HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective (PPT Attached)



Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective (PPT Attached)

Human Trafficking

Human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery or trafficking in persons, is a criminal act and a violation of basic human rights (e.g., right to freedom, right to dignity, right to equal protection of the law) that affects every country in the world. Human trafficking is one of the few crimes that has been pursued from a victim's perspective, with a focus on prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, and prosecution of traffickers. This entry explores the definition of trafficking and related common misunderstandings, and includes an examination of the size, scope, and patterns of trafficking; sample profiles of traffickers and victims; and responses to human trafficking.

Size, Scope, and Patterns

The size and scope of the human trafficking problem throughout the world is unknown. Similar to other types of abuse, human trafficking remains hidden, thus underreported, as a result of victims' fear and shame. Estimates of the number of victims have ranged from a few thousand to many millions, but none of the estimates are based on reliable data. For example, 14,500 to 17,500 trafficking victims per year entering the United States has been widely used in estimates for several years. However, only approximately 300 to 500 victims per year have been identified through many sources (e.g., newspapers, court cases).

A Global Problem

Trafficking is most often a means of securing individuals for participation in various types of forced labor. It may be carried out by small networks of individuals, with each one responsible for a different aspect of the process of luring or abducting a victim; transporting them, or overseeing them once they arrive at their final destination. However, trafficking is most often carried out as part of organized crime activities. It is one of the largest criminal industries in the world, ranking third behind arms dealing and the drug trade, and generates billions of dollars in profits each year. Human trafficking is a global phenomenon and impacts nearly every country in the world-wealthy and impoverished, small and large, democracies and republics, and even monarchies. Internationally, there are distinct geographic patterns that emerge in regard to both the origins of trafficked individuals and their destinations. Victims of international trafficking are most often lured or taken from poor nations or conflict zones (referred to as “source” countries) and then pass through other “transit” countries before reaching their final destination.

At present, the most common origins of trafficked individuals include Asia, Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, Russia, eastern Europe (particularly Belarus, Lithuania, Romania, Ukraine, and Moldova), Mexico, parts of South America (especially Brazil and Colombia), and the Caribbean. Victims may be sent nearly anywhere in the world. However, known trafficking routes demonstrate that primary destinations for trafficked individuals tend to be industrialized, relatively prosperous nations, including those in Western Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and North America (particularly the United States).

The solution to these unreliable estimates has been to collect data on actual cases, thus under-counting the ...