Human Trafficking, A Serious Modern Day Problem
Human Slavery A Black Market Trade
The reality of human trafficking and slavery is shocking and hard to believe. Unfortunately this problem is not confined to the history books and third world countries, this is a very real problem that does not respect country boarders. I find this a difficult topic to discuss and will endeavor to help bring this great crime into a greater light then it may be now. It is vitally important that people everywhere understand the nature of this problem and that it can and does exist even in their own societies. I am sorry to have to bring this upsetting news to you but this is the only way we can hope to tackle this human betrayal.
The nature of people smuggling is insidious and can happen anywhere. The reason for this is that it allows people to gain entry to a state where they have no legal right to reside in. Many people will fall victim to this form of human slavery out of desperation, they are easily convinced that they will be given a better quality of life and even earn money that can be sent back home. When the betrayal of this trust becomes understood by the victim it is often to late to escape, the person may often fear going to the local authorities because of their illegal status, or even because of threats made by the traffickers. What makes this so insidious is that these people could live in your community or even on your street and you would not know. The nature of this crime is secrecy and threats of violence for trying to get help.
The trafficking of women for sexual exploitation is a multi billion dollar business involving citizens of most countries and sustains organized crime. In europe this can happen when a young girl is told by her 'boyfriend' that he can help her get classes and a well paid job in a built up country like the UK or even America. The 'boyfriend' gains the trust of the young girl, once he has her across a boarder and has taken her passport (a necessity for getting into that training course) she can be made to feel trapped and reliant on this 'boyfriend'. When she reaches her destination (and sometimes well before that) she will be told that she must work off a debt to the people who are paying for her move to a new country. This 'work' will be prostitution, and she will likely be rapped a few times to break her into this 'work'. If an illegal brother can operate in your city a brothel can employ these girls meaning this trade can happen in even the most developed countries.
There are some rough estimates that indicate that children account for between 40% and 50% of all human trafficking victims, this is as many as 1.2 million children. As hard as it is to recognize (especially in developed countries like America) children are now being treated like a commodity on the black market. Sometimes they are simply relocated within their own country but more often they are moved across borders. Children are sold for purposes of forced labor, prostitution, pornography, organ removal, or even as child soldiers. Children are in high demand as cheap domestic labor, for farm work and especially for sexual exploitation. Girls as young as 13 years of age are sold as mail order brides where they are isolated, abused, raped and subjected to various forms of torture.
Sometimes the children are persuaded to comply by members of their own family with the promises of a better life. Other times they are forced or coerced, sometimes they are simply tricked or drugged into submission. With technological advances like the internet, child pornography has been made easier to obtain adding to the problem. Shockingly beliefs that AIDS can be cured by having sex with a virgin contribute to the demand for child trafficking, adding to the vulnerability of children.
If you have been effected by this article and are in a position to donate please consider donating to the charities listed below. If like me you are not in a position to make a financial contribution let us help increase the view of this problem in the public eye by passing this article on to others, or try writing an article of your own! By bringing this problem into public view we can help to stop these criminal networks from being able to operate and spread this horrific evil.
