Short Brief on June 2007 Center for Advanced Defense Studies 10 G St, STE 610 Washington, DC 20002 202 289 3332 www.c4ads.org 1
An Overview Short Brief on Introduction In the last decade, human trafficking, considered a form of modern-day slavery, has become a topic of increasing importance in the international community. Human trafficking is a very opaque and often transnational activity and thus most estimates of the scope of human trafficking activity are unreliable. That said, the UN believes that over 12 million people have been trafficked within the last year, with other estimates typically falling between 4 million and 20 million people (US Department of State, 2007, pg. 8). Human trafficking is considered to be a violation of the basic human rights and a modern form of slavery. Victims of human trafficking are often mentally, physically and sexually abused and forced into service without pay in the worst condition. Despite the brutal nature of human trafficking, many countries have either been slow to recognize the problems associated with human trafficking or have been unsuccessful in combating it. What is? 70% of all women trafficked are sexually exploited The UN believes 12 Million People were trafficked in 2006 In 2000, the UN General Assembly adopted the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which was a supplement to the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime. The protocol defines three elements relating to the trafficking of persons, which includes recruiting, transporting and harboring people, the improper use of force, coercion, abduction and fraud and various forms of exploitation including sexual exploitation, forced labor and debt bondage (Kristiina Kangaspunta, 2003, pp. 82-83). The sex trade is currently the most common form of trafficking. This can include forced prostitution and sexual abuse as well as sex tourism in which tourists travel to different countries where they can be serviced by prostitutes (US Department of State, 2007, pg. 27-28). Women and children are the most common people to end up in the sex trade. In fact, some 70% of all women who are victims of trafficking are sexually exploited (Graeme R. Newman, 2006, pg. 2). Forced labor is the other major type of exploitation. This practice is designed to provide cheap labor to the buyer of trafficked humans and commonly results in individuals being forced to work as domestic servants, construction workers, sweat shop workers or other services (CCEM, 2003). Another particularly egregious form of human trafficking most common in Africa, Asia and parts of South America is the forced recruitment of child soldiers who are either forced to fight in regional conflict or are impressed into slave labor in support positions. Victims of trafficking are typically abused, coerced and fooled into being exploited. Living conditions for victims are typically substandard, often result in physical and mental health problems (US Department of State, 2007, pg. 33). 2
Demand for trafficking comes from a variety of sources. Chief among them is the desire for sexual service and child pornography. Cheap labor, especially for illegal activities is another source of demand for human trafficking. Who are the Victims of Trafficking and How are they Exploited Human trafficking is a particularly sophisticated form of criminal activity, and often the methods employed in trafficking are quite subtle. The victims are selected from poorer countries and are often willing participants in the criminal activity at first. Often, it is only when they reach their destination that the victims learn the true nature of their situation. At that point in time, a number of tools are used to make the victim vulnerable, dependant and afraid so as to prevent them from escaping or contacting the authorities. Most victims of trafficking come from the developing world or areas of poverty and violence. These areas include countries in Africa, Asia and South America. There has also been a recent surge in the number of victims from Central and Eastern Europe and especially Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and other countries of the Former Soviet Union (FSU) (Vanessa von Streunsee, 2000, pg. 2). They are often in situations where they are desperate to escape their present living environment either because of violence to economic impoverishment. Women are the most common victims of trafficking, followed by children and then men. In most cases, the victims are either living alone or have left their family to find work (US GAO, 2006, pg. 20). In this sense, trafficking has much in common with immigration, especially illegal immigration. In trafficking schemes, traffickers take advantage of the victims desire to leave their present location and their ignorance or idealism concerning other parts of the world. Victims are offered opportunities for better lives and well paying jobs. These offers can take a variety of forms, such as news paper ads, jobs offered through travel agencies or other business fronts, and word of mouth (CCEM, 2003, pp. 8-9 & 10). This often means that victims are willing at first. Traffickers either help supply them with the necessary paperwork to leave a country or offer to transport them illegally. This has often caused the victims of trafficking to be treated as illegal immigrants (Kristiina Kangaspunta, 2003, pp. 85-86). Often, future victims of trafficking and exploitation have agreed to pay for the services of the trafficker. Victims may agree to pay for their transformation in installments as they move from one transit point to the other on way to their destination, or they may pay have up front and promise to pay for the other half when they begin working (CCEM, 2003, pp. 12-13). The most common destinations for trafficking victims are more developed countries or countries where the legal codes don t address trafficking or are vague. The US, Europe, parts of Asia and certain countries in the Middle East are common destinations for trafficking. Kidnapping is a very extreme form of trafficking and not as common as the use of trickery and coercion. Kidnapping is most common in the conscription of child soldiers. Another form of coercion used to ensnare victims is the lover boy method in which a woman is tricked into leaving the country with a trafficker who she believes to be her lover, only to find they have 3
Short Brief on become victims of trafficking. Another common method is for parent to send their children to relatives abroad, hoping to provide them with a better life or a chance to earn money. These children are then trafficked and exploited by their relatives. (CCEM, 2003, pg. 8). Once the victims arrive at their destination or are at least dependent on the traffickers, they are informed of the true nature of their plight and a number of means are used to keep the victims from running away or contacting authorities. Most commonly, victims are abused physically and mentally, if not sexually. They may also be threatened or scared into submission. Often, this can include having their passports and identification taken from them. They may also be told that the local authorities will treat them as criminals for entering the country illegally. This last threat is especially potent since it can be true and even if it is not, many victims come from countries where law enforce is corrupt and repressive (US GAO, 2006, pg.15). Efforts are made to retrain the mobility of the victims by confining them, locking them up or having them constantly accompanied by escorts (US Department of State, 2007, pp. 17-21). Victims may also be moved around frequently to prevent them from becoming familiar with their environment or visible to authorities. Their handlers may also promote drug and alcohol addiction. Finally, debt is used to enslave the victims. Their debts are exaggerated and increasingly added to in order to keep them in service. The ultimate goal of all these activities is to make the victim dependent and destabilized and too afraid to run away. Dealing with the Problem Trafficking is an extremely lucrative form of criminal enterprise, on par with the drug and weapon trades with an almost unlimited source of demand. It promotes organized crime and undercuts government legitimacy. Human also trafficking constitutes a serious breach of an individual s human rights. Victims are physically abused and sexually assaulted. Many suffer from fatigue and post traumatic stress as well as psychological problems. Even more importantly, trafficking presents a considerable health risk to the international community. The living conditions that victims are kept in are unsanitary and promote disease. Worse, victims of sexual exploitation receive no prenatal care and are at high risk of contracting STDs. Indeed, HIV is very common among victims of sexual exploitation. Because many victims are constantly being moved around, trafficking represents a significant health risk to the international community. HIV and other STDs are very common among victims of sexual exploitation Despite these risks, trafficking has only recently become a major issue, and many countries still do not have sufficient laws governing trafficking or the capabilities to enforce those laws. Despite the US and UN s calls in 2000 for a comprehensive plan to fight international trafficking, none has been developed. Another problem is that victims of trafficking are often treated as criminals for being illegal immigrants and living in a country illegally. Another problem is that the transportation of victims is often voluntary, at least at first, causing some countries to focus on the crime only at the local level. Clearly, much more needs to be done to combat human trafficking. It is a serious violation of human rights and a major health risk as well as a destabilizing criminal enterprise. First and 4
foremost, victims of human trafficking have to be treated as victims, not criminals. Second, an international approach to trafficking will also have to be better developed since this is clearly a problem of international scope. This is a difficult problem, but one that is an imperative for the international community. 5
Bibliography Short Brief on CCEM, 2003, Perspective on Trafficking in Human Beings, trans. Stephen Noble, Autogrpahe/GP Paris. Kangaspunta, Kristiina, 2003 Mapping the Human Trade: Preliminary Finding of the Database on the trafficking of Human beings, Forum on Crime and Society, vol. 3, no. 1 & 2. R. Newman, Graeme, 2006, The Exploitation of Trafficked Women, US Dept of Justice: Office of Community Oriented Policy Services, no. 38. Unknown Author, 2001, International Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, The American Journal of International Law, vol 95, no 2, April 2001 US Government Accounting Office, 2006 : Better Data, Strategy and Reporting Needed to Enhance US Anti-Trafficking Efforts Abroad, Washington DC, US Government Accounting Office. US Department of State, 2007, Trafficking in Persons Report, Washington DC, US Department of State Office of Publications: Office of the Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs and Bureau of Public Affairs. von Struensee, Vanessa JD, PHD, 2000, Globalized, Wired, Sex Trafficking in Women and Children, Journal of Law, vol 7, no 2. 6