTECT) Act of 2003 provide guidelines for the protection of children against sexual abuse and exploitation which is a common practice in human trafficking (Aas & Bosworth, 2013). The Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2000 laid down a legal framework to discourage the business of human trafficking by ensuring that property owners do not allow their facilities to be used by perpetrators of such crimes. Finally, potential victims of human trafficking are protected from malicious traffickers through the Mann Act of 1910 (Holtz, 2012). This cat discourages any act of knowingly persuading, enticing or coercing people to travel across borders to participate in commercial sex work.

Moral, Legal and Ethical Issues surrounding Human Trafficking

Ethics play a huge role in fighting against human trafficking considering that each or business entity is guided by certain codes of conduct. Doing the right thing is a key driver of fighting against human trafficking which can be achieved through the enactment of government procurement protocols, worker empowerment, embracing zero-tolerance policies when dealing with international organizations and doing business with the highest standards of integrity and dignity. Moral uprightness cannot allow an individual to make a profit out of another individual's suffering (Spapens & Rijken, 2015). The legal implications of human trafficking are described in the regulation guidelines section earlier discussed. Strict punitive measures have been put in place to discourage human trafficking although more is yet to be achieved to ensure a total elimination of human trafficking not only in the US but also in the globe at large.

Burden of Chronic Care

Evidently, there are diseases and other unhealthy habits associated with human trafficking including the possibility of suffering from communicable diseases like HIV and AIDS. Such conditions may occur since human trafficking puts the victim in a position of minimal ability to negotiate for practising safe sex with their clients. Apart from communicable diseases, it is possible for the victims to suffer from psychological disorders including post-traumatic disorder especially when the victims are relatively small children. For such individuals, the recovery process may take a long time especially those that are criminalized by the legal systems discriminatively based on their races (Aas & Bosworth, 2013). Such conditions are chronic with a long incubation period and lasting for long periods considering that the trafficking process is long involving the recruitment stage, transit as well as the exploitation stage. There are diseases likely to arise at each stage of the trafficking process with similar impacts to those of gender-based violence in domestic settings, trauma, and fear as well as memory problems. Malnourishment is a condition commonly associated with persons that are trafficked while like of preventive health in their circumstances and limited health information worsens their situation. The burden of care lies squarely on the family members who invest in the recovery process of the victims once released by their traffickers (Huntley, 2013). For medically covered persons, the government incurs costs in the treatment processes for trauma and chronic diseases occurring as a result of the human trafficking.

Healthcare Productivity and Economic Costs of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking obviously generates money to the persons undertaking it at the expense of the criminals, raising about $150 billion every year. Due to continued and fast globalization, this business is carried out in all countries of the world targeting the vulnerable individuals. In fact, about 35.9 million people are still under captivity being used by human traffickers and with children taking about 26% of the population. The reason why human trafficking continues to thrive even in third world economies is its incomparable rates of profit without necessary risks. With a net profit margin of about 70% and increasingly easy procurement procedure when vulnerable girls are on the line procedures (Kempadoo, Sanghera & Pattanaik, 2015). Forced labor also thrives following its high-profit levels and low risks involved, keeping the economics of human trafficking on the rise. The increasing demand for trafficked persons is a global problem that needs to be urgently addressed through a change of heart by the perpetrators. The government also needs to incur costs in facilitating investigations and prosecutions while eventually placing charges on the victims to scare perpetrators from taking part in the illegal business. While the burden of healthy living lies greatly on the relatives of the trafficked individuals, the government and the community may incur other large costs in the attempt to get the victims back to normal lives procedures (Kempadoo, Sanghera & Pattanaik, 2015). The government also continues to lose revenue through losing important economic players in human trafficking.

Conclusion

Human trafficking entails luring or coercing individuals into taking part in unethical activities such as prostitution of slave labor without their consent. This practice is on the increase considering the rate at which globalization is taking place. The human trafficking business started in the 19th century and continued to date with most of the victims being women and children of color and major of the black American origin. Governments have established legal guidelines to bar perpetrators from engaging in this illegal business although a change of heart by the perpetrators would serve a better chance of stopping the behavior.