Human trafficking is a crime that exploits women, children and men for numerous purposes including forced labour and sex. The International Labour Organization estimates that 21 million mostly young people are victims of forced labour globally. This estimate also includes victims of human trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation.
Almost every country is affected by human trafficking, whether as a country of origin, transit, or destination for victims. Traffickers the world over continue to target women and girls. The vast majority of detected victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and 35 per cent of those trafficked for forced labour are female. Children make up almost a third of all human trafficking victims worldwide. Conflict further exacerbates vulnerabilities, with armed groups exploiting civilians and traffickers targeting forcibly displaced people.
The United Nations has declared July 30 (Tuesday) as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons to focus on the importance of minimizing trafficking in persons. On the 2019 World Day the UN is focusing on highlighting the importance of Government action in this regard.
The comprehensive fifth annual report released this week by the Walk Free Foundation, which endeavours to bring global awareness to the crisis – charges that, while half the globe has stepped up its work to combat trafficking, many other countries haven’t reported any meaningful change and some have even regressed. The United States is among the nations working most diligently to stamp out trafficking, the Report said. Also leading the way is the United Kingdom, followed by the Netherlands, the US, Portugal, Sweden, Argentina and Belgium. The final three spots as determined by Walk Free go to Spain, Croatia and Australia. Countries such as Mozambique and Ethiopia are also given credit for taking some positive steps to address the crisis -- such as officially criminalizing human trafficking -- despite a lack of resources. Governments therefore have a major role to identify any steps they need to take to combat human trafficking.
In September 2015, the world adopted the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and embraced goals and targets on trafficking in persons. These goals call for an end to trafficking and violence against children; as well as the need for measures against human trafficking, and they strive for the elimination of all forms of violence against and exploitation of women and girls.
However, the Walk Free report notes that no country is immune to some form of trafficking, be it through forced labour, sex trafficking, debt bondage, forced or servile marriage or the exploitation of children. The number of people currently under the thumb of trafficking in some form, researchers say, is the highest it has ever been in human history. In fact, at least 10,000 individuals would need to be freed from slavery every single day from now until end 2020 if the UN’s targets are to be met. The Walk Free study underscored that, overall, governments are not on track to eradicate modern slavery by even 2030.
While there is a trend that shows modest improvement, the report stressed, “the pace of change falls far short of what the scale and severity of modern slavery demands.”
Human trafficking, in which people are forced into labour or sex, is a form of modern-day slavery as well as a multinational, multibillion-dollar industry. The widely-held perception is that slavery is no more, but nothing could be further from the truth. It may not be so explicit as in the earlier days, but the practice still lingers. A recent CNN documentary exposed the sale of slaves in Libya. Thus even the best estimates of modern slavery likely remain conservative due to the challenge of quantifying such a hidden crime. There are far more victims of modern slavery than those identified and reported.
There is also a difference between human trafficking and human smuggling, though the same organised crime rings are often involved in both activities. In human smuggling, the persons being smuggled across borders actually pay money to the traffickers to take them to greener pastures. This does not always go to plan and whole boatloads of illegal migrants perish on the high seas. These smuggled individuals could be fleeing war or persecution in their home countries. Nevertheless, they are not considered as trafficked persons because they go on their own accord. Trafficked persons are taken against their will. However, there are occasions when knowingly smuggled persons are held against their will and turned over for slave labour or sexual exploitation.
What can we do to help? If you observe things keenly, you might be able to identify instances of human trafficking. It is a hidden crime and unless you are looking for it, you are not going to find it. Hence the importance of reporting to the authorities if you notice any suspicious activity. Trafficked victims tend to appear disconnected from family, friends and community groups. They also tend to look scared or submissive. Other key indicators are bruises or other signs of abuse and signs of being denied food, water, sleep or medical care. A victim could also be accompanied by someone who seems to be in control. Experts say one must look for signs that the victim appears to have been coached on what to say if confronted by someone.
Airlines have been training their crew since 2016 to spot any persons being trafficked. If they suspect a passenger may be a victim of human trafficking, Airline flight attendants are trained to report their concerns to the flight’s captain, who can contact the airline’s system-operations-control employees to find out more about the backgrounds of the potential victim and his or her companion, like if they have one-way tickets.
For example, if an adult does not allow the child seated next to him or her to speak to a flight attendant or go to the bathroom alone, that could be a sign that the minor is being trafficked. As one expert put it, “you might see kind of a weird behavioral dynamic between two individuals. So controlled speech or maybe one individual isn’t able to speak on their own at all. Maybe one individual is not making eye contact.”
There are two ways in which human trafficking can be curbed. One is taking action at country or regional level. The other method is international cooperation on busting trafficking rings. Trafficking and slavery are black marks on modern civilization.
Human trafficking is facilitated by lax border controls (mainly in the home countries which lack the necessary manpower and resources to constantly check their ports), corrupt officials, weak legislation and the influence of organized criminal gangs. These shortcomings must be rectified on a global level to see a swift end to the scourge of human trafficking.