What IS Human Trafficking?
Human trafficking can be a fairly vague term, especially to someone that is only learning about its existence. There are three main types of slavery found today: sex trafficking, forced labor, and child soldiers. Of course, there is some crossover with certain cases, but the vast majority will fall within one of those categories.
"Human Trafficking" does not have to mean that someone is brought across state or national borders. Smuggling, a related (but different) crime, is the transportation of one person by another across borders. A person can be trafficked for sex or labor without ever leaving their home or their town. That means that people who have been trafficked do not have to be immigrants.
Sex trafficking gets a lot of attention in the media - generally much more so than labor trafficking. That does not mean that it is more important or more prevalent. The kind of trafficking depends on the area and the demand for services. Certain places across the globe are hot spots for labor, certain for sex trafficking (also sometimes called sex tourism), and some have both. Trafficking happens across the globe and is found in every country. Why is sex trafficking so much more reported than labor trafficking? In part, it is because it sells in the media. Rape, domestic violence, and violence against women are newsworthy and they are able to get a reaction out of everyday people. Labor trafficking may include rape, physical abuse/violence, and enslavement of generations within a family tends to be less sensationalized.
Forced Labor - "Also known as involuntary servitude, forced labor may result when unscrupulous employers exploit workers made more vulnerable by high rates of unemployment, poverty, crime, discrimination, corruption, political conflict, or even cultural acceptance of the practice. immigrants are particularly vulnerable, but individuals also may be forced in to labor in their own countries. Female victims of forced or bonded labor, especially woman and girls in domestic servitude, are often sexually exploited as well." -(What is Modern Slavery?)
Sex Trafficking: Profiting of one party by sexual exploitation of another unwilling participant - either physical, photographic, or video-graphic. Specifically, the NY Department of State website says, "When an adult is coerced, forced, or deceived into prostitution – or maintained in prostitution through coercion – that person is a victim of trafficking. All of those involved in recruiting, transporting, harboring, receiving, or obtaining the person for that purpose have committed a trafficking crime. Sex trafficking can also occur within debt bondage, as women and girls are forced to continue in prostitution through the use of unlawful “debt” purportedly incurred through their transportation, recruitment, or even their crude “sale,” which exploiters insist they must pay off before they can be free.
It is critical to understand that a person’s initial consent to participate in prostitution is not legally determinative; if an individual is thereafter held in service through psychological manipulation or physical force, that person is a trafficking victim and should receive the benefits outlined in the United Nations’ Palermo Protocol and applicable laws.
Child Soldiers: Children whom are forced by either other child soldiers or adults to commit crimes like murder torture, or rape. The Department of State says that "...child soldiering can be a manifestation of human trafficking where it involves the unlawful recruitment or use of children—through force, fraud, or coercion—as combatants, or for labor or sexual exploitation by armed forces. Perpetrators may be government forces, paramilitary organizations, or rebel groups. Many children are forcibly abducted to be used as combatants. Others are made unlawfully to work as porters, cooks, guards, servants, messengers, or spies. Young girls can be forced to marry or have sex with male combatants. Both male and female child soldiers are often sexually abused and are at high risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases."
"Human Trafficking" does not have to mean that someone is brought across state or national borders. Smuggling, a related (but different) crime, is the transportation of one person by another across borders. A person can be trafficked for sex or labor without ever leaving their home or their town. That means that people who have been trafficked do not have to be immigrants.
Sex trafficking gets a lot of attention in the media - generally much more so than labor trafficking. That does not mean that it is more important or more prevalent. The kind of trafficking depends on the area and the demand for services. Certain places across the globe are hot spots for labor, certain for sex trafficking (also sometimes called sex tourism), and some have both. Trafficking happens across the globe and is found in every country. Why is sex trafficking so much more reported than labor trafficking? In part, it is because it sells in the media. Rape, domestic violence, and violence against women are newsworthy and they are able to get a reaction out of everyday people. Labor trafficking may include rape, physical abuse/violence, and enslavement of generations within a family tends to be less sensationalized.
Forced Labor - "Also known as involuntary servitude, forced labor may result when unscrupulous employers exploit workers made more vulnerable by high rates of unemployment, poverty, crime, discrimination, corruption, political conflict, or even cultural acceptance of the practice. immigrants are particularly vulnerable, but individuals also may be forced in to labor in their own countries. Female victims of forced or bonded labor, especially woman and girls in domestic servitude, are often sexually exploited as well." -(What is Modern Slavery?)
Sex Trafficking: Profiting of one party by sexual exploitation of another unwilling participant - either physical, photographic, or video-graphic. Specifically, the NY Department of State website says, "When an adult is coerced, forced, or deceived into prostitution – or maintained in prostitution through coercion – that person is a victim of trafficking. All of those involved in recruiting, transporting, harboring, receiving, or obtaining the person for that purpose have committed a trafficking crime. Sex trafficking can also occur within debt bondage, as women and girls are forced to continue in prostitution through the use of unlawful “debt” purportedly incurred through their transportation, recruitment, or even their crude “sale,” which exploiters insist they must pay off before they can be free.
It is critical to understand that a person’s initial consent to participate in prostitution is not legally determinative; if an individual is thereafter held in service through psychological manipulation or physical force, that person is a trafficking victim and should receive the benefits outlined in the United Nations’ Palermo Protocol and applicable laws.
Child Soldiers: Children whom are forced by either other child soldiers or adults to commit crimes like murder torture, or rape. The Department of State says that "...child soldiering can be a manifestation of human trafficking where it involves the unlawful recruitment or use of children—through force, fraud, or coercion—as combatants, or for labor or sexual exploitation by armed forces. Perpetrators may be government forces, paramilitary organizations, or rebel groups. Many children are forcibly abducted to be used as combatants. Others are made unlawfully to work as porters, cooks, guards, servants, messengers, or spies. Young girls can be forced to marry or have sex with male combatants. Both male and female child soldiers are often sexually abused and are at high risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases."
Bibliography:
United States of America. Department of State. What is Modern Slavery?. Web. <http://www.state.gov/j/tip/what/index.htm>.
United States of America. Department of State. What is Modern Slavery?. Web. <http://www.state.gov/j/tip/what/index.htm>.