Human Trafficking: Getting off Square One

If you want to know how far away we are from really addressing a particular problem, take a look at the news reports and op-eds about it. Assuming the discourse has managed to get past the question of whether a problem even exists (i.e., global warming) then chances are it has become mired in disagreements over what causes the problem (poverty, gun violence) or what to do about it (recession, terrorism).
 
With the issue of human trafficking, we are still at the stage where almost every piece has to be prefaced with a basic primer. So here goes:
 

What is human trafficking? 

Human traffickers recruit, transport and sometimes literally imprison people, whom they deceive or coerce, in order to exploit those people. This can mean literally buying children from desperate families in poor nations, or luring victims with promises of paid work. The victims can then find themselves alone, in unfamiliar places, dependent on the trafficker. The trafficker may confiscate their legal documents and control them with threats of prison or deportation. The trafficker may withhold their wages (if any) against a “debt” they or their family are presumed to owe the trafficker. The victims are then used for prostitution, forced labor, as servants or beggars – or even for their bodily organs.

 

How big is the problem?

The UN’s 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons declines to put a number on the problem (since, like drug cartels and child pornographers, human traffickers obviously don’t issue annual reports with helpful statistics). However, based on the International Labour Organization’s figures on forced labor around the world, the UN report does estimate that there are easily millions of victims of human trafficking globally.

How does that break down?

About three quarters of trafficked persons are women and girls. About a quarter are children. More than half of detected human trafficking involves sexual exploitation (most common in Europe, Central Asia and the Americas). More than a third involves other forced labor (more frequent in Africa and the Middle East, South and East Asia and the Pacific). That forced labor number has been going up, which may be in indication of how global economic factors impact the “shadow” economy as much as the official one. Not all trafficking involves crossing borders; about a quarter of cases the report looked at were “domestic.” The biggest transnational trafficking flow originates in East Asia. The rate of criminal convictions for trafficking is low compared to the scope of the problem.  

What causes human trafficking?  

Exploiting human beings is profitable, just as it was in the time of the Atlantic slave trade. We often read outraged reports about sweatshops where workers are underpaid and exposed to dangerous conditions. Those places exist because low-cost labor means higher profits. After that, it’s only a matter of degree. If the victim is vulnerable enough, the trafficker ruthless enough, and the cracks in the system big enough, market forces can push profit-seeking into dark nightmare territory.

 

What can we do about human trafficking? 

Human trafficking could not exist without the vulnerability of the victims, the secrecy with which traffickers operate, and the demand for services provided by trafficked persons. Addressing the problem therefore requires a multileveled approach.

As with so many crises, ranging from diseases like HIV/AIDS to wars and disasters, people at the bottom of the social ladder are most vulnerable and most impacted. Fighting poverty and inequality can help build a healthier and more resilient population, so that people have the resources and social infrastructure to protect themselves. However, this is hardly a new idea. Poverty and inequality are long-term (if not eternal) problems, so the other factors require equal attention.
 
Secrecy can be addressed by gathering more and clearer information. Since trafficking is such an international problem, this will require increased cooperation among governments. More and better information can raise awareness, help legislators determine what laws (and international agreements) are effective in combating human trafficking, and enable better enforcement of existing laws. Helping and protecting the victims of human trafficking can help bring them out of the shadows, changing the culture of fear and silence that enables traffickers’ coercive methods.
 
Demand is the trickiest element. The same mechanisms that spur voluntary labor migration (legal and illegal) also create the conditions for human trafficking: namely, a demand for cheap labor. In the United States and other developed nations, there is some momentum with educating consumers about goods and services produced in unethical ways. This can impact demand for end products, but since labor laws and standards vary widely around the world, affording more direct protection to workers of all kinds continues to be a challenge. When it comes to standards for protecting workers, international competition sometimes ends up in a race to the bottom, and traffickers take advantage of this.

In the case of sexual exploitation, the demand issue is further clouded by the issue of commercial sex work. In a statement entitled “Prevention: Fighting Sex Trafficking by Curbing Demand for Commercial Sex Acts,” the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons maintains that ending the demand for commercial sex would mean that sex trafficking would no longer exist – at least, not “in the form it does today.” However, in a letter to the Office’s director, a group of advocates and researchers spearheaded by the Rights Work Initiative objects that “these assumptions are not proven in any empirically meaningful way, and… only serve to deflect attention away from the structures and actors that in fact lead to trafficking of women, men and children. The proposals and statements in the document threaten to divert precious resources from protecting victims of trafficking who urgently need help into a politically contested and futile anti-prostitution campaign.” In their report “Moving Beyond ‘Supply and Demand’

Catchphrases: Assessing the uses and limitations of demand-based approaches in anti-trafficking,” the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women even contends that “Decriminalising sex work has the potential to assist anti-trafficking efforts by fostering cooperation between police and sex workers. Sex workers would be more enabled to practice their rights and feel safer about reporting concerns to police without fear of arrest or harassment.”

 
In its 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report, the U.S. State Department identifies some  common misperceptions about human trafficking as obstacles to effective action. Among these are the view of trafficking as something that occurs only in far off places (possibly as a “cultural” practice rather than a crime), the stigmatization of victims as criminals, and the mistaken notion that unless victims are literally held under lock and key, they are “free” from control. In response to the attitude that “There’s nothing I can do about it,” the report states:

Everyone can learn the signs of human trafficking and take action to alert authorities of possible crimes as appropriate. Citizens can learn about organizations that assist victims of trafficking in their hometowns and how to safely refer potential victims for help. They can spread awareness of, and dispel common misperceptions about, human trafficking.

There are awareness programs right now, but not enough victim prevention and recovery tools. As traffickers increasingly using the Internet and social media to facilitate their operation, victims and law enforcement need to access the same tools to counter traffickers. Large global corporations can help by monitoring their labor pool and supply chains. Countries that fail to meet standards set by the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 could be subjected to tougher sanctions, and more nations could partner with the U.S. to make those sanctions consistent and stringent.

The challenge of human trafficking is daunting and global. It is estimated to be a 32 billion dollar industry, and it is run by criminals who are commonly linked to drugs and weapons. This is all the more reason to get off square one and do whatever we can to help current victims and prevent future ones.