Human Trafficking: Causes and Remedies
June 8, 2021
This blog post was written by Kary Liang. Kary is an intern with the Alhambra US Chamber.
Human trafficking is a universal issue that has existed for centuries and remains prevalent in the modern day. In 2016, around 40.3 million people were victims of this modern form of slavery. These victims have undergone hard labor, forced marriage, and sexual exploitation. Human trafficking has continued to rise rapidly over the past decade, with the number of victims tripling from 2008 to 2019.
The International Labour Organization is a division of the United Nations that brings countries together to create best practices for labor laws around the world. The body reported in 2020 that more than 70% of sex trafficking victims are located in Asia and the Pacific. Out of the victims forced into sexual exploitation, an overwhelming 99% of them are female. The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women is an organization with the mission of eradicating trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and girls. This organization has been around since 1988 and has dedicated itself to “advocating for strong laws and policies, raising public awareness and supporting survivor leadership globally” (CATW). The ILO and the CATW both illustrate the importance of advocating for laws designed to empower women and prevent them from being exploited through human trafficking, one advocating for change from within global leadership, the other advocating for women from the ground up.
According to the United Nations 2020 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, about 50% of human trafficking can be traced back to the poor economic conditions victims often find themselves in. For this reason, a majority of human trafficking cases occur in developing countries. Research has shown that human traffickers tend to prey on individuals in vulnerable situations. Therefore, if the proper assistance is provided to those in need, we can expect fewer people to fall victim to human trafficking. Crisis Aid International is just one organization dedicated to alleviating poverty “life-saving services and hope to the most vulnerable of populations, through customized responses that bring immediate relief” (Crisis Aid International). Although laws to prevent human trafficking can help treat the issue as it occurs, efforts by governments and NGO’s to alleviate the root cause are the key solution to this chronic problem.
The UN Report on Trafficking in Persons also stated that dysfunctional families are the second leading cause of human trafficking, accounting for 20% of trafficking cases. Traffickers try to lure children from difficult family backgrounds by fabricating a sense of belonging and safety. Children are especially vulnerable to trafficking due to their inexperience and currently account for one third of human trafficking victims. Love146 is a charitable organization that is dedicated to ending child trafficking. They offer programs designed to educate and care for trafficking victims as well as prevent it from taking place to begin with. They promise to “[journey] alongside children impacted by trafficking today and [prevent] the trafficking of children tomorrow” (Love146). Not only are prevention and destruction of human trafficking networks important for ensuring the safety of kids and adults across the world, but repairing the damage that the practice inflicts.
Human trafficking is an ongoing issue that will only be eradicated through collaboration between governments at all levels and the civil society that advocates for change from outside. Stronger legal frameworks to prevent exploitation are crucial, we have to look at the root issues that enable traffickers to prey on their victims. Poverty and family strife are universal and may always be a problem in human society, but governments, nonprofits, and everyday citizens can work to alleviate them. We may not all fall prey to sexual slavery or forced labor, but we all have power to prevent more exploitation.
