Human Trafficking and Statistics
The trafficking of human beings entails the transfer, transportation, and recruitment of people to manipulate them for profit. In most cases, deception, fraud, or force is used to facilitate human trafficking. This crime occurs in every nation globally, and men, women, and children of all ages and ethnicity have fallen victims. Human trafficking is not so different from ancient slavery. It is the modern form of slavery. In the contemporary century, traffickers code their crimes by using fake promises of job opportunities and fraudulent employment agencies to coerce victims.
As per a report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (n.d.), sexual exploitation is the most renowned form of human trafficking (79%). Women and girls are the usual victims of sexual exploitation. However, with time there has been a transformation in this trend as men have become vulnerable to various forms of human trafficking. As of 2004, 13% of the victims of human trafficking were men, and by 2014 this had risen to 21% (Komen, 2018). As the rights of same-sex partners become popular, the exploitation of men for sex has increased. For the longest time, human trafficking was regarded as a crime that mainly affected women, but surprisingly women make up the most significant fraction of traffickers. Presumably, they use the ideology of victimization to earn people’s trust (victims) and lure them into exploitation.
Forced labor comes second in the list of the common types of human trafficking, but it is often misrepresented since it is less frequently detected or reported (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, n.d.). With forced labor, the traffickers often have the upper hand (blackmail) that they use to deter the victims from reporting the situation. For instance, when some immigrants are deceived well-paying jobs in a foreign country only to arrive and find are being exploited. Unfortunately, the immigrants usually do not have legal documents to be in the foreign nation in such a case. In fear of deportation, the immigrants maintain their silence serve their masters.
Human traffickers are ever-evolving and keep up with technology. The crime now happens online. In the United States, approximately 70% of people are sold or bought online (Komen, 2018). The increase in these online transactions has significantly increased the gross revenue generated from trafficking. The increment in revenue attracts more traffickers into the picture. The internet has expanded the playground for human traffickers because they can virtually contact anyone globally, finalize their deal and organize shipment without themselves moving. It is, therefore, more complicated for the authorities to trace traffickers.
Human traffickers exploit dating apps and websites by pretending to offer a platform where people can socialize and mingle, but they actually advertise sex trafficking victims. The public should be more aware of the various tactics that modern traffickers use to get their victims and conduct transactions. The UN and governments have been studying human trafficking, and the knowledge they have gather has helped in rescuing victims and convicting traffickers. Trafficking does not always imply people are moving across continents; in most cases, the exploitation occurs close to home. Surprisingly, in many cases of human trafficking, the perpetrators are of the same gender, ethnicity, and language as their victims. These traffickers use their likeness (similar background) with victims to build false trust. Within this awareness, people should be more vigilant and cautious not to recklessly trust strangers on the grounds of coming from the same neighborhood or ethnicity.
References
Komen, N. (2018, June 14). The last 10 years of human trafficking. BORGEN. https://www.borgenmagazine.com/last-10-years-of-human-trafficking/
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (n.d.). UNODC report on human trafficking exposes modern form of slavery. https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/global-report-on-trafficking-in-persons.html