Human Trafficking in the 21th Century

Introduction

Is there human trafficking in your backyard? The answer could be confirmatory. Human trafficking is the purchase, selling, enslavement, or smuggling of human beings (UNODC). According to the UN crime-fighting office, well over 2.4 million individuals across the globe have been victims of human trafficking at one time in their lifetime. As a matter of fact, a majority of these people have been subjugated as sexual slaves. They are usually caught by “recruiters” through the use of force or by means of fraud. In the process, they are enforced to carry out a wide range of activities, which may involve housekeeping, foreign dancing as well as prostitution (UNODC).

The majority of these victims are usually forced through physical abuse that involves rape, starvation, bondage, as well as beating. In many cases, the recruiters are usually second generation citizens of the US who have close ties with citizens in their home countries. As a matter of fact, these recruiters are socio-economically well off in their home countries. Every year, unscrupulous criminals earn close to $32 billion from operating human trafficking networks. The unfortunate thing is that 60% of the victims are women (FBI).

The Spreading of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is today one of the largest criminal enterprises. It is spreading like a phenomenon around the globe. It is actually a global phenomenon that borders a multi-disciplinary environment. It affects almost all countries around the globe. In most cases, human trafficking takes place for the purpose of sexual exploitation as well as forced labor. Most of the victims are usually women as well as children (UNODC).

It is spread mainly due to the fact that it is flexible, dynamic, opportunistic, and criminal in nature. Just like any other kind of criminality, human trafficking takes advantage of clashes, humanitarian debacles as well as the susceptibility of populations in crises.

Why Human Trafficking is Spreading

Over the past few years, human trafficking has been fueled by prostitution as well as the growth of brothels. Israel is apparently one of the countries where young girls and women are lured by the promises of high paying jobs only to end up finding themselves in prostitution. Another big destination of human trafficking is Japan, where thousands of women and children are sold for sex and forced labor. They are mostly sold to brothel owners in provinces around Japan. In some cases, there are brothels which operate unchecked in spite of the practice being illegal.

According to the International Labor Organization, there are more slaves now than at any time in the history of humanity. One of the main reasons as to why human trafficking is spreading is the fact that criminals are gradually offering more smuggling services to crooked migrants. This is because they are able to evade border controls, visa necessities as well as immigration requirements. Due to the improvement of border controls, the traffickers are deterred from engaging in cross border deals.

Additionally, human trafficking is spreading as a result of the fact that it has become a highly lucrative enterprise, in which the criminals benefit from a low risk of exposure and retribution. As a matter of fact, criminals involved in human trafficking are becoming more and more structured, with conventional proficient networks that go beyond borders and regions (UNODC).

Human trafficking has also spread due to the fact that the modus operandi of these criminals is very diverse. They highly rely on document fraud. Additionally, they are constantly changing routes in response to stiff security measures.

How Human Trafficking is Spread

Human trafficking is spread by individuals as well as criminal networks. At times, conventionally organized crime groups also take part in this trade. This is inclusive of regimented businesses that function in a competitive global arena (FBI). Some of the criminals assist in single border crossing, while others operate in an ongoing manner, which includes huge trafficking organizations. In most cases, they operate on a more permanent basis and take part in the recruitment of the victims, in the selling as well as reselling of the victims to employers.

Human Trafficking Rings

Locations

According to the United States’ Attorney’s Office in Seattle, most of the human trafficking rings that transport women and children are located in China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Taiwan (FBI). By and large, they transport innocent women and children in furtherance of prostitution as well as schemes to engage in money laundering.

Facilities

One of the key indicators that a facility or a building is being used for human trafficking is the fact that there are large amounts of money as well as condoms at the facilities. In most cases, receipt books are usually in the rooms, which are sparsely furnished with mattresses instead of massage tables. These facilities usually have video security systems, with men frequently coming in and out of them (NFS). As a matter of fact, stringent security measures are usually put around the buildings in the form of security cameras and obscure windows, which are usually boarded-up. Additionally, there are usually hidden passages as well as trap doors. The victims usually live in or near the work premises.

Training

Most victims of human trafficking exhibit signs of physical trauma and are usually living in fear and depression. Many of them are usually whipped into fear. This results in crushing any kind of hope that they may have. The torture, whipping as well as deprivation of food are used by criminals as scare tactics to subjugate the victims. Additionally, they exhibit signs of drug addiction. In most cases, the majority suffer from hunger and malnutrition as a result of being deprived of food.

Why People Participate in Human Trafficking

By and large, human trafficking is a multi-faceted issue. In this regard, there are many reasons as to why people end up engaging in this criminal and dehumanizing activity. One of them is the increase in demand for low-priced as well as abusive domestic manual workers. Additionally, there has been a steep rise in the demand for sex workers. This is in line with the highly profitable and international sex industry (NFS).

Consequently, many people participate in the crime because of the quick money they get from it. Some people also engage in the crime because of the feeling of power that they get from it. They actually get a false sense of power, as a result of enslaving another human being.

Additionally, there is usually a lack of public awareness with regard to the dangers of human trafficking. Many people in the developing world do not know their rights and are subsequently vulnerable to these criminal activities. Apparently, criminal networks that engage in human trafficking are usually very sophisticated and have huge resources to advance their operations (NFS).

In most cases, people also participate in human trafficking due to the lack of useful anti-trafficking laws as well as lack of effectual enforcement of the very laws. The international policies that promote the exclusion of marginalized people also push people to engage in the practice. This is further aggravated by the breakdown of social fortification arrangements. In most countries where victims come from, there is prevalent corruption, all through the entire system (UNODC). This is especially worse among the people with the responsibility to combat the crime.