Table of Contents
The United Nations Convention defines human trafficking as “recruiting, transporting, transfer harboring or receipt of individuals, by means of the treat or use of force or other forms of coercion of abduction of fraud, of deception of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits in achieving the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation” (Omar & Trebesch, 2010). It can be seen as moving individuals either adults or underage children from their countries to other places so as to earn money. I have selected this topic for analysis as it affects the causes as well as the outcomes of several different social issues for instance drug abuse, alcoholism, prostitution as well as mental, emotional and physical abuse. Human traffic has been ranked as one of the fastest growing organized crimes in the world. Human trafficking affects a lot of people in every country around the world.it has become a big issue such that the United Nations introduced a Trafficking Protocol which was cosigned by all the members of the UN in the year 2000.human trafficking is very wrong and it is a social problem which needs to be addressed (Omar & Trebesch,2010).
My approach of human trafficking will concentrate on global solutions. Human trafficking meets the four criteria of a social problem in that in stage one, claim makers try to assert the problem or the condition exists and it is seen as harmful and undesirable. The United Nations in this case are the claim makers who raised awareness about human trafficking in the international community. They came up with its definition and they formed legislation as well as guidelines which the member states were supposed to implement and enforce. The United Nations is an international organization that is well known and also highly respected thus becoming the accepted authority of Human Trafficking as a social problem. Many victims of Human Trafficking are not responsible for the harm which they go through and this makes them worthy of our sympathy. In stage 2, there is recognition as well as legitimacy of the claims. This is where the claims are responded to and there is implementation of protocol and development of a plan of action so that the social problem is fought (Bales & Soodalter, 2010). The plan includes conducting research whereby the problem is investigated and there is more knowledge on the issue, which sets ground for public policy forming. Human trafficking solutions try to change the social structure so as to combat the issue as it is a complex problem. In stage 3, there is criticism against the current practices. The United Nations received criticism regarding the law enforcement of the Human Trafficking issue since they focused on criminalization instead of protecting the victims. Victims of Human Trafficking are always seen as criminals instead of getting help and therefore there is need for better effective social efforts required in the enforcement of the laws. Stage 4 involves rejecting the response of the institutions. Social problems attract several claim-makers who sometimes disagree about the details of the characteristics of the social problem. The United Nation has received a lot of criticism on their policy and the approach to human trafficking. This social problem needs to be seen within an international context as it is a global problem (Paris & Women in Need Network, 2007).
Solution to fight the issue of human trafficking
Human trafficking is a contemporary type of slavery and a very serious category of crime that involves abuse of its victims and exploitation of their human rights. There is a need to find a solution to this problem both locally and internationally as thousands of individuals with a bigger percentage being women and children. Activities of human trafficking seem to be rising on the national as well as the global level. In fact, human trafficking is the second biggest illegal commerce worldwide following the arms trade. The Government’s objectives of fighting all methods of human trafficking can simply be attained through a close and dedicated collaboration between the players whereby the main emphasis is on the acquiring relevant information and knowledge on the activities of human traffickers that are well organized and articulate. Similarly worldwide efforts to guarantee a virtuous international context and cooperation can be strengthened through solutions to end human trafficking that involves prevention, protection and prosecution.
Prevention measures of human trafficking
Prevention of human trafficking is the first step of combating human trafficking that involves paying courtesy to the causes and grounds that lead to the promote activities of human trafficking. These aspects include poverty, lack of jobs as well as women and children running away for domestic violence. These are among the causes of human trafficking that are common all parts of the world. These causes are a reflection of the state of the economic, administrative, and social situation of the victims. Determining these causes is the chief and indispensible stage in the creation of a practical and operative reaction both to the existing reasons and to the re-establishment of their concerns. In this concern, there exist main guidelines that prevention plan are undergoing: one involves the reduction and the possible removal of the cause altogether, as well as the additional mentions to the restoration of personal, group or common social significances that have happened as an end result of human trafficking. The best way of handling the economic causes of human trafficking us at the local level whereby the government ensures that there are programs for the poor people who are likely to be victim of willing human trafficking. Another way of the preventive measures is by being in contact with the targets of human trafficking and listening to their distresses. By so doing, the government is in a position to be able to take the right preventive measures by taking to consideration the situation of the victim before as well as afterwards the state of trafficking. On the administration level, reforms in present employment and prostitution laws might contribute positively in the documentation of victims of human trafficking and controlling the situation locally. Legalizing sex workers and making this form of trade would see most workers operate locally; making it an authentic profession is likely to decrease the changes of exploitation factor significantly by enabling people who select sex work. However, this proposal to legislate prostitution is likely to have unintentional concerns (Omar & Trebesch, 2010).
Protecting victims of human trafficking
Human Traffickers frequently trap their victims with wrong assurances of an improved life only to abuse them with activities such as forced labor or profitable sex work. Protection of these victims is the second step of combating human trafficking at all levels. The Government as well as other Non-governmental organization such as Red Cross should seek to make sure that victims are given organized assistance in addition to protection amenities, adjusted to the condition and requirements on a personal level of the victims. Most victims have are usually exposed to severe psychological and bodily stresses. Victims of human trafficking require help that outspreads past the completion of their mistreatment as well as any criminal trial to the offenders. Vocational preparation is another protection procedure that has the possibility to lessen the danger of them being drawn into manipulative circumstances yet again. The EU has approved a law that authorizes victims of human trafficking to obtain security throughout the criminal inquiries and events, victims have quick right to use the lawful advice, the needed legitimate representation in addition to potential access to the witness protection on extremely dangerous cases. Exceptional measures might also be implemented to protect the victims from additional ill-treatment and distress in the course of investigations as well as during court trials. These measures include avoiding eye to eye contact the accused during investigations and proceedings. Other measures include the limitation of questions that concern the personal life of the victims. One of the key challenges in determinations to fight human trafficking is to categorize victims, or the possible victims. This is because victims of human trafficking are not force and thus fail to report to the authorities such as the police, the immigration officers on issue that concern their situation. It is consequently important that appropriate players have information of human trafficking, the condition in which the victims are likely to be found, and the process of identifying victims (Galuszka, 2010).
Prosecution of human traffickers
In order to succeed in the objective of fighting human trafficking, human trafficker’s offenders and their operational networks need to be down away with in the society. The offenders found guilty and with substantial evidence must be prosecuted. Through the intensification of the chase for human trafficking criminal networks, the government sends a vivid message that the act of human trafficking is intolerable in all parts of the world. Main concern on prosecution is emphasized to intelligence, investigation and research of the act of human trafficking, and it is extremely imperative that law enforcement agencies regions, the arraigning authorities and the high court of assign adequate resources for this resolution. Take legal actions on human traffickers and the protection of the victims are corresponding approaches in the battle against human trade. Offering victims with protection services and other forms of help is a responsibility of the human rights as well as an important measure in the assortment of evidence alongside human traffickers in these criminal cases (Zavratnik, 2010).
Obstacles that I would face trying to tackle Human Trafficking include:
Mistreatment of the Human Trafficking victims whereby the migrant workers who are exploited fail to be recognized as trafficking victims and therefore they end up losing their permits for work and residency or they may be arrested for violation of immigration laws and get deported.
Lack of social services providers who would help me in dealing with the victims. The victims need a lot of support ranging from medical, housing, counseling etc. and many countries have very few services which are set aside for trafficking victims. Those that are available are meant for women who are victims of social exploitation therefore there is a big shortage of male migrants accommodation facilities. Lack of these facilities is a major problem when trying to solve this social problem. Language barriers with the victims as some may only be conversant with their native language. Finding translators to offer free or cheaper services could be a problem. Accessing justice for the victims could also be a challenge. This is because the traffickers are rich, corrupt people who may bribe the justice system so that they can continue with the trafficking and therefore the poor victims who have no money to even afford lawyers who could represent them always end up lacking justice that they deserve (Omar & Trebesch, 2010).
During the planning as well as the delivery of services there is need for the identification of the views as well as experiences of the victims through specialist support as well as advocacy. There should be prioritization of victims support so that they are able to overcome the horrible experiences they have undergone. The rights and support of these victims should be made more visible at the community level so that they can feel encouraged to seek help without fearing the criminal charges they might be accused of. Community champions need to do all these so that the victims can be helped.
- Bales, K., & Soodalter, R. (2010). The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today, With a New Preface. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Galuszka, P. (2010). The new slavery: Virginia becomes a haven for human trafficking. Style Weekly, 28, (22), 11-12.
- Omar, M. T., & Trebesch, C. (2010). The economics of human trafficking and labour migration: Micro-evidence from Eastern Europe. Journal of comparative economics, 38, 2.
- Paris, C., & Women In Need Network. (2007). Modern day slavery: Human trafficking revealed. Ocala, Fla: Claddagh Ltd. Publishing.
- Zavratnik, Z. S. (2010). Human rights and human trafficking: Reflections on the Slovenian case. Dve Domovini, 32, 169-190.