HUMAN TRAFFICKING

We live in a world that has accepted man's absolute control over another. The unjustified trade

and enslavement of human beings in the 21st century reflects a degenerate state of affairs which

confirms that the greatest ethical challenge facing the globe today is human trafficking. Human

trafficking involves the use of human deception to exploit the vulnerable through forceful

stripping of their dignity and self-worth. It portrays a contrasting picture of inequality among

equals with regard to the right of every individual over his or her life, as trafficked victims are

compelled to sell their inherent freedom and are subject to coercive subjugation. Their cry for

help is drowned in the sea of constant oppression and general sense of apathy which has been

continuing for centuries.

Human trafficking is the fastest increasing criminal industry in today’s world, coming in second

after illegal drug-trade. What is human trafficking? Commonly referred to as "modern-day

slavery" is the illegal trade of human beings for forced labour or for exploitation. Exploitation

referring to the using others for prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour

or services, slavery, or the removal of organs. Woman and young children living in poverty are

the ones who usually fall in the trap of the traffickers. Due to poverty many woman are not

educated and are no employed leaving them with no choice but to sell their bodies to provide for

their families. Government around the world are just beginning to address this problem and have

realized just how strong this type of slavery has become.

Prevention of human trafficking is a daily occurrence; people are trying to fight it every day. It

can affect anybody, it could even be any of your family members, and all it takes is walking

down the road or going on a trip. Human trafficking has increased dramatically in time, it is
happening more often. It happens so much because people go on vacation or cross the borders

look for new jobs and once they are across they are targets, there are sick people all around the

world.

Poverty is the leading cause in human trafficking. It has been documented that poverty leads to a

lack of education leading to no employment and that leading to sex trafficking. Exploiters take

advantage of the broken environment of victims and lure them with false promises of a better

life. During the trafficking process, victims are subjected to 'grooming' through constant physical

and sexual abuse in order to force them to submit. Blind faith leads victims to the pit of darkness

as caution is compromised because of desperation. By fighting poverty many believe that there

will be an end to sex trafficking too. Woman living in poverty countries will not be looking into

sex driven businesses for employment. Therefore, trafficking directly is linked to poverty.

Failure to reintegrate victims of sex trafficking in society is partly due to the social stigma

attached to their previous lifestyle. Those victims who are rescued are often ostracized by the

mainstream society. Standing on pedestals, created by our own self-righteous minds, we judge

trafficked sex-workers with disgust and contempt, as we fail to realize that most of them were

sold into the flesh trade by their families and friends. This social isolation is one of the reasons

that drive victims back into the flesh trade. Another damaging aspect of human trafficking is the

transformation of female victims into exploitive traffickers themselves as their conscience is

marred by the luxuries provided by instant cash. It is imperative to realize that prostitutes are not

criminals, but victims of the society that has allowed prostitution.

Lack of political will to immediately address the root causes of human trafficking has lead to its

expansion. Governments must realize that every individual has the right to life, which includes
right to food, education and employment and therefore must make provisions for the same. In

different countries, to combat human trafficking, it is crucial to have a deep understanding of the

financial, political and cultural power structures in society. States can set up commissions, along

with NGOs, to conduct comprehensive surveys and identify people involved in all forms of

human trafficking. This will help in the rescue and rehabilitation processes.

Every person can contribute towards this cause by being vigilant in his locality and reporting

suspicious activities to authorities on hotline numbers. Only when we started researching did we

realize the absolute seriousness of this problem. It is necessary to create awareness among

students through seminars and workshops.

Human Trafficking has turned into a major world crisis and needs to be known about. Something

needs to happen around the whole world so that human trafficking can end, what that might be

nobody knows. People are doing everything their power to try to help, and they are upgrading

every day. Even though there is a lot of programs already helping human trafficking, there needs

to be a lot more, there can never be enough. People just need to be aware of the problem so they

know what they can do to prevent it from growing and happening to their families.

There is no doubt we live in a world that specializes in creating broken people every day. We've

reached a point where eradicating human trafficking is no longer restricted to few willing

individuals and organizations. Anyone, in any manner, can help in minimizing this condemnable

condition. It just comes down to whether we are willing to take that first step.