Human Trafficking: Social Welfare and US Policies and Issues
Trisha Wisniewski Wayne State University
Human Trafficking 1
Human Trafficking: Social Welfare and US Policies and Issues
Human Trafficking Human Trafficking is another term for modern-day slavery. A huge number of people worldwide are held captive and are forced to work. At times, their masters physically beat them to force them to work. They even sell these people to others. They make false promise to people regarding job, money, education and better living conditions to trick them into slavery. Eventually, they break these promises. In this way, they trap already vulnerable people (Hart, 2008).
Social Issues There are various forms of human trafficking. A few of them include forced labor, forced marriages, sex trading and debt bondage (Human Rights Commission, 2013). Human trafficking affects almost all types of people. Young women, children, older women and men are all equally vulnerable to trafficking. Mostly, trafficking targets are people in rural areas people because they are the ones who are least aware of the realities of this world are in earnest need of quick money. The victims of trafficking suffer from mental, psychological and emotional disorder. Upon arrival to their native country, these victims are socially isolated, deprived of the basic necessities of life, looked down upon by society and held in confinement. Children who are compelled into labor have to work for long hours. They are even beaten by their owners. The victims are labeled as damaged or un-cleaned. Human Trafficking 2
History of Human Trafficking Human Trafficking has existed since ancient times. In holy books such as the Old Testaments and New Testaments, in the Holy Quran of Muslims, and in the holy books of ancient Greece and Rome, slavery of human beings is clearly illustrated. The issue of human slavery existed in many ancient civilizations such as pre-Columbian America, Africa, Asia and Europe. In these societies, the majority of the slaves were captives of war and their successors. Free people were also enslaved as a result of their financial collapse or for failing to fulfill a pledge on behalf of someone else that they had entered. They could also be made slaves as a penalty for breaking the law (Dupont, 2009). At times, to survive from a financial collapse, free people normally sold themselves or their family into slavery. In those times, anybody`s enslavement was a well recognized social reality.
Identification as a problem In 1807, Great Britain recognized and identified human trafficking and slave trading as a problem. It banned slave trading across its empire. The slave trading that was legally recognized in Britain continued. In 1833, all types of human trafficking were banned in Britain. In 1865, The United States banned slave trading. Various other countries slowly and gradually started banning human trafficking (Dupont, 2009).
Human Trafficking 3
Comparison of human trafficking in ancient times and modern world Human trafficking is an issue that exists in today`s world, as well as ancient times. Human trafficking or modern-day slavery has a lot of similarities to the slavery that used to take place in ancient times. The master of slaves has almost complete control over his slaves. His slave works and lives his life according to his master`s orders. There is one significant difference between modern-day human trafficking and traditional slavery. In ancient times, such an act came under constitutional laws. Law allows such acts. In today`s world, slavery is not legally recognized. The people who are enslaved are hidden and protected from legal eyes. This is done to prevent their actual situation from being disclosed. Slaveholders cannot rely on the ancient time`s property law to possess the slaves. Force, coercion, and threats of force (e.g. violent threats for the family) are the tactics used to enslave people. These means of control are routinely used these days to enslave people (Dupont, 2009). These days human trafficking victims, are seen as disposable items. Possible services and labor are extracted from the slaves without maintaining their health or lives. After some times, if the slaves are holding up their purpose for the slave master they are simply replaced.
Policies & Services to address the problem The United States has formulated policies to combat the harmful activity of trafficking. The United States of America has defined trafficking as a contemporary manifestation of conventional slavery. The policy defines the predominant victims of this activity as children and women. These policies ensure effective and just punishment of the criminals of these act of Human Trafficking 4 trafficking. This policy works towards protecting the victims of trafficking. The United States policy states: 1. Anyone who intentionally obtains or provides the labor of a person by physical restraints or threats against that person shall be subject to a fixed-term imprisonment of a maximum of twenty years. He may also be liable to a certain amount of fines. 2. If death results due to the preceding point`s act, the criminal shall be subject to an imprisonment for a lifetime. He shall also be fined. 3. Anyone who possesses, conceals, destroys or confiscates anyone else`s passport or any other official document shall be subject to a fixed-term imprisonment of a maximum of five years. He shall also be fined. 4. The Attorney General should give grants to each state`s sexual assault coalition and domestic violence coalition in order to coordinate state victim activities and coordinating and collaborating with Federal State, and local people engaged in violence against activities related to women. 5. If a person violates any of the chapter of the policy of US against human traffickers, the court should order forfeiting of that person to the US; in addition to other imposed sentences.
Changes in policies over time Steps have been taken by the government of various countries to fight against human trafficking. As time passes by, novel issues keep on arising related to human trafficking. Around about 700,000 people, mostly children and women, are trafficked across international borders annually ("The Cnn Freedom," ). A rise in the rate of trafficking creates concern for the human Human Trafficking 5 trafficking policy makers of various countries. This rise in rates of human trafficking and slavery brings about changes in policies with time. Existing law enforcement and legislation in various countries is insufficient to minimize trafficking and bring justice to traffickers. The penalties assigned to the human traffickers are quite weak penalties. Existing laws on human trafficking are not adequate to protect its victims (Anonymous, 2000). As the victims are mostly illegal immigrants in the other country, they are treated with more severe punishments than those who traffick those immigrants. These are the reasons which require major changes in the policies for human trafficking. A more thorough survey of data and revision of policy are required to combat human trafficking.
Social Stigma, Discrimination and Societal Prejudices While the state implements the policies. These policies usually have an enormous effect on the country`s trafficking system. The people who become the victims of trafficking face enormous consequences. Mostly the victims of human trafficking are the powerless, poor, socially isolated and disabled people. If these people return without any money, they generally face social disapproval from the society. People do not take into consideration the harm they suffered. While in their own country of origin victims of trafficking are blamed for their disreputable character. They are considered a disgrace and shame to the family and community. This leads to the isolation of traffic victims.
The Social Problem in a Global Perspective Human Trafficking 6 There are various similarities and differences in policies of United States and other nations. In United States, a well-defined set of policies is created. This has tremendously helped in reducing the issues related to human trafficking. Longer duration fixed-term imprisonments and heavy fines imposed on the traffickers have significantly helped in mitigating the traffickers across the nation. Other countries lack the human trafficking policy infrastructure of the USs.
Problem in China China is a destination, source and transit country for children, women and men subjected to sexual trafficking and forced labor ("Humantrafficking.org: A web," 1997). People are made false promises of work and employment opportunities by human traffickers. Later, they are forced into prostitution or compelled labor and moved to various countries worldwide. Well- organized criminal institutions and various local gangs play vital roles in cross-border as well as internal human trafficking. Besides this, children are also kidnapped and trafficked. In china, human trafficking takes place for sexual exploitation, illegal adoption, forced marriages, forced labor and begging. Lack of work and employment opportunities is the leading factor that perpetuates human trafficking in China. The Chinese Government has formulated various policies to eliminate cross-border and internal human trafficking across China and for the protection of trafficking victims. China created local and nationwide hotlines for the reporting of trafficking cases. The Government still requires significant changes in its policy to eradicate human trafficking from China.
China Policy Human Trafficking 7 China has formulated various government laws to combat human trafficking. China`s policies states that ("Humantrafficking.org" ): 1. Anyone found humiliating a woman by force, coercion, violence or other means will be sentenced to criminal detention or fixed-term imprisonment for a maximum of five years. 2. Anyone who molests a child will be given a more severe punishment than the preceding point. 3. Anyone who deprives someone of his freedom or detains a person by any means will be sentenced to criminal detention, deprivation of political rights, and imprisonment for a maximum of three years. 4. Anyone who commits the crime of the preceding point with the involvement of beating or humiliation will be subject to a more severe punishment.
Problem in Malaysia Malaysia is a source, destination and transit country for women, children and men subjected to conditions of forced labor and sexual trafficking. Rural Malaysians are more vulnerable to human trafficking than their urban counterparts. A large number of foreign women are hired to work in Malaysian hotels and restaurants. Subsequently, they are forced into Malaysia`s sex trade. The most prominent factor for human trafficking in Malaysia is statelessness. Many children remain stateless in Malaysia due to inadequate proof of their parent`s marriage. The government denies access to healthcare, education and property-owning right to stateless people. Human Trafficking 8 This forces them to seek employment opportunities that are unofficial. Consequently, this puts them at risk for human trafficking. The Malaysian Government is putting in significant efforts to eliminate human trafficking from its state. Although its current policies are not perfect, it strives towards improving them. It provides awareness to the public on trafficking by formulating various public awareness programs.
Malaysia Policy Malaysia`s policy states: 1. Anyone who exports, imports, removes, sells, buys or disposes of someone as a slave shall be punished for a fixed-term imprisonment for a maximum of seven years. He shall also be accountable to fine. 2. Anyone who receives, detains or accepts any person against his will as a slave shall be punished for a fixed-term imprisonment for a maximum of seven years. He shall also be accountable to fine. 3. Anyone who forces any person unlawfully to work against his will, shall be punished with a fixed-term imprisonment for a maximum of one year. He may also be liable to fine.
Problem in Vietnam Vietnam is a destination country as well as a source country for children, women and men subjected to human trafficking and conditions of compelled labor. The vietnamese are trafficked Human Trafficking 9 for labor and sexual exploitation worldwide. Women and children are subjected to compelled prostitution. Commonly, fraudulent labor misleads these people towards such crimes. The Vietnamese are also enslaved for the purpose of begging and street hawking. Indebtedness, poverty, lack of education/awareness, family problems and breakdowns and external influences are the factors that contribute to human trafficking. Mostly girls and women are considered for human trafficking in Vietnam due to gender inequality. The Vietnamese government has passed several anti-trafficking laws. Its penal code penalizes child trafficking and labor from two to seven years.
Vietnam Policy Vietnam policy states: 1. Anyone who kidnaps, trades in or fraudulently exchanges a young person shall be subject to a fixed-term imprisonment of minimum one year to a maximum of seven years. 2. If the offense is committed in professional criminality such as organized crime or child smuggling, the criminal would be subjected to a fixed-term imprisonment of a minimum of five years and a maximum of twenty years.
Social stigma, discrimination & societal prejudices In these countries, society does not accept human trafficking victims. The society does not bother to understand them and find out what they went through (Shelley, 2010). In Vietnam, women who manage to escape forced marriages or sexual exploitation are generally rejected by their husbands and partners. In China, most lawyers do not take the cases of victims of human Human Trafficking 10 traffickers. In Malaysia, victims of human traffickers find it to difficult to recover from the psychological harassment they have faced. Society makes it difficult for them to reintegrate.
Impact of Social Perceptions
Perception of the problem by media and public People from diverse backgrounds have distinct perceptions of human trafficking. People view human trafficking based on values of their culture. Young women and men have a craze for a better life. They are willing to do anything they can without looking at its consequences. Many view human trafficking as a beneficial act and a step to eliminate poverty. People view human trafficking as a shortcut to make quick money (Ngban et.al, 2009). Women look at it as a money- making venture. On the contrary, men look at it as an exploitation opportunity for human labor. There are also people with the belief that human trafficking alleviates poverty. In this way, it is a positive step. People living in urban areas are exposed to the realities of this world whereas their rural counterparts are not. People belonging to rural areas do not see anything negative about human trafficking. They merely see this act as a means of earning money quickly and living a better life. The media plays a vital role in educating and making people aware of the consequences of human trafficking. They can present the issue of human trafficking to ordinary people and emphasize the painful details of this act. The media coverage on the issue of human trafficking is quite weak in most parts of the world, especially here in the United States. Media generally confuses the issue of human trafficking with smuggling or illegal migration. Media has a vital Human Trafficking 11 role to play in activating the support of the public to combat trafficking (How the media reports human trafficking, 2013). Media can illuminate the problem by providing articles or airing segments on trafficking. It can also provide helpline numbers to the public. It can even disclose the identities of traffickers to expose their realities to the world. Thereby, helping to prevent and eradicate the issue of human trafficking. How people and the media perceive the issue of human trafficking influences policy development. All policy is developed with the purpose of safeguarding the rights of the people. Human trafficking is an act that is perceived by various kinds of people from diverse backgrounds. Therefore, the policy developers keep in view the perceptions of different societies before finalizing the policies. They keep in view the good aspects and the bad aspects of the subject before making policies on it. The policies or services developed for human trafficking prove useful for people from all age groups. Infants, young children and grownup adults benefit from these policies. Male and females equally benefit from these policies. These services are not for a group of people belonging to a specific religion. Rather, they are for people belonging to any religion. A state formulates its human trafficking policy for all its citizens. The majority and the minority equally benefit from it. A state does not allow the physically or mentally ill people to become victims of human trafficking. Rather, it safeguards their rights as well and protects them from becoming victims of trafficking.
Personal Belief Human Trafficking 12 Human trafficking can also be called modern-day slavery. In this type of slavery, people exploit and control others. Well-organized institutes and individuals take advantage of poverty and illiteracy of people and deceive them into doing the unlawful acts. People get false promises from their owners regarding extra money. They do not look at the consequences associated with human trafficking. Governments should have well-defined and updated policies to combat human trafficking.
Cause of the problem The main causes of the problem of human trafficking are poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. People are made false-promised by their owners. They get trapped into the traffickers net. Traffickers use force, coercion and other such elements to trap the people. These people are forced to do compelled labors, sex trading or commercial sex acts. Human traffickers get an enormous amount of money due to human trafficking. It is becoming a fast growing business across the world.
Responsibility for help for human-trafficking victims As a social worker we should be familiar with the various organizations and anti- trafficking campaigns to prevent and bring to an end the issue of human trafficking. A few of them are as follows: 1. A21 Campaign A21 Campaign is a non-profit and non-governmental organization to combat human- trafficking. Though the works of awareness and education beginning with our youth. Human Trafficking 13 2. California Agent Slavery It is an organization for human rights. It strengthens the state laws of California to safeguard the rights of sex trafficking victims. 3. Called to Rescue It is a non-profit organization in Washington. It rescues minor children from human trafficking, abuse and violence. 4. End Slavery Now End-slavery Now is an anti-trafficking organization that is led by youth. This organization is sponsored by the Centre of Korean Service. 5. Safe Horizon Safe Horizon is an agency based in New York that provides assistance to victims of various types of abuses. 6. Polaris Project Polaris project is an organization based in Washington DC that works on all types of human trafficking and serves its victims. Offering clinical social services and policy advocacy. 7. Catholic Relief Services Catholic Relief Services is an agency based in United States of the community of Catholic. It is a humanitarian agency that is committed to the assistance of the poor and vulnerable overseas. Human Trafficking 14 Various interest groups, professionals, advocacy groups and elected officials who actively participate in the sharing of policies for human trafficking are also responsible for help of human-trafficking victims.
Steps to overcome the issue Steps to overcome the issue of human trafficking are as follows (http://www.unodc.org): 1. Various laws and policies should be formulated by the government of the state. These policies should clearly state the issue of human trafficking as a crime. They should also state the punishments for committing such crimes. 2. Raising awareness among the citizens to inform them of the crime of human trafficking holds vital importance. People should be mobilized to eradicate human trafficking. 3. The government should protect and support the victims of human trafficking. It should ensure their counseling, housing, medical and psychological assistance. 4. The government should strengthen the exchange of information between agencies of law enforcement on routes of international trafficking and profiles of traffickers. This will help in the dismantling of criminal groups.
Value & Ethics Social Workers have always worked hard for a peaceful and just world. Social workers are taught to promote those policies that protect and safeguard the rights of people. These Human Trafficking 15 policies confirm social justice and equity for all people (Salett, 2006). Social workers can help in the eradication of human trafficking by identifying the slavery and trafficking victims and assisting them to get assistance by serving in the organizations which assist trafficking victims. They can also work to make the public aware of the dangers associated with human trafficking to prevent this act from occurring. Social workers are the ones who can become extremely strong advocates for the victims of human trafficking.
Summary Human-trafficking is a type of modernized slavery. It is a crime that is identified by international laws. Majority of the states have policies in place for dealing with the issue of human trafficking. Forced marriages, forced labor and sex trading are a few forms of human trafficking. Poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are the driving force behind human trafficking. People who are poor are false-promised by traffickers that they would be provided with a lot of money if they become a part of activities related to human trafficking. Victims of human trafficking are not accepted by the society. Media can play a crucial role by educating and making people aware on this issue of human trafficking. Government along with social workers needs to carry out steps to eradicate this devastating act from the society with policy change. Human Trafficking 16
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The Number The CNN Freedom Project: Ending Modern-Day Slavery - CNN.com Blogs. (n.d.). The CNN Freedom Project: Ending Modern-Day Slavery - CNN.com Blogs. Retrieved April 20, 2013, from http://thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com/category/the- facts/the-number/ Salett, P. E. (2006) Human Trafficking and modern day slavery, retrieved from http:// www.socialworkers.org/diversity/affirmative_action/humanTraffic1206.PDF on March 26, 2013 Shelley, L. I. (2010). Human trafficking: a global perspective. Cambridge, [UK: Cambridge University Press. Systems, p. i. (n.d.). How the media reports human trafcking. United Nations Global Initiative to Fight Human Trafcking HUB. Retrieved April 19, 2013, from http://www.ungift.org/ungift/en/humantrafcking/media.html