Human Trafficking is a Horrific Crime

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A free world is a happy world. Human trafficking strips individuals of freedom. How does human trafficking happen? How do people in the modern world become enslaved? Human trafficking is an enterprise that has plagued humanity since the dawn of civilization from the time of the Sumerian empire in 4250 BCE and although slavery was first abolished in 1833 in England it continues illegally today.

The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons by improper means, for an improper purpose including forced labour or sexual exploitation. Slavery describes an individual’s loss of free will. Sadly, human trafficking is more common now than at any other time in history and is the second most profitable industry worldwide after drug trafficking, generating an estimated $150 billion USD annually. As a comparison, Microsoft makes an average of $US 110 billion a year, significantly less than the slave trade.

Although there is lack of consensus of number because of the hidden network of human traffickers and its illegal status, the International Labour Organisation states that 68% of victims are exploited for labour and 22% are forced into prostitution. Others are used for the harvest of internal organs or into forced into marriage. The majority of human trafficking events take place in Asia and Africa. You may think that Australia is free from human trafficking, however many immigrants are exploited.

Today I’ll focus on one form of human trafficking: labour exploitation; discuss how human trafficking occurs and suggest methods that could be used to abolish it.

Countless individuals have their lives torn away when they are enslaved to do manual labour. 25 million people worldwide are currently forced to work without pay or freedom. Eliminating a human’s freedom is heinous from a moral perspective and the United Nations define human rights as the legal and moral rights every human is entitled to and include the right to free speech and the right of movement.

Several of the world’s largest companies rely on enslaved workers to work in their fields and factories in order to produce products (for example chocolate). One out of four slaves are children with the areas with the highest levels of child labour are Africa (32%) and 22% (Asia).

How does human trafficking and slavery occur? Human trafficking occurs in overpopulated or politically unstable nations, for example India, where it is estimated that 14 million people are involved. Poverty rates are rapidly increasing around the world due to climate change and overpopulation, resulting in increasing numbers of people are in desperate need of money to provide for basic needs. A tactic used by traffickers is the promise of a well-paid job in another country with airfares, visas, passport and accommodation provided. This of course is attractive as people believe that they will be able to provide for their families. However, when the victim arrives in an unfamiliar country, they are stripped of freedom and passport and are made to work long hours with minimal pay, poor working conditions until they earn enough to pay for their visa and airfares. Under these conditions, it may take years to pay back. The trafficker’s trick, trap and exploit.

Another tactic used is by traffickers is the offer to purchase a child for a large sum and the promise of opportunity (for example schooling) for the child. In regions of poverty, this results in the parents agreeing in the belief that their child’s future is brighter. This is not the case as children then become enslaved and are required to work under difficult conditions.

There are ways once again to abolish this horrendous trade. Individuals can familiarise themselves with signs that may suggest someone has been trafficked. These may be if the person looks nervous and is forbidden to speak with you alone, if they appear to be abused or if their employer has a close eye on them and if you are concerned, details can be reported to government agencies, such as the Police.

Another tactic is to raise awareness about human trafficking by having conversations with friends and family. Donate to organisations that are trying to prevent human trafficking and the slave trade. Find out where all your products come from. Many large companies use slave and child labour to produce products, so don’t purchase their products. Many everyday clothing are produced in sweatshops. You can find out by researching online on reliable sites such as UNICEF.

There is however a universal concern that drives human trafficking. The political system of capitalism and the consumer mindset of many. For example, the purchase of cheap clothing to wear once and then discard. This means that workers in sweatshops are forced to work harder to keep up with demand. If we stop the pressure for mass production and consumption and shift our mindset to sustainability and expect clothes to last longer, then better quality clothes would be produced as there will no longer be a demand for cheap single use ones. This would benefit all angles of society. Workers in sweatshops would receive higher pay for the products they produced and these in turn would last longer therefore requiring fewer resources and putting less pressure on the world which helps slow climate change. This comes full circle by reducing poverty and the vulnerability of victims of human trafficking.

Concluding, human trafficking is a horrific crime. Although it has existed in some form for thousands of years, it should be abolished and all humans basic human rights be fulfilled. As the great Greek tactician and historian Thucydides said: “The secret of happiness is freedom, and the secret of freedom is courage”. Don’t be afraid to stand up for the rights of all in the world. Remember, a free world is a happy world!