Human trafficking, globally condemned and long banned, continues to haunt victims from all corners of the Earth. Women and children are the primary victims often enslaved through forced marriages, sexual exploitation, involuntary labour, and domestic servitude. Equipping potential victims with knowledge and power to recognize trafficking and taking the right measures can make a huge difference in preparing the world for a human trafficking-free era.
Does Trafficking Still Exist?
According to statistics, millions of victims from around the globe, including the developed countries, are subjected to this inhumane act. Human trafficking has gained popularity among the wicked due to its enormous cash flow that generates billions of dollars in profit annually. Only drug trafficking comes close to human trafficking in regards to profit-making in the crime world.
Human smuggling remains in the shadow since victims are concealed from freedom of expression emanating from fear of the law and regulations, language barriers and oppressive action from traffickers if one is caught bending from the rules.
Why People Get Lured?
Traffickers mainly manifest themselves in the form of good Samaritans out to help vulnerable individuals who could be easily lured into offering labour and sexual favours. Vulnerable individuals could be depicted as emotionally unstable, psychologically unfit, victims of political unrests from their mother countries, victims of economic hardships and natural calamities. Traffickers will often promise a haven or better life that the victims will not even realize they are being trafficked. As a result, these individuals continue to serve without seeing the need for publicizing their actual needs and desires eventually, making it hard to control trafficking.
Below are some myths surrounding human trafficking.
Myth: Natives from developed countries or the rich never become victims of trafficking.
Fact: Human trafficking is uncorrelated to social status, and it exists even in the best countries all over the globe. Most victims are captured while in their countries with the most targeted groups being teens and young adults.
Myth: Human trafficking only entails of commercial sexual offers.
Fact: It is entirely valid to mark sex trafficking as a type of human trafficking, but it does not stand alone in the category. Bonded labour and domestic servitude are among the leading forms of slavery where victims are forced to work unconditionally with no means to pay for freedom. Little known to people, victims work in both legitimate and illegitimate work areas including private households, restaurants, farms, and industries.
Myth: Individuals in human trafficking are always pressured into providing sex favors in order to certify the term “victim”.
Fact: According to the law, anyone, male or female, below the age of 18 is regarded as a minor. Once a minor is induced to providing commercial sex that crosses the line to trafficking.
Myth: Human smuggling and human trafficking mean the same thing.
Fact: On the contrary, human trafficking is not smuggling as trafficking entails on exploitation within the borders of a country while smuggling entails on the illegal migration of human beings across a country’s border without certified documents. Human smuggling turns into trafficking when the smuggler bends his/her rules into an oppressive manner and turns the victims into immigrants for bonded labour and sexual exploitation.
Myth: Victims will often try to publicize their plight.
Fact: Human trafficking is a crime often done in the dark and victims may be too frail to stand up and fight for their freedom mainly due to the trauma caused. Some may be subjected to violence in an attempt to ask for help which makes them prefer to stay in the dark.
Cases of human trafficking are displayed differently, and critical indicators vary from case to case. However, accurate identification and affirmation of human trafficking will save lives and help the victims find freedom into identifying their true selves. It is wise that you report a suspected trafficker or victim-related case to the authority as this will help in retaining the safety of the victims.