SOCHUM BACKGROUND GUIDE Chair: Alecia Wilk Chair: Rylee Montelione Vice Chair: Dean Riley
Letter From The Chairs Dear Delegates, Welcome to SOCHUM! Our names are Alecia Wilk, Dean Riley, and Rylee Montelione. We are all extremely excited to be the chairs of SOCHUM and discuss the pressing issue of human trafficking. This is our first time ever chairing a conference, and we hope this will be a rewarding experience for everyone involved. The topic of human trafficking was chosen because we felt it was an important conversation to have and would lead to new perspectives on the discussion of modern day slavery. In this committee you will be expected to brainstorm real world, practical solutions to the injustice of human trafficking. We are all looking forward to a vibrant debate that is focused, passionate, and most importantly meaningful. If you have any questions or concerns for Saturday please do not hesitate to email us at highlandmodelun@gmail.com. We are very eager to meet you all and hear your ideas regarding human trafficking. Best of Luck! Sincerely, Alecia Wilk (Head Chair) Rylee Montelione (Head Chair) Dean Riley (Vice Chair) Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Topic: Human Trafficking Introduction Slavery, the ownership of one person by another, is commonly regarded as a thing of the past, but unfortunately that is far from true. Slavery is still very much alive today in the form of human trafficking. According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), human trafficking is defined as the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them. (1) The tragedy of human trafficking is a problem for almost every government in the world, whether as countries of origin for victims, as countries of transit, or as final destinations. The enormity of this issue is devastating, but makes the practice all the more important. There are approximately 20 to 30 million slaves in the world today. According to the U.S. State Department, 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders every year, of which 80% are female and half are children. (2) It is the job of the United Nations Human Rights Council and role of each delegate to make progress and cease the enslavement and suffering of millions of people worldwide. Background (Past Actions Taken) 1904 International Agreement for the Suppression of the White Slave Traffic strives to cease the trafficking of women and girls towards an immoral life. Only a few countries sign the treaty.(3) 1949 UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others still focuses on the trafficking of women and children into prostitution, but is signed by many more countries.(4)
1957 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention states that forced labour can never be used as a means of political education, discipline, or punishment.(5) 1997 Establishment of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.(6) November 15, 2000 United Nations General Assembly adopts the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organized Crime and its protocols, which aim to combat human trafficking, migrant smuggling, and arms trafficking. (7) 2000 The United States passes the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and begins ranking countries in tiers based on their efforts to combat human trafficking. (8) 2004 The US creates the Tier 2 Watchlist. (9) 2006 UNODC publishes Toolkit to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which outlines the steps a state should take to properly combat human trafficking. (10) November 30 to December 2, 2008 First of a series of expert meetings to elaborate on the basic training modules on preventing and combating migrant smuggling.(11) 2009 UNODC publishes Model Law Against Trafficking of Persons, which demonstrates the type of law and penalisation that should be put into place in every nation.(12) 2009 UNODC publishes International Framework for Action to Implement the Trafficking in Persons Protocol, which aids nations in the implementation of said protocol.(13) July 2010 The General Assembly adopts United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.(14) 2010 UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons is launched following the implementation of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.(15) 2010 UNODC publishes Toolkit to Combat Smuggling of Migrants.(16)
2010 UNODC publishes Needs Assessment Toolkit on the Criminal Justice Response to Human Trafficking.(17) October 2010 UNODC publishes the Model Law Against the Smuggling of Migrants.(18) Description of the Problem Human trafficking involves an act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving a person through a use of force, coercion or other means, merely for the purpose of exploiting them. Human trafficking has become a major problem in the global community. Internationally, human trafficking is linked to illegal arms trade and is the second largest crime in the world (following the drug trade). This issue violates numerous human rights and poses a great threat to the victims. The smuggling of migrants and human trafficking for commercial exploitation and slave labour are just two of the quickest growing international issues in recent years. Exploitation usually comes in forms of forcing trafficked victims into prostitution, slavery, or servitude, or tricking victims into debt bondage. It is estimated that nearly eighty percent of trafficking involves sexual exploitation and approximately nineteen percent involves labour exploitation. Trafficking has become an illegal lucrative business in which traffickers or travel agents make large amounts of profits from hundreds of thousands a month to a million a year. According to the United Nations, there are approximately 2.5 million trafficked victims from 127 countries. It is a common misconception to believe that human trafficking only occurs in lesser developed and poorer countries; however, nearly every country, if not all, is involved in this
business. Although it is commonly presumed that trafficking occurs mainly in cities, trafficking takes place more frequently in suburbs because traffickers feel they are less likely to get caught in the act. Due to weak borders, neighboring countries also serve as destinations for trafficked women and children. Illiteracy, unemployment, poverty, child matrimony, domestic violence, and hazardous migration are presumed to be main causes for the growing rate of illegal human trafficking. The majority of trafficked victims are often effortlessly tricked through false advertisements in newspapers and magazines for a better life, approached in public sceneries, or are taken advantage of when traveling to and from cities. Many times, victims are placed in the business by families who are hoping to gain an income. In many cases, destinations for trafficked victims include brothels. Brothel owners rarely intervene with the law enforcement (police), and those who have only do so because of unpaid payments. The children in brothels are born there and often times have little access to proper upbringing. Lack of education among girls, women, and men is also fuelling the rapid growth of sexually transmitted diseases, namely HIV/AIDs. Women who have been sexually exploited experience a notably higher rate of HIV, tuberculosis, and permanent damage to their reproductive systems. Children victims are also at a higher risk to developing mental health problems and engage in violent crimes in the future. At these brothels, many clients hold a misconception, believing that having sexual intercourse with a virgin can cure their HIV/AIDs and other common sexually transmitted diseases. This has also greatly contributed to the growing spread of these diseases.
U.N. Involvement Recently, the United Nations High Commissioner on Human Rights and the United Nations Children s Education Fund have been working tirelessly to find solutions to human trafficking. The United Nations passed the General Assembly Resolution 159/54, in which it condemns kidnapping under any circumstances. Nine resolutions regarding combating human trafficking were passed at the General Assembly s 55 th session. In 2000, the United Nations adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (also known as the Trafficking Protocol) to create a global set of guidelines instituted by the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The aforementioned Protocol is the very first legally binding catalyst with an approved definition for human trafficking. The Protocol was effective on 25 December 2003, and by June 2010, the Trafficking Protocol was signed by 137 parties and 117 countries. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) oversees core programs in protecting human rights and implementing international rights agreements. Under this agency, the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women and the Working Group on Contemporary Forms have both well addressed trafficking. Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children and the Committee on the Rights of the Child work in coalition to overlook specific needs regarding children. Recently, the General Assembly s 64 th Session in 2009, has addressed the Report of the Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially in Women and Children. In addition to the aforementioned mechanisms, OHCHR recently established a system for intra-office coordination specifically for human trafficking.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is responsible for crime prevention and law reform. In 2010, UNODC hosted the 12th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. At this event, participants explored two top issues: the first was discussing the link between organized crime and trafficking/smuggling of persons and the second was discussing ways to prevent violence against migrants. The UN Global Program against Trafficking in Human Beings (GPAT) is also an organization that is cooperating against the trafficking of persons. The countries involved in this program are Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America and was established in March 1999. GPAT assists areas in their efforts to cease trafficking in human beings. It emphasizes the involvement of organized crime groups in human trafficking and promotes the development of effective ways to track down criminals responsible for the crime. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAID is an umbrella organization that brings together seven UN agencies for a common cause: the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, and the International Labour Organization (ILO)). UNAIDS has recognized that trafficked persons are highly vulnerable to HIV/AIDS exposure because they are usually prone to multiple physical and psychological health problems. Hence, UNAIDS has integrated anti-trafficking in its HIV/AIDS programmes to prevent the spread of the epidemic.
Conclusion As mentioned formerly, law enforcement and prosecutors are often given hush money as bribes to allow traffickers and brothel owners to get away with human rights violations with little to no punishment. It is therefore critical to remember to create transparency while simultaneously ensuring national sovereignty. Human trafficking is an issue that needs to be gradually stopped, as it will be difficult to discontinue all of a sudden. Many families rely on these actions as an income, and victims often have trouble reintegrating back into society if they even are released. Due to these circumstances, previous solutions mainly consisted of awareness and fundraising, however, just these methods will not suffice in truly combating human trafficking. Keep in mind that one of the main problems with human trafficking is that even after a victim is rescued, the victim has a sixty-five percent chance of falling back into the system again. Victims also face serious psychological problems and need medical attention. Bloc Positions Africa African countries are predominantly source regions for traffickers. Percentage of source institutions reporting the African territory as a source continent are 92%, as a transit continent are 41%, and as a destination continent are 44%. As for specific countries within Africa, Nigeria is well known as a source country, while Benin, Morocco, and Ghana are also widely recognized as source countries.
Asia Most parts of Asia serve as both a source territory as well as a destination for human trafficking. Victims specifically from Asia are transported from Asia to countries like Thailand, Japan, India, Taiwan, and Pakistan. Percentage of source institutions reporting the Asian territory as a source continent are 80%, as a transit continent 20%, and as a destination continent are 83%. As for specific countries within Asia, China and Thailand are labeled popular source countries, with Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Vietnam also highly ranked as source countries. Thailand, Japan, Israel, and Turkey are rated popularly destination countries with Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Cyprus, India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates also widely recognized as destination countries. Thailand is commonly referred to as a source, transit and destination country. Europe Central and South Eastern Europe are prominently a source sub-region. Victims transported out of these areas are typically trafficked into Western Europe. A majority of sources state the countries in this region as destination countries as well. Percentage of source institutions reporting Central and South Eastern European continent as a source territory 90%, as a transit territory are 52%, and as a destination territory are 57%. As for specific countries, Albania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Romania are labeled popularly as source countries. Percentage of source institutions reporting the Western European Continent, as a source territory is 1%, as a transit territory is 28%, and as a destination territory is 99%. As for specific countries, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, and Netherlands are ranked highly as destination countries.
The Americas This region is marked primarily as a source region. North America is also cited as a destination for victims trafficked out of Latin America and the Caribbean. Percentage of sources reporting Latin America and the Caribbean as an origin territory are 97%, as a transit territory are 17%, and as a destination country are 40%. As for specific countries, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, and Mexico are ranked high as source countries. Percentage of source institutions reporting the North American region as a source territory is 7%, as a transit territory is 12% and as a destination territory is 98%. The United States ranks highly in the citation index as a destination country. Questions to Consider 1. What are the current efforts being taken to combat human trafficking? 2. What are the causes of these issues of human trafficking? 3. How can we alleviate the problem without infringing on the sovereignty of nations? How can SOCHUM address the issue when human trafficking is embedded in cultural practices/perceptions? 4. What are the specific problems associated with origin, transit, and destination countries involved in trafficking? What aspects of each society are conducive to human trafficking? 5. How can SOCHUM go beyond education and creating awareness to stop the illegal activity?
Resources 1 UNODC on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling. UNODC.org, www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html 2 11 Facts About Human Trafficking. Retrieved March 22, 2018, from https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-human-trafficking 3 Human Trafficking. Infobase Learning, online.infobaselearning.com/login.aspx?app=we57&returnurl=%2ficof_story.aspx%3fpin&term= human%2btrafficking. 4 Ibid. 5 Ibid. 6 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. UNODC - Human Trafficking, United Nations, 2017, www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html?ref=menuside. 7 Ibid. 8 Human Trafficking Statistics and Data Infobase Learning, online.infobaselearning.com/login.aspx?app=we57&returnurl=%2ficof_story.aspx%3fpin&term= human%2btrafficking. 9 Ibid. 10 United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. UNODC Publications - Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/publications.html. 11 Human Trafficking Expert Group http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/2008/expert-group-meeting-to-elabora te-training-materialsto-combat-migrant-smuggling.html 12 http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/publications.html
13 Ibid. 14 http://www.ungift.org/knowledgehub/en/about/index.html 15 http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/index.html?ref=menuside 16 http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/publications.html