The Dark Side of Human Trafficking Human trafficking is the modern form of slavery in current times and is growing at an alarming rate. Statistics suggest that over 2.5 million people are a victim of human trafficking across the globe. From boys as young as 4 years to young girls who are trafficked for the purpose of domestic work or for sex industry from the regions of Central African and South Asia- the estimates of this practice are not only startling but also point to a looming problem which needs to be addressed immediately. Victims who fall prey to human trafficking are generally those who are poor and destitute and have little or no opportunities in their existing societies. Traffickers are able to convince such individuals by promising them a better life and greater work and educational opportunities such that they are lured away from their homes. A large percentage of people are trafficked either to perform forced labor on farms or other physically exhaustive industrial work, in construction and in hospitality. What’s more disturbing is however the fact that most women and children trafficked fall victim to sexual exploitation. Irrespective of the fact whether girls, boys or older men and women are being trafficked into different regions such as United States, Japan or Europe; the victims that are forced into prostitution or labor exploitation find themselves to be stuck without any basic human rights. These people are treated as illegal immigrants and sometimes as criminals with no access to some of the basic necessitates of life. A number of these helpless individuals are either detained or arrested, leaving little room for impunity. In addition, as governments are now viewing human trafficking as a serious crime, there are hundreds of individuals who are either convicted or tried for felonious activities such as document fraud, prostitution or illegal immigrant status due to absence of records. Female victims of human trafficking become prey to immensurate abuse where they are sold to brothels or to different owners. Many of these have to face excessive physical abuse in the form of beatings and threats, while others are placed in debt bondage. The term human trafficking is often mistaken to be the same as smuggling. The two terms however point to two different issues, one of which sheds a light on the dark side of human nature. Trafficking in its true sense is related to forced or coerced movement of people either through violence or deception. Such victims are then exploited either for economic exploitation or for sexual exploitation. Smuggling on the other hand is an activity which involves assisting an individual for illegal border crossing for monetary gains. The individuals thus shifted are not under the control or authoritative command of anyone and are often left on their own. This bleak picture is an indicator of the critical need for the protection of human rights for everyone. There is also an equally critical need for accountability, such that traffickers are prosecuted and this modern form slavery is abolished.
References: http://www.researchomatic.com/human-trafficking-155505.html http://www.researchomatic.com/Human-Rights-129405.html http://www.researchomatic.com/human-smuggling-3917.html
The Dark Side of Human Trafficking
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