Human Trafficking

Intro Trafficking is a modern day slave trade. Traffickers use deception or coercion to take people away from their homes. Victims of trafficking are then forced into a situation of exploitation, such as forced labour or prostitution.

What is Human Trafficking? The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act define human trafficking as: a) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or, b) the recruitment, harbouring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labour or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

Force: using violence to control someone Coercion: using threats to control someone Fraud: using lies to control someone

Difference Between Human Trafficking and Slavery? Slavery is when one person completely controls another person, using violence to maintain that control, pays them nothing and they cannot walk away. Human trafficking is the modern day slave trade — the process of enslaving a person. It happens when someone is tricked or kidnapped or coerced, and then taken into slavery. If moving a person from one place to another does not result in slavery, then it is not human trafficking. This “supply” makes slaves today cheaper than they have ever been. Since they are so cheap, slaves are today are not considered a major investment worth maintaining. If slaves get sick, are injured, outlive their usefulness, or become troublesome to the slaveholder, they are dumped or killed.

What is Human Trafficking? Movement of a person: a person who is trafficked is moved away from their family and home, and is moved either to a different place within the same country, or to another country. With deception or coercion: a person who is trafficked may have been forcefully abducted or they may have been tricked by a trusted friend or family member or by joining an agency who promises them a better life, with a well-paid job. Into a situation of exploitation: those who are trafficked may end up in forced labour or trapped working in a job with a poor wage.

But wait…what’s the difference between smuggling and trafficking? The main difference is consent. Smuggling: someone knowingly pays a facilitator to transport them to another country through irregular migration routes Trafficking: a person is forced or tricked into leaving their community through regular or irregular migration routes. Even if the person agreed to leaving the country, consent is taken away through the use of force or deception.

Another difference…Exploitation Smuggling: the relationship between smuggler and smuggled person ends when they arrive at the destination. Trafficking: exploitation continues after the arrival at the destination. The person is not free to leave and is forced to work under conditions they have not agreed to.

Another difference…Transnationality Smuggling: always crossing a border through irregular means (back of a truck, boats, etc) Trafficking: can happen within a country (ie. between cities), it just involves removing a person from their community for the purpose of exploitation

Why are People Trafficked? Poverty: traffickers exploit people who want to escape poverty Gender Discrimination: girls are less likely to have life opportunities than boys Wars, natural disasters and political instability Family Breakdowns: families losing homes or livelihoods Greener Grass Syndrome: people promised a better life elsewhere Increased demand for migrant workers in developed countries Cycle of Poverty: poor, uneducated people look to children to work Globalisation: easier for people to move across borders Weak Laws: authorities turn a blind eye to traffickers

Why Don’t People Escape from Trafficking? Threat of violence against family Debt Bondage: trafficked person owes money to trafficker or their family Restrictions on Freedom of Movement: traffickers remove passport/identity documents Isolation: trafficked person does not know the language of country or how to get around Fear of Authorities: trafficked person scared of being imprisoned or deported Emotional Attachment: trafficked person may have emotional attachment to trafficker (boyfriend or only person feeding them)

Human Trafficking Case Studies Read through your case study and consider the following questions: Why was this person vulnerable to trafficking? What do you think was the motive to the traffickers? How was this trafficked person treated? Does this fit your definition of slavery? What human rights were denied to this victim of trafficking? Why was it so difficult for this person to escape his/her situation?

Why was this person vulnerable to trafficking? He/she was poor and lacking opportunities; he/she was neglected by his/her parents and/or society; there were no support structures available to this person or he/she may not have known where to go for help. What do you think was the motive of the traffickers? To make money; they wanted cheap labour (to fulfil a demand for cheap goods).

How was this trafficked person treated? Description of the work they had to do. Does this fit your definition of slavery? If the victim was forced to work, controlled by their employer and restrictions were made on his/her freedom of movement, then this fits the definition of slavery. What human rights were denied to this victim of trafficking? Articles 4, 5, 13, 23, 24, 25.