Human Trafficking: The Hard Facts (a bit from a paper I wrote for my globalization class!)

The current phenomenon of human trafficking was pushed onto the global front in the 1990s, parallel to the rise of globalization. Every country in the world plays a part in human trafficking. Each country is either a country of origin, transit or destination, or perhaps all three. Traffickers prey on the weak, vulnerable and the poor, and they benefit from transparent borders and political and economic instability.

Trafficking is defined in many ways, but the common theme throughout the definitions is that human beings are being coerced into enslavement. The United States Department of Stat defines trafficking as "modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation.” The United Nations (UN) defined human trafficking as:

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs (UN, art. 3).

Trafficking can take many forms. These forms range from sexual exploitation, forced labor, bonded labor, involuntary servitude and debt bondage, forced child labor and involuntary domestic servitude. The International Labor Organization “estimates that there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time” (United States Department of State [USDS], 2008, p. 1). The U.S. Department of State estimates that “approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across national borders” each year, and “approximately 80 percent of transnational victims are women and girls and up to 50 percent are minors” (USDS, 2008, p. 3).

The trafficking business is extremely profitable. In 2005, the International Labor Organization (ILO) released a report that estimated the “profits from sex trafficking at $217.8 billion a year or $23,000 per victim” (USDS, 2008, p.3). In this same report, the ILO stated that traffickers and businesses are making a profit of $32 billion each year from human trafficking.

Globalization and Human Trafficking--

The dynamics of globalization have impacted the human trafficking situation in countless ways. Globalization impacts trafficking with "push" and "pull" factors, and traffickers use this dynamic to their advantage. Globalization has widened the income gap between the developed and developing worlds, the rich and the poor. It is this widening income gap, poverty, and lack of economic opportunity that operate as push factors. These factors force people to leave their homes in hopes of finding ways to improve their economic situation (Parks, 2007).

The spread of globalization has brought with it a global culture and a global awareness. It is the spread of this global culture that operates as a pull factor. People are now aware of how others live, and this has raised their expectations for a better life. People are being pulled into “countries that have a higher level of economic prosperity with a corresponding demand for cheap labor” (Diaz, Engstrom, Hilliard, & Jones, 2007, p. 3). Traffickers use the promise of a better life as an instrument for recruitment, and trafficking victims are often unable to see that these promises are empty promises (Diaz et al., 2007). These poor people are extremely vulnerable to traffickers due to their naiveté and dismal economic situation.

Responding to the Global Issue--

With the coming of globalization, comes the concept of a global response. Issues are no longer viewed as simply national issues, but are now viewed as global issues. "Human trafficking is a global problem and no country, developed or developing, is immune" (Aita, 2006). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa stated, "A global problem like this requires a global response" (Aita, 2006). In order for a global issue to change and be transformed, the entire global community needs to participate, respond and act, and governments must respond to the issue. "Governments need to get serious about identifying the full extent of the problem so they can get serious about eliminating it. The fact that slavery -- in the form of human trafficking -- still exists in the 21st Century shames us all," said Costa (Aita, 2006).

Governments do play a role in combating global issues, and governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have done much in regards to combating human trafficking. However, it is also important to recognize that governments alone cannot solve the global issues. Countries, governments, NGOs, community- based organizations, and the common person must band together in order to create change. Friedman (1999) expressed that a new level of social responsibility is required with globalization. Because Americans are the ones who benefit the most from the global system and are the best equipped to deal with the system, they are called to a higher level of responsibility. America should be the leading force behind this change and transformation because as Friedman (1999) stated, "We have the tools to make a difference and we have the responsibility to make a difference" (p. 352). This responsibility requires Americans to increase their global awareness in regards to the issue and in turn put pressure on the national and international communities to respond to this massive issue in an equally massive way.

Conclusion

As expressed by Friedman (1999), globalization’s influence and impact touches every corner of the globe. Friedman also expressed that with the rise of globalization comes the rise of social responsibility. People can change the dynamics of human trafficking if they take advantage of the opportunities globalization presents and respond to the responsibility. People can use the globalization benefits of increased global awareness and interconnectedness to their advantage to make a lasting impact on the nation and the world, and to respond and transform human trafficking on a global level. Are Americans up for the challenge? Only time will tell if they will respond to the call and act.