Human Trafficking: 12 Million Silent Victims

Many contend, however, that the present success of human trafficking may be the bitter fruit of globalization. With global capitalism, goods flow from one end of the world to another. Some countries find new markets and expand. Others see their local industries drowned by foreign goods. The inequality of the market renders entire countries vulnerable to slavery and trafficking. Jonathan Tran (2007) describes it as a dangerous combination: desperation and profiteering (p.22). In these highly commercialized times, anything and anyone can be a commodity. There is a price for everything, as long as someone willingly sells (or is forcibly sold) and someone has the means to pay.

This study shall look into the realities of human trafficking. It is a travesty that so little attention is given and so little knowledge is accumulated on this particularly heinous crime.

In any case, the highlight of the issue is the result of the sale: women and children are sold into prostitution and slave labor. On this issue there is little contention, particularly with regards to the sale of children into prostitution. As noted by the UN definition, the forced harvest of organs from unwilling donors is a form of exploitation as well, albeit a lot more uncommon compared to prostitution and slave labor. In essence, human trafficking is the acquisition of human beings for the purpose of selling them as commodities to be exploited in foreign markets.

On the societal and national level, trafficking lowers the human capital of a country. Instead of developing the work force through education and training, many of the people in less than affluent nations are easily swayed by promises of a better life. With these people carted off for sale in other lands, the human potential is greatly diminished. It also lowers a country’s available workforce, as many of the able-bodied workers are coerced and defrauded into entering the sex trade or slave labor in other countries (Jones et al, 2007, p.107). Instead of improving the potential of the people through education, human trafficking reduces these people into the most basic commodity possible.

As mentioned earlier, there are countries identified as the “origin”, “transport” and “destination”. Though a heinous crime, the truth is that human trafficking functions just like any other business. Like a simple exporter, a trafficking organization will obtain its “goods” from a number of supplier countries. These goods will then have to be taken to key transportation areas. In the case of trafficking, this means delivering these “goods” to countries wherein the organization has established safe means of transporting people across borders without getting caught. Finally, the “goods” are brought to the countries of destination. These countries are the wealthy “purchasers” who pay for the services of the victims of trafficking (Jones et al, 2007, p.107).

Some topics in this essay:
United Nations, Ukraine Nigeria, Apart UN, HIV AIDS, Zohreh Tabatabai, Whereas European, Jonathan Tran, Free Slaves, Angeles Karaoke, human trafficking, Labor Organization, al 2007, et al 2007, et al, al 2007 p107, jones et, jones et al, 2007 p107, slave labor, tran 2007, prostitution slave, prostitution slave labor, defining human trafficking, defining human, women children,