Human Trafficking: Social Welfare and US Policies and Issues

Human Trafficking: Social Welfare and US Policies and Issues

Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking is another term for modern-day slavery. A huge number of people worldwide are held captive and are forced to work. At times, their masters physically beat them to force them to work. They even sell these people into slavery. They false promise people regarding job, money, education and better living to trick them into slavery. Eventually, they break these promises. In this way, they trap these people (Hart, 2008).

Social Issues

There are various forms of human trafficking. A few of them include forced labor, forced marriages, sex trading and debt bondage (http://sf-hrc.org). Human trafficking affects almost all types of people. Young women, children, older women and men are equally vulnerable to trafficking. Mostly, trafficking target are the rural area people because they are the ones who are least aware of the realities of this world are in earnest need of quick money. The victims of trafficking suffer from mental, psychological and emotional disorder. Upon arrival to their native country, these victims are socially isolated, deprived of the basic necessities of life, looked down upon by society and held in confinement. Children who are compelled into labor have to work for long hours. They are even beaten by their owners. The victims are labeled as 'damaged' or un-cleaned'. Their societies do make them reintegrate.

History of Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking has been existing since ancient times. In holy books such as Old Testaments and New Testaments, in Holy Quran of Muslims, and in the holy books of ancient Greece and Rome, slavery of human beings has been clearly illustrated. The issue of human slavery existed in many ancient civilizations such as pre-Columbian America, Africa, Asia and Europe. In these societies, majority of the slaves were captives of war and their successors. Free people were also enslaved as a result of their financial collapse or for failing to fulfill a pledge on behalf of someone else that they had entered. They could also be made slaves as a penalty for breaking of law (Dupont, 2009). At times to survive from a financial collapse, free people normally sold themselves or their family into slavery. In those times, anybody`s enslavement was a well recognized social reality.

Identification as a problem

In 1807, Great Britain recognized and identified human trafficking and slave trading as a problem. It banned slave trading across its empire. The slave trading that was legally recognized in Britain continued. In 1833, this type of trading and all types of human trafficking were banned in Britain. In 1865, The United States banned slave trading. Various other countries slowly and gradually started banning human trafficking (Dupont, 2009).

Comparison of human trafficking in ancient times and modern world

Human trafficking is an issue that exists in today`s world as well. Human trafficking or 'modern-day slavery' has a lot of similarities to the slavery that use to take place in ancient times. The master of slaves has almost a complete control over his ...