I wanted to start a series about the different issues experienced by those living in the countries I’ll be going to next year. But these issues are not limited to foreign countries and many occur in the United States as well.
I’ll start out with one of the main issues that has been close to my heart: human trafficking. So what is human trafficking? According to the Department of Homeland Security, human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.
The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 40.3 million victims of human trafficking globally.
? 81% of them are trapped in forced labor.
? 25% are children.
? 75% are women and girls.
Of the 8,759 cases of trafficking reported in the US in 2017 as captured by Polaris, these are the top three types reported for each form of trafficking:
Sex Trafficking: Escort Services (1,572 cases), Residential (508 cases), Outdoor Solicitation (329 cases)
Labor Trafficking: Domestic Work (242 cases), Agriculture (134 cases), Peddling and Begging (109 cases)
Sex and Labor Trafficking: Illicit Massage Businesses (774 cases), Bar/Strip Club/Cantina (194 cases), Illicit Activities (104 cases)
Here are some myths surrounding human trafficking:
Myth: Human trafficking only happens to foreigners or immigrants.
Fact: Human trafficking covers not only foreign nationals but US citizens as well.
Myth: Human trafficking involves transportation or smuggling of humans across borders
Fact: Transportation may or not be involved. Smuggling is a crime against a country’s borders while human trafficking is a crime against a person
Myth: A person must be physically restrained or held bondage to be considered trafficked
Fact: While this may sometimes be the case, many people are controlled psychologically rather than physically. They may be held captive by fraud, threats or coercion
Myth: Those held in human trafficking will ask for help or self identify as trafficked
Fact: Many won’t because of a variety of reasons such as threats, lack of trust of authorities, fear of deportation or self blame
Myth: Sex trafficking is the only form of human trafficking
Fact: Labor trafficking, forced labor for little to no pay, involuntary domestic servitude, and child soldiers are all forms of human trafficking
Myth: If the person initially consented despite being informed about the labor or that commercial sex would be involved, then it is not considered trafficking
Fact: Even if there was initial consent prior to acts of force, fraud or coercion, this is still a crime. A minor involved in commercial sex is considered trafficked regardless of whether they consented
Here are a few different websites to check out the stats and myths/facts I listed here:
Department of Homeland Security: What is Human Trafficking
UNODC on human trafficking and migrant smuggling
Jessica
