Table of Contents
Introduction
Human trafficking describes various forms of human beings exploitation. According to a report by the US Department of Justice (2015), human trafficking is a pervasive issue in the US and the same case applies to other countries in the world. Human trafficking manifest itself in form of forced labor, sex trafficking and domestic servitude (Federal Bureau of Investigation 2017). The persons that engage themselves in these inhumane acts do so for either for money or for their own personal gains. One of most common type of human trafficking in today’s modern world is human sex trafficking. The perpetrators of these acts relentlessly put their efforts in capturing vulnerable women and children. From the estimates, millions of women and children have been enslaved sex trafficking for a pay or for no pay.
Do you think that the offenders are aware of the magnitude of their crimes?
From the readings on the mindset of a criminal, it is clear that the offenders are well aware of the magnitude of their crime. First, the criminals show undesirable behaviors, for instance, they show egocentric, exploitive, irresponsible, and impulsive behaviors (Miller, 2012). Offenders use these behaviors to trigger fear on the victims for them to hesitate to report their acts. Besides, traffickers teach the victims on the need to distrust the outsiders mostly those concerned in law enforcement. They do so to enable victims to have a positive attitude towards them and consequently gain protection from the authorities. All these acts show that the offenders are aware of the magnitude of their crime and thus look for ways to secure themselves using the victims.
Why do you think that human trafficking is such an enormous “business”?
Human trafficking is not only a slavery but also an enormous business. The human trafficking business is growing at a tremendous rate globally. Different factors are contributing to the growth of this business. For instance, the hard economic situation, especially in the developing countries, is forcing citizens to migrate from one state to another in search of employment to improve their lives. Again, the failure in the employment system where they allow immigrant workers to be subject to severe labor is facilitating the human trafficking business. Individuals, businesses, labor recruiters and even large multinational corporations are taking advantage of these structural failures in the economy and employment systems thereby making human trafficking a huge business. Additionally, human trafficking also take place underground. On the contrary, it is largely becoming a legitimate business in the current world, as traffickers are also happening to be the licensed labor recruiters who source workers from different countries. This shows that human labor exploitation is occurring on the legal grounds of employment. Additionally, the growth of the business is facilitated by the current technological advancement where traffickers can use social networking sites, mobile phones, and the internet to reach their victims easily.
How has the vastness of the Internet contributed to the issue of human trafficking?
The vastness of the internet is a key contributor to human trafficking. Through the internet, millions of employers are able to send job adverts and millions of individuals who are desperate in making their ends meet can access similar job posts. Unfortunately, not all those employers are legitimate or have genuine job vacancies. Some of them happen to be human traffickers with their self-interests. Besides labor trafficking, the internet is playing a role in increased cases of sex trafficking. Social networking sites like Facebook are places where offenders contact victims. Using their techniques of first acquiring trust from the victims, the offenders get a means of relocating a victim from their homes to a foreign land. Some offenders promise victims of employment opportunities but once they have access to the victim, the offenders often restrict the victim access to communication. Through physical punishment imposed on them, victims find themselves complying with the demands of the traffickers.
- Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2017). Human Trafficking/ Involuntary Servitude. Web. 7 May 2017. Retrieved from https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/civil-rights/human-trafficking
- Miller, L. (2012). Criminal psychology: Nature, nurture, And culture: a textbook and practical reference guide for students and working professionals in the fields of law enforcement, criminal justice, mental health, and forensic psychology. Springfield, Ill: Charles C. Thomas.
- US Department of Justice. (2015). Attorney General’s Annual Report to Congress and Assessment of US Government Activities to Combat Trafficking in Persons. Web. 7 May 2017. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking/page/file/948601/download