Horrible increase in the incidents of human trafficking in North Carolina has not only frightened the masses belonging to different cities and areas of this state; but also has raised certain questions on the efficiency and vigilance of the political leadership and local administration. This research paper is determined to propose the measures, which should be taken on immediate basis for bringing down the startling pace of increase in human trafficking within the state (State of North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission 9-10). Not only this that a powerful and effective awareness campaign must be launched on print, electronic and social media across the state, but also debates and seminars should also be arranged with the aim of making the public aware of the nefarious activities of human traffickers (ASCIA 4-5). Besides, vigilant, experienced, dedicated and dutiful experts should be appointed in the law enforcing agencies, judiciary and policy formulation department, who can detect the rackets and networks of traffickers to bring them to task for committing such heinous and horrible offense against humanity till the state’s absolute purging of the human traffickers.
The first and foremost step to be taken by the state for the eradication of a crime includes legislation procedure, through which an act is declared as an offense. The North Carolina legislative body has already declared human trafficking, particularly sex trafficking as an explicit offence against humanity, against which sentence has been suggested to be announced against the persons indulged into this offence (ASCIA 7-8). Thus, following acts have been declared by the legislation as involving human trafficking, which include Sex trafficking, labor trafficking, asset forfeiture for human trafficking, investigative tools for law enforcement, training on human trafficking for law enforcement, human trafficking commission or task force, lower burden of proof for sex trafficking of minors, posting a human trafficking hotline, safe harbor—protecting sexually exploited minors, victim assistance, access to civil damages, vacating convictions for sex trafficking victims (ASCIA, 7). Consequently, assisting the traffickers and providing safe passage or shelter to them also come under the definition of trafficking. Moreover, some particular statutes of law define and explain the punishments to be announced against the traffickers; according to which, trafficking has been declared as a Class F felony, leading to a sentence of about 13 months in prison. Under S.B. 548, that charge would shift to a Class C felony, about 58 months in prison (Travis 2017). Somehow, the main issue is the detection, arrest and punishment of the criminals, so that the citizens can be assured of the protection of their life and honor. Since the specific rings can be found in the hands of the victims of trafficking, the law enforcing agencies may also detect the whereabouts of the traffickers with the help of the massage girls working in the massage-cum-brothel houses in North Carolina (Travis 2017).
One of the most powerful reasons behind committing of human trafficking in various areas of a country includes the corruption of the border authorities (Rusev 1-2). Since the USA serves as the economic and cultural leader of the world particularly since the conclusion of WWII (Zaidi 41-2); therefore, the individuals belonging to South America, Africa, Asia and even Europe and Australia long for proceeding to the USA and getting settled there on a permanent or long-term basis. For this purpose, they look anxious to reach this dreamland at any cost, even illegally (Weeks 89). Since the US visa and emigration authorities have developed their specific criterion and policy for visa approval on short or long term basis for the foreigners, they scrutinize the applications and allow the visa on certain conditions. It is particularly the case with the authorities after the 9/11 catastrophe, where the authorities appear to be more vigilant in respect of granting visas to the foreigners. In the same way, the US border security personnel would not allow everyone to enter the country without mentioning the purpose of their visit to the country as well as without ratifying their identity (USCBP 2015). As a result, visa rejection and border security have also witnessed an upward trend due to the security situation as well as rise in unemployment and economic situation of the country during the last few years (USCBP 2015).
At such a precarious state of affairs, the persons ambitious to enter the USA tend to search out the visa agents, who grab heavy amounts of money against the promise of guaranteeing their entry and a promising job for them. However, since the USA has also been undergoing the unemployment problem for the last few years, there appear to be little employment opportunities for the foreigner males and females (ACLU 2006). Some of the so-called visa agents have developed their illegal trafficking networks, where they provide with the women from Philippines, China, India, Russia, the Middle East and other areas to the brothel houses, massage centers and other networks that are involved into criminal activities in one way or the other (US State Dept. 26-7). Consequently, the brothel houses, massage centers and other similar organizations should be raided and inspected regularly, so that the helpless women and children can be set free from the nefarious clutches of the traffickers, who have forced them to lead the life of sin, adultery and disgrace (Travis 2017).
Moreover, human trafficking is not confined to the victimization of females and children only. On the other hand, men also become prey to the condemnable plans of the traffickers because of the false promises and lures of jobs and attractive life (ACLU 2006). The co-called visa agents grab the passports of the individuals interested in entering the USA. Consequently, they blackmail and force them to get indulged into criminal activities, and hence comply with their illegal demands and commands in order to escape serious consequences in case of non-compliance to be witnessed by them (Siegel 382). Hence, the young peoples’ having illegal residential and immigration status becomes an insurmountable obstacle on their way, and they remain prisoner at the hands of the human traffickers perhaps for the rest of their life partly because of having committed crimes and illegal acts as per the commands of the blackmailer traffickers. The authorities must ensure the identities of the foreigners working in different capacities in North Carolina, so that they can reach the criminal network and arrest the people committing crimes against the state and society (ASCIA 8).
Similarly, the authorities should also keep the record of the residents of various areas updated and must notice the arrival of new persons and strangers in the residential and commercial localities of North Carolina. The movements of new comers as well as suspicious persons must also be noticed and recorded in order to avoid and escape the crime growth in the state. The citizens should also be asked to remain alert and well-informed regarding the changes and developments taking place all around them. Reporting the suspicious movements and activities of the outsiders may turn out to be supportive in respect of protecting the society from terrorism, criminal acts and human trafficking to a large extent.
The parents and teachers should also be directed to keep an eye on the activities of their children (US Dept. of State 86). In case they find their children and student into immoral, indecent or suspicious acts, they must inform the authorities regarding it, so that the future, life and honor of the adolescents can be saved from being ruined by the traffickers, rapists and offenders, who can trap innocent and imprudent adolescents in the name of love, friendship and romance.
To conclude, it becomes evident that both state and society should acknowledge their responsibilities towards the eradication of human trafficking for ensuring of peace and stability. The law enforcing agencies must prove their efficiency by arresting and bringing the criminals to the court of law. Instead of tackling with the traffickers with an iron hand, the authorities appear to be treating the criminals and traffickers in North Carolina with leniency to a great extent. Therefore, no networking of traffickers could have been destroyed or challenged altogether in North Carolina; on the contrary, the incidents of trafficking have observed drastic increase for the last few years across the state (Jensen 2017). Thus, planning and conducting a full-fledged awareness campaign as well as launching search and combing operations against the human traffickers serve as the most appropriate solutions for the destruction of trafficking networks from North Carolina.
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