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Causes and Effects of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a global, complex, and heartbreaking issue.

For approximately 50 million people, it’s not some obscure, disconnected concept that’s hard to comprehend; it’s a reality they’re forced to live in daily. If we want to effectively contribute to the eradication of modern slavery , we must first understand what causes human trafficking and the effects of human trafficking on those involved. Only then can we start making strategic moves to stop this crime and truly help those in need.

What causes human trafficking?

The root cause of human trafficking is traffickers 1.

Traffickers prey on others’ weaknesses, unfortunate circumstances, unfamiliarity, and inexperience. Traffickers are trained to identify vulnerability and use expert manipulation tactics to persuade and control their victims. They identify a void and offer to fill it.

Vulnerability creates opportunity for traffickers

Individuals living in difficult conditions can become desperate, and that desperation makes them vulnerable. While the following categories do not cause human trafficking, they do create a state of vulnerability and ideal opportunities for traffickers to strike.

10 Facts About Human Trafficking

Download our free guide today.

Conditions That Create Vulnerability

Unemployment, displacement, lack of knowledge or experience, broken families, cultural practices, what are the effects of human trafficking.

Human trafficking can have physical, emotional, and psychological effects on anyone involved. It has the power to impact someone’s life forever. Here are some common ways human trafficking affects victims and perpetrators. As you read through this section, keep in mind that many traffickers also experience trauma because of what they see and do to others, and many traffickers have been victimized themselves at some point in their lives.

Effects of human trafficking on the victims

Mental trauma, physical trauma, lack of independent living skills, effects of human trafficking on the trafficker(s), cheap labor, escape from victimization, what you can do to help.

Here at The Exodus Road, we believe we all have a role to play in creating a free world. There are numerous ways YOU can help   fight human trafficking in your own community .

• Bring awareness to your social circles so your friends and family know more about trafficking
• Volunteer with a local counter-trafficking organization
• Host a fundraiser
• Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline if you notice suspicious activity
• Be a friend to someone who is alone and vulnerable
• Donate to an organization that works on the front lines.   The Exodus Road works with local police to find and free modern slaves and provide aftercare to survivors.

Donate to The Exodus Road today.

No action is too small. N ever underestimate the difference you can make in someone’s life through one small act of kindness.

This article was originally published in November of 2018.

Micah Hartmann

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• Introduction

The trafficking scheme

Types of exploitation, legal response, human trafficking as organized crime, prevention and control of human trafficking.

human trafficking

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• United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime - Human Trafficking
• U.S Department of Homeland Security - Blue Campaign - What is Human Trafficking?
• National Crime Agency - Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
• Social Sciences LibreTexts - Trafficking in Persons
• U.S. Department of State - Understanding Human Trafficking
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - Human Trafficking
• human trafficking - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
• Table Of Contents

human trafficking , form of modern-day slavery involving the illegal transport of individuals by force or deception for the purpose of labour , sexual exploitation , or activities in which others benefit financially. Human trafficking is a global problem affecting people of all ages. It is estimated that approximately 1,000,000 people are trafficked each year globally and that between 20,000 and 50,000 are trafficked into the United States , which is one of the largest destinations for victims of the sex-trafficking trade.

Although human trafficking is recognized as a growing international phenomenon, one with a long history (see the story of St. Josephine Bakhita , the patron saint of Sudan and of victims of human trafficking), a uniform definition has yet to be internationally adopted. The United Nations (UN) divides human trafficking into three categories— sex trafficking , labour trafficking, and the removal of organs —and defines human trafficking as the induction by force, fraud , or coercion of a person to engage in the sex trade, or the harbouring, transportation, or obtaining of a person for labour service or organ removal. Though the United States does not acknowledge the removal of organs in its definition, it does recognize sex and labour trafficking and describes human trafficking as the purposeful transportation of an individual for exploitation.

Human traffickers often create transnational routes for transporting migrants who are driven by unfavourable living conditions to seek the services of a smuggler. Human trafficking usually starts in origin countries—namely, Southeast Asia , eastern Europe , and sub-Saharan Africa —where recruiters seek migrants through various mediums such as the Internet , employment agencies, the media, and local contacts. Middlemen who recruit from within the origin country commonly share the cultural background of those migrating. Migrants view the services of a smuggler as an opportunity to move from impoverished conditions in their home countries to more stable, developed environments .

Because such circumstances make it difficult for victims to obtain legitimate travel documents, smugglers supply migrants with fraudulent passports or visas and advise them to avoid detection by border-control agents. Transporters, in turn, sustain the migration process through various modes of transportation: land, air, and sea. Although victims often leave their destination country voluntarily, the majority are unaware that they are being recruited for a trafficking scheme. Some may be kidnapped or coerced, but many are bribed by false job opportunities, passports, or visas. Transporters involved in trafficking victims from the origin country are compensated only after they have taken migrants to the responsible party in the destination country. Immigration documents, whether legitimate or fraudulent, are seized by the traffickers. After this, victims are often subjected to physical and sexual abuse , and many are forced into labour or the sex trade in order to pay off their migratory debts.

The cause of human trafficking stems from adverse circumstances in origin countries, including religious persecution, political dissension, lack of employment opportunities, poverty , wars , and natural disasters. Another causal factor is globalization , which has catapulted developing countries into the world’s market, increasing the standard of living and contributing to the overall growth of the global economy. Unfortunately, globalization is a double-edged sword in that it has shaped the world’s market for the transportation of illegal migrants, affording criminal organizations the ability to expand their networks and create transnational routes that facilitate the transporting of migrants. The U.S. Department of State adds that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has generated a large number of orphans and child-headed households, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, a situation that creates fertile soil for trafficking and servitude.

The most prevalent form of human trafficking that results in servitude is the recruitment and transport of people into the international sex industry. Sex slavery involves males and females, both adults and children, and constitutes an estimated 58 percent of all trafficking activities. It consists of different types of servitude, including forced prostitution , pornography , child sex rings, and sex-related occupations such as nude dancing and modeling. Forced prostitution is a very old form of enslavement, and recruitment into this lifestyle is often a booming business for purveyors of the sex trade. Victims of sexual slavery are often manipulated into believing that they are being relocated to work in legitimate forms of employment. Those who enter the sex industry as prostitutes are exposed to inhumane and potentially fatal conditions, especially with the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. Additionally, some countries, including India , Nepal , and Ghana , have a form of human trafficking known as ritual (religion-based) slavery, in which young girls are provided as sexual slaves to atone for the sins of family members.

Forced labour has likely been around since shortly after the dawn of humankind, though there are a number of different forms of modern involuntary servitude that can go easily unnoticed by the general public. Debt bondage (also called peonage ), is the enslavement of people for unpaid debts and is one of the most common forms of contemporary forced labour. Similarly, contract slavery uses false or deceptive contracts to justify or explain forced slavery. In the United States the majority of nonsex labourers are forced into domestic service, followed by agriculture, sweatshops , and restaurant and hotel work.

Children are often sold or sent to areas with the promise of a better life but instead encounter various forms of exploitation. Domestic servitude places “extra children” (children from excessively large families) into domestic service, often for extended periods of time. Other trafficked children are often forced to work in small-scale cottage industries, manufacturing operations, and the entertainment and sex industry. They are frequently required to work for excessive periods of time, under extremely hazardous working conditions, and for little or no wages . Sometimes they become “street children” and are used for prostitution, theft , begging, or the drug trade. Children are also sometimes trafficked into military service as soldiers and experience armed combat at very young ages.

Another recent and highly controversial occurrence involving human trafficking is the abduction or deception that results in the involuntary removal of bodily organs for transplant . For years there have been reports from China that human organs were harvested from executed prisoners without the consent of family members and sold to transplant recipients in various countries. There have also been reported incidents of the removal and transport of organs by medical and hospital employees. In addition, there have been claims that impoverished people sell organs such as kidneys for cash or collateral . Although there have been some allegations of trafficking of human fetuses for use in the cosmetics and drug industry, these reports have not been substantiated . In recent years the Internet has been used as a medium for the donors and recipients of organ trafficking, whether legal or not.

Although the practice of trafficking humans is not new, concerted efforts specifically to curtail human trafficking did not emerge until the mid-1990s, when public awareness of the issue also emerged. The first step to eradicating this problem was to convince multiple stakeholders that human trafficking was a problem warranting government intervention. As antitrafficking rhetoric gained momentum, efforts to address human trafficking crossed ideological and political lines. Recognizing the inadequacy of then-existing laws, the U.S. Congress passed the first comprehensive federal legislation specifically addressing human trafficking, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA). The primary goal of the TVPA is to provide protection and assistance to trafficking victims, to encourage international response, and to provide assistance to foreign countries in drafting antitrafficking programs and legislation. The TVPA seeks to successfully combat human trafficking by employing a three-pronged strategy: prosecution, protection, and prevention. Many federal agencies are given the oversight of human trafficking, including the Departments of Justice , Homeland Security , Health and Human Services , and Labor and the U.S. Agency for International Development. The primary U.S. agency charged with monitoring human trafficking is the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (also called the trafficking office).

In addition to the U.S., many governmental entities throughout the world are actively engaged in the attempt to stop or at least slow the activity of trafficking in humans. In 2000 the UN established the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children , which provided a commonly accepted working definition of human trafficking and called upon countries to promulgate laws to combat the practice, to assist victims, and to promote coordination and cooperation between countries.

The Office of Drugs and Crime is the UN arm that monitors and implements policies concerning human trafficking and is the designer of the Global Program Against Trafficking in Human Beings (GPAT). Another important international agency with responsibility in this area is Interpol , whose aims are to provide assistance to all national criminal justice agencies and to raise awareness of the issue. Other involved global organizations include the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Human trafficking is a highly structured and organized criminal activity. The criminal enterprises need to transport a large number of migrants over a substantial distance, have a well-organized plan to execute the various stages of the crime , and possess a substantial amount of money for such undertakings. Human traffickers have developed a multibillion-dollar industry by exploiting those forced or willing to migrate. For this reason, migrant trafficking is increasingly recognized as a form of organized crime . Trafficking networks may encompass anything from a few loosely associated freelance criminals to large organized criminal groups acting in concert.

Human trafficking is a lucrative criminal activity, touted as the third most profitable business for organized crime, after drugs and the arms trade, at an estimated $32 billion per year. In fact, narcotics trafficking and human trafficking are often intertwined, using the same actors and routes into a country. Migrant trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises. Traffickers resort to other illicit activities to legitimize their proceeds, such as laundering the money obtained not only from trafficking but also from forced labour, sex industries, and the drug trade. To protect their investment, traffickers use terroristic threats as a means of control over their victims and demonstrate power through the threat of deportation, the seizing of travel documentation, or violence against the migrants or their family members remaining in the origin country.

Trafficking is a transnational crime that requires international cooperation, and the United States has taken a lead in promoting intercontinental cooperation. The TVPA provides assistance to foreign governments in facilitating the drafting of antitrafficking laws, the strengthening of investigations, and the prosecuting of offenders. Countries of origin, transit, and destination of trafficking victims are encouraged to adopt minimal antitrafficking standards. These minimal standards consist of prohibiting severe forms of trafficking, prescribing sanctions proportionate to the act, and making a concerted effort to combat organized trafficking.

Foreign governments are to make a sustained effort to cooperate with the international community , assist in the prosecution of traffickers, and protect victims of trafficking. If governments fail to meet the minimum standards or fail to make strides to do so, the United States may cease financial assistance beyond humanitarian and trade-related aid. Furthermore, these countries will face opposition from the United States in obtaining support from financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund . The U.S. Department of State annually reports antitrafficking efforts in the Trafficking in Persons Report on countries considered to have a significant trafficking problem.

129 Human Trafficking Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

📝 key points to use to write an outstanding human trafficking essay, 🏆 best human trafficking topic ideas & essay examples, ⭐ simple & easy human trafficking essay titles, 📌 most interesting human trafficking topics to write about, 👍 good research topics about human trafficking.

• ❓ Research Questions about Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is one of the most challenging and acute assignment topics. Students should strive to convey a strong message in their human trafficking essays.

They should discuss the existing problems in today’s world and the ways to solve them. It means that essays on human trafficking require significant dedication and research. But do not worry, we are here to help you write an outstanding essay.

Find the issue you want to discuss in your paper. There are many titles to choose from, as you can analyze the problem from various perspectives. The examples of human trafficking essay topics include:

• The problem of child trafficking in today’s world
• The causes of human trafficking
• Human trafficking: The problem of ethics and values
• The role of today’s society in fostering human trafficking
• Human trafficking as a barrier to human development
• The rate of human trafficking victims in the world’s countries
• How to prevent and stop human trafficking

Remember that you can select other human trafficking essay titles if you want. Search for them online or ask your professor for advice.

Now that you are ready to start working on your paper, you can use these key points for writing an outstanding essay:

• Study the issue you have selected and do preliminary research. Look for news articles, scholarly papers, and information from reputable websites. Do not rely on Wikipedia or related sources.
• Work on the outline for your paper. A well-developed outline is a key feature of an outstanding essay. Include an introductory and a concluding paragraph along with at least three body paragraphs. Make sure that each of your arguments is presented in a separate paragraph or section.
• Check out human trafficking essay examples online to see how they are organized. This step can also help you to evaluate the relevance of the topic you have selected. Only use online sources for reference and do not copy the information you will find.
• Your introductory paragraph should start with a human trafficking essay hook. The hooking sentence or a phrase should grab the reader’s attention. An interesting fact or a question can be a good hook. Hint: make sure that the hooking sentence does not make your paper look overly informal.
• Do not forget to include a thesis statement at the end of your introductory section. Your paper should support your thesis.
• Define human trafficking and make sure to answer related questions. Is it common in today’s world? What are the human trafficking rates? Help the reader to understand the problem clearly.
• Discuss the causes and consequences of human trafficking. Think of possible questions you reader would ask and try to answer all of them.
• Be specific. Provide examples and support your arguments with evidence. Include in-text citations if you refer to information from outside sources. Remember to use an appropriate citation style and consult your professor about it.
• Discuss the legal implications of human trafficking in different countries or states. What are the penalties for offenders?
• Address the ethical implications of the problem as well. How does human trafficking affect individuals and their families?
• A concluding paragraph should be a summary of your arguments and main ideas of the paper. Discuss the findings of your research as well.

Check out our samples (they are free!) and get the best ideas for your paper!

• Human Trafficking: Process, Causes and Effects To make the matters worse they are abused and the money goes to the pockets of these greedy people as they are left empty handed after all the humiliation they go through.
• Trafficking of Children and Women: A Global Perspective The scale of women and children trafficking is very large but difficult to put a figure on the actual number of women and children trafficked all over the world. The demand for people to work […]
• Human Trafficking in the United States The paper also discusses the needs of the victims of human trafficking and the challenges faced in the attempt to offer the appropriate services.
• Human Trafficking in Africa Therefore, Africa’s human trafficking can be primarily attributed to the perennial political instability and civil unrest as the root causes of the vice in the continent. Some traditions and cultural practices in Africa have significantly […]
• Human Trafficking: Slavery Issues These are the words to describe the experiences of victims of human trafficking. One of the best places to intercept human trafficking into the US is at the border.
• Reflection on Human Trafficking Studies When researching and critically evaluating the global issue of human trafficking, I managed to enrich my experience as a researcher, a professional, and an individual due to the facts and insights gained through this activity.
• Human Trafficking Through the General Education Lens First and foremost, the numerous initiatives show that the regional governments are prepared to respond to the problem of human trafficking in a coordinated manner.
• Discussion: Human Trafficking of Adults Human trafficking of adults is one of the most essential and significant issues of modern times, which affects the lives of millions of people in almost every corner of the globe.
• Human Trafficking and Related Issues and Tensions In the business sector, therefore, discrimination leads to the workload of the trafficked employee to make a huge lot of work to be done at the right time required.
• Doctor-Patient Confidentiality and Human Trafficking At the same time, it is obligatory to keep the records of all the patients in the healthcare settings while Dr. To conclude, the decision in the case of an encounter with human trafficking should […]
• Three Ethical Lenses on Human Trafficking As a result of the issue’s illegality, a deontologist will always observe the law and, as a result, will avoid or work to eradicate human trafficking.
• Policy Issues on Human Trafficking in Texas The challenge of preventing human trafficking in Texas and meeting the needs of its victims is complicated by the multifaceted nature of the problem.
• Dark Window on Human Trafficking: Rhetorical Analysis In this essay, Ceaser utilized his rhetorical skills to dive into the dark world of human trafficking, which severely hits Latin America and the USA, through the usage of images and forms of different societal […]
• Human Trafficking: Giving a Fresh Perspective One question I find reoccurring is, “Are all victims of human trafficking being dishonest?” Throughout my career and law enforcement, I met the cases in which victims were dishonest, and I wanted to discover why.
• Human Trafficking and Variety of Its Forms The types of human trafficking that harshly break human rights are sex trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage. To conclude, it is essential to say that human trafficking has been the worst type of crime […]
• Child Welfare and Human Trafficking Young people and children that live in “out-of-home care” due to reasons of abuse or lack of resources are at higher risk of becoming subjects of trafficking.
• Human Trafficking and Healthcare Organizations Human Trafficking, which is a modern form of slavery, is a critical issue nowadays since it affects many marginalized people around the world.
• Human Trafficking Is a Global Affair It refers to the unlawful recruitment, harboring and transportation of men, women and children for forced labor, sex exploitation, forced marriages, through coercion and fraud.
• Human Trafficking and Nurses’ Education Therefore, there is a need to educate nurses in understanding human trafficking victims’ problems and learning the signs or ared flags’ of human trafficking.
• Intelligence Issues in Human Trafficking To begin with, the officer is to examine the social groups of migrants and refugees, as they are the most vulnerable groups in terms of human trafficking.
• Intelligence Issues in Border Security, Human Trafficking, and Narcotics Trafficking This paper aims to emphasize drug trafficking as the main threat for the nation and outline intelligence collecting methods on drug and human trafficking, border security, and cybersecurity.
• Human Trafficking in the UK: Examples and References The bureaucracy and lack of flexibility pose quite significant threats to the success of the UK anti-trafficking strategies. An illustration of this lack of flexibility and focus is the case of the Subatkis brothers.
• Criminology: Human Trafficking However, the UAE clearly has admitted that there is a high level of rights infringement against women by the ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
• Human Trafficking: Labor Facilitators and Programs Labor trafficking is a significant issue in the modern world because it refers to people who are forced to engage in labor through the use of coercion, fraud, and force.
• Human Trafficking: Solution to Treat Survivors And A Public Health Issues Ultimately, this led to the child’s lack of a sense of security, to the presence of a strong desire to be loved and important to someone.
• Human Trafficking and Its Social and Historical Significance Human trafficking is a type of crime that involves kidnapping and transporting of women, men, and children out of the country with the purposes of slave labor, prostitution, organ harvesting, and other nefarious purposes.
• Egypt and Sudan Refugees and Asylum Seekers Face Brutal Treatment and Human Trafficking In this report by Amnesty International, the issue of the security of refugees and asylum seekers in Shagarab refugee camps, which are located in the eastern parts of Sudan, is raised.
• Stephanie Doe: Misyar Marriage as Human Trafficking in Saudi Arabia In this article, the author seeks to highlight how the practice of temporary marriages by the wealthy in Saudi Arabia, commonly known as misyar, is a form of human trafficking.
• Effects of Human Trafficking in Teenagers: The Present-Day Situation In this case, the inclusion of the additional factor, the type of human trafficking, will contribute to a better understanding of the problem and develop a solution.
• Aftermath of Human Trafficking in Children and Teenagers The major part of the available research is concentrated on the victims of sex abuse and the applied means of their treatment.
• Human Trafficking of Illegal Immigrants People perceive II not as a vulnerable demographic but as a part of the problem, thus causing the target population to develop the behaviors that complicate the process of preventing and addressing the instances of […]
• Human Trafficking in the USA However, the development of the society and rise of humanism resulted in the reconsideration of the attitude towards this phenomenon and the complete prohibition of all forms of human trafficking.
• Human Trafficking and Exploitation in Modern Society It is necessary to determine the essence of human trafficking to understand the magnitude of the problem of slavery in the modern world.
• Child Welfare: Human Trafficking in San Diego The paper consists of an introduction, the consecutive sections addressing the definition of the issue, its legal background, the occurrence of child trafficking, and the interventions initiated by the authorities to fight the threat.
• Human Trafficking as an Issue of Global Importance Being a threat to global safety and well-being, the phenomenon of human trafficking has to be managed by reconsidering the existing policy statements of organizations responsible for monitoring the levels of human trafficking and preventing […]
• Psychotherapy for Victims of Human Trafficking The use of different dependent variables is the primary feature that differs a single-subject design from a program evaluation the essence of which is to cover a range of questions and evaluate them all without […]
• Human Trafficking: Enforcing Laws Worldwide This essay focuses on the issue of enforcement of laws concerning human trafficking, the influence of country prosperity on the approaches to solving this problem, the vulnerable categories at high risk of becoming victims, and […]
• Social Work: Human Trafficking and Trauma Theory One of the theoretical frameworks is trauma theory that focuses on the traumatic experiences victims are exposed to as well as the influence of these traumas on their further life.
• Human Trafficking Problems in Canada The authors describe the government’s influence on the level of human trafficking and argue that the concept of slavery is almost the same as modern human trafficking.
• Terrorism, Human Trafficking, and International Response One of the key positive results of the global counter-terrorism efforts was the reduction of Al Qaeda’s presence both globally and in the Middle East, and the enhancement of travel safety.
• Human Trafficking in Mozambique: Causes and Policies “Human Trafficking in Mozambique: Root Causes and Recommendations” is a policy paper developed by the research team of UNESCO as a powerful tool in order to analyze the situation with human trafficking in Mozambique and […]
• Human Trafficking as a Terrorist Activity The biggest problem that is worth mentioning is that it is believed that the number of such activities is growing at an incredibly fast rate, and it is important to take necessary measures to limit […]
• Human Trafficking: Healthcare and Globalization Aspects The first study conducts a literature review on articles in the year 2011 and 2012 based on the handing of human trafficking by healthcare professionals.
• Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery One of the biggest challenges in addressing modern slavery and human trafficking is the fact that the vice is treated as a black market affair where facts about the perpetrators and the victims are difficult […]
• Combating Human Trafficking in the USA It is necessary to note, however, that numerous researchers claim that the number of human trafficking victims is quite difficult to estimate due to the lack of effective methodology.
• The Fight Against Human Trafficking Human trafficking constitutes a gross violation of the human rights of the individual as he/she is reduced to the status of a commodity to be used in any manner by the person who buys it.
• Criminal Law: Human Trafficking Promises of a good life and the absence of education opportunities for women have led to the increased levels of human trafficking.
• Human Trafficking: Definition, Reasons and Ways to Solve the Problem That is why, it becomes obvious that slavery, which is taken as the remnant of the past, prosper in the modern world and a great number of people suffer from it.
• Human Trafficking and the Trauma It Leaves Behind According to Snajdr, in the United States, most of the Black immigrants who came to the country during the colonial era were actually victims of human trafficking.
• Mexican Drug Cartels and Human Trafficking Reports from Mexico says that due to the pressure exerted on the drug cartels by the government, they have resolved in other means of getting revenue and the major one has been human trafficking alongside […]
• Human Trafficking in Eastern Europe The fall of communism in Eastern Europe has led to a long-term issue of human trafficking in some of the nations in the region.
• Human Trafficking between Africa and Europe: Security Issues This situation is usually made possible by the fact that the traffickers are usually criminal groups that have a potential to do harm to the victims and to the family of the victims.
• Tackling the Issue of Human Trafficking In Europe, prevention of human trafficking is interpreted to mean both awareness raising and active prevention activities that ideally look into the primary causes of human trafficking.
• Human trafficking in Mozambique The reason for this goes back to the fact the government in place has failed to put the interests of its people as a priority.
• “Not For Sale: End Human Trafficking and Slavery”: Campaign Critique To that extent, Not for Sale campaign attempts to enhance the ability of the people in vulnerable countries to understand the nature and form of trafficking and slavery.
• The Human Trafficking Problem Another way is through employment and this involves the need to create more jobs within the community that is at a higher risk of facing human trafficking.
• Human Trafficking in the United States: A Modern Day Slavery The question of the reasons of human trafficking is a complex one to answer since there are various causes for it, but the majors causes include; Poverty and Inequality: It is evident that human trafficking […]
• Definition of Human Rights and Trafficking One of the infamous abuses of human rights is the practice of human trafficking, which has become prevalent in the current society.
• How Prostitution Leads to Human Trafficking This is a form of a business transaction that comes in the name of commercial sex either in the form of prostitution or pornography.
• Criminal Enforcement and Human Trafficking
• Combating Human Trafficking Should Go Towards the Recovery of The Victim
• Connections Between Human Trafficking and Environmental Destruction
• The Problems of Human Trafficking and Whether Prostitution Should Be Legal
• The Issue of Human Trafficking, a Criminal Business in the Modern Era
• The Problem of Human Trafficking in America
• Ways You Can Help Fight Human Trafficking
• Assignment on Human Trafficking and Prostitution
• The Plague of Human Trafficking in Modern Society
• Critical Thinking About International Adoptions: Saving Orphans or Human Trafficking
• The Issue of Human Trafficking and the Backlash of Saving People
• The Role of Corruption in Cambodia’s Human Trafficking
• A Theoretical Perspective on Human Trafficking and Migration-Debt Contracts
• Conditions That Allow Human Trafficking
• Understanding Human Trafficking Using Victim-Level Data
• Evaluation of the International Organization for Migration and Its Efforts to Combat Human Trafficking
• Causes and Consequences of Human Trafficking in Haiti
• Fishing in Thailand: The Issue of Overfishing, Human Trafficking and Forced Labor
• Differences Between Definitions of Human Trafficking
• Banks and Human Trafficking: Rethinking Human Rights Due Diligence
• The World Are Victims of Human Trafficking
• Understandings and Approaches to Human Trafficking in The Middle East
• The Issue of Human Trafficking, Child Prostitution and Child Soldiers
• Human Trafficking and the Trade in Sexual Slavery or Forced
• The Protection of Human Trafficking Victims by the Enforcement Bodies in Malaysia
• The Remnants of Human Trafficking Still Exists Today
• The Issue of Human Trafficking and Its Connection to Armed Conflict, Target Regions, and Sexual Exploitation
• Causes Effects of Human Trafficking
• The Issue of Human Trafficking and Forced Child Prostitution Around the World
• Assessing the Extent of Human Trafficking: Inherent Difficulties and Gradual Progress
• The Unknown About Human Trafficking
• Trafficking: Human Trafficking and Main Age
• The Issue of Human Trafficking in Thailand and South Africa
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5 Essays On Human Trafficking You Can Access Freely Online

Every country faces specific human rights issues, but human trafficking is a problem for every place on the planet. Wherever there’s poverty, conflict, a lack of education, or political instability, vulnerable people are at risk. Human trafficking is the world’s fastest-growing criminal industry. Sexual exploitation brings in most of the billions of dollars of profit, but forced labor also generates wealth. The universality of human trafficking doesn’t negate the fact that the issue is multi-faceted and as a multitude of root causes . Certain countries are more dangerous than others and certain people groups are more vulnerable. To learn more about specific human trafficking issues and solutions, here are five essays you can read or download for free:

“Human Trafficking and Exploitation: A Global Health Concern”

By: Cathy Zimmerman and Ligia Kiss

While labor migration can be beneficial to workers and employers, it’s also a hotbed for exploitation. In this essay from PLOS, the authors argue that human trafficking and the exploitation of low-wage workers have significant negative health impacts. Because of the magnitude of human trafficking, health concerns constitute a public health problem. Thanks to certain business models that depend on disposable labor, exploitation is allowed to flourish while protections are weakened. The essay states that trafficking initiatives must focus on stopping exploitation within each stage of labor migration. This essay introduces a special collection from PLOS on human trafficking and health. It’s the first medical journal collection on this topic. It includes pieces on child sex trafficking in the United States and the slavery of sea workers in South East Asia. Cathy Zimmerman and Ligia Kiss, the guest editors and authors of the first essay, are from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

“Introducing The Slave Next Door”

By: Jen Birks and Alison Gardner

Published in a special issue of the Anti-Trafficking Review on public perceptions and responses to human trafficking, this essay focuses on Great Britain. According to the essay, there’s been a shift in what the public thinks about trafficking based on local reporting and anti-slavery campaigns. British communities are starting to realize how prevalent human trafficking is in their own backyards. The essay takes a closer look at the media and campaigns, how they’re representing cases, and what people are doing with the information. While specific to Britain, it’s a good example of how people can perceive trafficking within their borders.

Jen Birks is an Assistant Professor in media at the Department of Cultural, Media, and visual Studies at the University of Nottingham. Alison Gardner is at the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham with a Nottingham Research Fellowship. She is part of the university’s Rights Lab.

“My Family’s Slave”

By: Alex Tizon

One of The Atlantic’s biggest stories of 2017, this essay tells a personal story of modern slavery. At 18-years old, Lola was given to the writer’s mother and when they moved to the United States, Lola came with them. On the outside, Tizon’s family was, in his words, “a poster family.” The truth was much darker. The essay sparked countless reader responses, including those of people who were once slaves themselves. Reading both the criticism and praise of the essay is just as valuable as the essay itself.

Alex Tizon died at age 57 years old before his essay was published. He had a successful career as a writer and reporter, sharing a Pulitzer Prize while a staff member at The Seattle Times. He also published a 2014 memoir Big Little Man: In Search of My Asian Self.

“Vietnam’s Human Trafficking Problem Is Too Big To Ignore”

By: Thoi Nguyen

In November 2019, 39 Vietnamese people were found dead in a truck container. They were identified as victims of a human trafficking ring. In Nguyen’s article, he explores the facts about the severity of human trafficking in Vietnam. For years, anti-slavery groups have warned the UK about a rise in trafficking, but it took a tragedy for people to start paying attention. Nguyen discusses who is vulnerable to trafficking, how trafficking functions, and Vietnam’s response.

Freelance journalist Thoi Nguyen is a member of Chatham House and a member of Amnesty International UK. In addition to human trafficking, he writes about the economy, finance, and foreign affairs. He’s a specialist in South East Asian geopolitics.

“History Repeats Itself: Some New Faces Behind Sex Trafficking Are More Familiar Than You Think”

By: Mary Graw Leary

This essay highlights how human trafficking isn’t only a criminal enterprise, it’s also an economic one. Leary looks specifically at how businesses that benefit (directly or indirectly) from slavery have always fought against efforts to end it. The essay focuses on government efforts to disrupt online sex trafficking and how companies are working to prevent that from happening. Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry, so it makes sense that even legitimate businesses benefit. Knowing what these businesses are is essential to ending trafficking.

Mary Graw Leary is a former federal prosecutor and currently a professor of law at The Catholic University of America. The Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission’s Victim Advocacy Group, she’s an expert in exploitation, missing persons, human trafficking, and technology.

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About the author, emmaline soken-huberty.

Emmaline Soken-Huberty is a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon. She started to become interested in human rights while attending college, eventually getting a concentration in human rights and humanitarianism. LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and climate change are of special concern to her. In her spare time, she can be found reading or enjoying Oregon’s natural beauty with her husband and dog.

7 in 10 human trafficking victims are women and girls. What are the psychological effects?

The impact of human trafficking is serious, and can cause a loss of basic human rights, loss of one’s childhood, disruption in families, and devastating mental health consequences

• Women and Girls
• Human Rights
• Physical Abuse and Violence

The United Nations defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit,” and says it is practiced everywhere in the world. More than 27 million people are trafficked worldwide at any given time, according to the United States Department of State .

While boys and men are victims as well, most individuals identified as trafficked for both labor and commercial sex are women and girls. For every 10 victims detected globally, five are adult women and two are girls, according to a report released in 2021 by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (PDF, 18MB) .

What effects does human trafficking have on women and girls?

The physical and mental health effects of human trafficking are serious. It can cause a loss of basic human rights, loss of one’s childhood, disruption in families, and severe mental health consequences, including anxiety disorders , posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression , and substance abuse .

Studies show that women who have been trafficked for sex have higher levels of fear, are more isolated, and have greater trauma and mental health needs than other victims of crime. Trafficked women and girls also encounter high rates of physical and sexual violence , memory loss, sexually transmitted diseases, and traumatic brain injuries .

Depression, anxiety, and PTSD rates are also high among sex and labor trafficking survivors, with higher rates typically reported by female survivors. A 2016 study investigating physical and mental health , and experiences of violence among male and female trafficking survivors in England found 78% of women and 40% of men reported high levels of depression, anxiety, or PTSD symptoms. A 2022 study points to the potential for sex trafficking victims to experience Stockholm syndrome , or an emotional attachment to their abuser. Substance use, abuse, and addiction  are also common behavioral health outcomes among survivors of human trafficking.

What are the signs of human trafficking?

The U.S. Department of State has put together a list of some key red flags that could signal someone is in a potential trafficking situation that should be reported:

• Living with employer
• Poor living conditions
• Multiple people in cramped space
• Inability to speak to individual alone
• Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed
• Employer is holding identity documents
• Signs of physical abuse
• Submissive or fearful
• Unpaid or paid very little
• Under 18 and in prostitution

What should I do if I believe someone is being trafficked?

If you believe you have identified someone in a trafficking situation, alert local law enforcement immediately. It may be unsafe to attempt to rescue a trafficking victim. You have no way of knowing how the trafficker may react and retaliate against the victim and you. If, however, you identify a victim who has escaped the trafficking situation, there are several organizations to whom the victim could be referred for help with shelter, medical care, legal assistance, and other critical services, including:

• The National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) provides 24/7 toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and live online chat function availability to connect individuals who have experienced trafficking with services and support.
• The Office on Trafficking in Persons  provides instructions and guidance for helping foreign national adults and foreign national minors who have experienced human trafficking access mental health benefits and services.
• The  Online Directory of Crime Victim Services  from the Office of Victims of Crime in the U.S. Department of Justice identifies local organizations providing services, including mental health treatment, for affected populations

How can psychologists and other mental health professionals help prevent human trafficking?

Psychologists can help prevent trafficking by backing empowerment programs for vulnerable women, working to change the public's perceptions about the commercial sex trade to reduce demand, championing the rights of victimized women, and identifying at-risk individuals in schools and other settings, said Nancy Sidun, PsyD, ABPP, ATR, cochair of APA’s Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls , created in 2014.

Psychologists can also develop effective therapeutic interventions that will address the extensive and complex needs of women for whom the very concept of trust has been shredded and evaluate governmental and nonprofit programs that have been set up to intervene. Sidun also noted that one of the most important roles of psychologists is to educate the public and officials in the criminal justice system.

“People need to know how to recognize trafficking when they see it, and how to follow up with appropriate action that will lead to freeing the women and prosecuting the traffickers,” Sidun said. “When coercion is psychological, it’s not always easy to understand the dynamic without some familiarity with research that has been done on the topic, which psychologists can make available and digestible.”

• Report of the Task Force on the Trafficking of Women and Girls
• PDF version of the report (1MB)
• Psychologists in Health Care Settings: Identifying the Signs of Human Trafficking (PDF, 874KB)

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The Threat of Human Trafficking to National Security, Economic Growth, and Sustainable Development

This blog post was authored by Jamille Bigio, senior fellow in the Women and Foreign Policy program, and Elena Ortiz, intern in the Women and Foreign Policy program .

Despite widespread condemnation, human trafficking persists globally—an estimated 25 million people are trafficked worldwide, producing $150 billion annually for perpetrators—and the threat is only growing due to the COVID-19 crisis. To mark National Freedom Day on February 1—the culmination of January’s National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month—we have compiled CFR resources that explore how human trafficking threatens national security, economic growth, and sustainable development, and propose steps for governments, the private sector, and civil society to combat it. 

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The Security Implications of Human Trafficking   Human trafficking fuels conflict and undermines international security. In this CFR discussion paper , Senior Fellow Jamille Bigio and Douglas Dillon Senior Fellow Rachel Vogelstein take stock of the multidimensional threats posed by human trafficking and outline steps for the U.S. government and its allies to promote stability by reducing human trafficking in conflict and terrorism-affected contexts.  

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Human Trafficking Helps Terrorists Earn Money and Strategic Advantage   Exploring the ways in which human trafficking enables terrorist and armed groups, finances criminal organizations, and supports abusive regimes, Bigio argues in Foreign Policy that ignoring its spread undermines our collective security.

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Modern Slavery: An Exploration of its Root Causes and the Human Toll   The CFR interactive on modern slavery offers key statistics, definitions, graphics, and case studies. This multimedia resource is a powerful introduction for those seeking to learn about the driving forces and consequences of modern slavery.  

Guest Blog Series on Human Trafficking   The Women and Foreign Policy program’s  guest blog series on human trafficking features insights from leading experts on new approaches to improve U.S. and global efforts to curb human trafficking and modern slavery. Topics include opportunities for the Biden administration to combat human trafficking; analysis of the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on human trafficking risks; reflections on the twentieth anniversary of the Palermo Protocol—a landmark international trafficking instrument; steps to curb child labor worldwide (recognizing 2021 as the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor); how technology can help combat forced labor in global supply chains; and opportunities for data-driven decisions to end modern slavery.   

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Human trafficking and violence: Findings from the largest global dataset of trafficking survivors

Heidi stöckl.

a The Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology, Medical Faculty, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany

Camilla Fabbri

b Gender Violence & Health Centre, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

c Migrant Protection and Assistance Division International Organization for Migration, Geneva, Switzerland

Claire Galez-Davis

Naomi grant.

d The Freedom Fund, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

e Institute for Global Health, University College London, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

Cathy Zimmerman

Human trafficking is a recognized human rights violation, and a public health and global development issue. Violence is often a hallmark of human trafficking. This study aims to describe documented cases of violence amongst persons identified as victims of trafficking, examine associated factors throughout the trafficking cycle and explore prevalence of abuse in different labour sectors.

Methods and findings

The IOM Victim of Trafficking Database (VoTD) is the largest database on human trafficking worldwide. This database is actively used across all IOM regional and country missions as a standardized anti-trafficking case-management tool. This analysis utilized the cases of 10,369 trafficked victims in the VoTD who had information on violence.

The prevalence of reported violence during human trafficking included: 54% physical and/or sexual violence; 50% physical violence; and 15% sexual violence, with 25% of women reporting sexual violence. Experiences of physical and sexual violence amongst trafficked victims were significantly higher amongst women and girls (AOR 2.48 (CI: 2.01,3.06)), individuals in sexual exploitation (AOR 2.08 (CI: 1.22,3.54)) and those experiencing other forms of abuse and deprivation, such as threats (AOR 2.89 (CI: 2.10,3.98)) and forced use of alcohol and drugs (AOR 2.37 (CI: 1.08,5.21)). Abuse was significantly lower amongst individuals trafficked internationally (AOR 0.36 (CI: 0.19,0.68)) and those using forged documents (AOR 0.64 (CI: 0.44,0.93)). Violence was frequently associated with trafficking into manufacturing, agriculture and begging (> 55%).

Conclusions

An analysis of the world's largest data set on trafficking victims indicates that violence is indeed prevalent and gendered. While these results show that trafficking-related violence is common, findings suggest there are patterns of violence, which highlights that post-trafficking services must address the specific support needs of different survivors.

1. Introduction

Human trafficking is a recognized human rights violation, and a public health and global development issue. Target 8.7 of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals calls for states to take immediate and effective measures to eradicate trafficking, forced labour and modern slavery ( Griggs et al., 2013 ).

Human trafficking has been defined by the United Nations’ Palermo Protocol as a process that involves the recruitment and movement of people-by force, coercion, or deception—for the purpose of exploitation ( United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2000 ).

Estimating the scale of human trafficking is difficult, due to the hidden nature of this crime and challenges associated with the definition. As a result, available estimates are contested ( Jahic and Finckenauer, 2005 ). According to data on identified victims of trafficking from the Counter-Trafficking Data Collaborative ( International Organization for Migration 2019 ), nearly half of the victims report being trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, while 39% report forced labour, and the most common sectors of work included: domestic work (30%), construction (16%), agriculture (10%) and manufacturing (9%). Women and girls account for almost all those trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation, and 71% of those report violence ( International Organization for Migration 2019 ; International Labour Organization 2017 ; UNODC 2018 ).

Current data confirm that prevalence of violence is high amongst survivors, although few studies have investigated causal mechanisms related to violence in labour and sexual exploitation ( Kiss et al., 2015 ; Oram et al., 2012 ; Stöckl et al., 2017 ; Ottisova et al., 2016 ). Victims often report experiences of emotional, physical and sexual abuse throughout the various stages of the human trafficking cycle, from recruitment through travel and destination points, to release and reintegration ( Ottisova et al., 2016 ). Currently, evidence is scarce on the patterns of violence across different types of trafficking, despite its importance for more tailored assistance to survivors once they are in a position to receive post-trafficking support.

This study aims to close this evidence gap by describing documented cases of violence amongst trafficking survivors and describe associated factors, drawing on the largest global database to date, the IOM's Victim of Trafficking Database (VoTD).

2.1. Data source

The IOM VoTD is the largest database on human trafficking worldwide. Actively used across all IOM regional and country missions, VoTD is a standardized anti-trafficking case-management tool that monitors assistance for victims of trafficking. In certain contexts, IOM identifies victims at transit centres or following their escape, while in other settings IOM mainly provides immediate assistance following referral by another organization or long-term reintegration assistance. This routinely collected data includes information on various aspects of victims’ experiences, including background characteristics, entry into the trafficking process, movement within and across borders, sectors of exploitation, experiences of abuse, and activities or work at destination.

The primary purpose of IOM's VoTD is to support assistance to trafficked victims, not to collect survey data. It does not represent a standardized survey tool or research programme, and therefore, the quality and completeness of the data vary substantially between registered individuals. IOM case workers often enter data retrospectively and its quality may therefore be affected by large caseloads on staff working with limited resources. In addition, the VoTD sample may be biased by the regional distribution of IOM's missions and by the local focus on certain types of trafficking. For example, in the past, women were a near-exclusive target of IOM's assistance programs due to a focus on sexual exploitation. However, over time, the identification of trafficking victims has increasingly included individuals subjected to forced labour. Nevertheless, in the countries where IOM provides direct assistance to victims of trafficking, VoTD data are broadly representative of the identified victim population in that country and are still the most representative data with the widest global coverage on human trafficking.

Between 2002 and mid-2018, the VoTD registered 49,032 victims of trafficking, with nearly complete records for 26,067 records which provide information on whether individuals reported being exploited, with exploitation other than sexual and labour exploitation, such as organ trafficking or forced marriage accounting for less than five percent of the overall dataset. A bivariate analysis to identify patterns in the distribution of missing data found that missing values spanned across all variables of the data and no specific pattern regarding countries of exploitation or origin emerged that could explain the source of missing data.

2.2. Theory

This study relied on an adapted version of the Zimmerman et al. (2011) theoretical framework on human trafficking and health that comprises four basic stages: recruitment; travel and transit; exploitation; and the reintegration or integration stages; with sub-stages for some trafficked people who become caught up in detention or re-trafficking stages. The modified framework in Fig. 1 displays the three stages of the human trafficking process: recruitment, travel and transit and exploitation and displays the factors associated with experiences of violence during the trafficking process.

Stages of human trafficking adapted from Zimmerman et al. (2011) , incorporating variable coding.

2.3. Measures

The VoTD dataset includes survivors’ responses about whether they experienced physical or sexual violence during any stage of the trafficking process. Information available on trafficked persons’ pre-departure characteristics, risk factors at transit and exploitation stage are outlined in Fig. 1 with their respective coding. Reports on exploitation only include the last form of exploitation a victim of trafficking experienced. It is however possible to report more than one type of exploitation for the most recent situation.

The research team made a substantial effort to code and clean the data, working closely with IOM's data management team. IOM's database refers to the VoTD cases as ‘victims’ as IOM caseworkers follow the Palermo Protocol in their determination and this is the language of the Protocol, recognising the debates around the terminology victims versus survivors ( International Organization for Migration 2014 ). The secondary data analysis of the IOM VoTD data received ethical approval from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine ethical review board.

2.4. Data analysis

To estimate the prevalence of physical or sexual violence or both, as reported by trafficked victims in the VoTD, the analysis was restricted to the 10,369 victims with data available on experiences of physical and/or sexual violence. In total, 94 countries of exploitation were reported, covering the whole globe, including high-, middle- and low-income countries. Descriptive statistics highlight the characteristics of trafficked victims in total and by gender. Associations with physical and/or sexual violence have been calculated using unadjusted odds ratios. Only variables with a significant association with reports of physical and/or sexual violence in the unadjusted odds ratios were included into a staged logistic regression model. The staged logistic regression model aimed to show whether characteristics at pre-departure only or pre-departure and transit remain significantly associated with experiences of physical and/or sexual violence during human trafficking. A separate bivariate analysis was conducted between reported experiences of violence and sectors of exploitation due to the low number of responses for sectors of exploitation. In both the bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions, a p-value below 0.05 is taken to indicate significance.

Of the 10,369 trafficked victims included in this analysis, 89% were adults, of whom 54% were female. The prevalence of reported violence during human trafficking is high: 54% reported physical and/or sexual violence, 50% reported physical violence, and 15% sexual violence. Table 1 shows that more female victims report physical (54% versus 45%) and sexual (25% versus 2%) violence than men, both overall and amongst minors. amongst minors, 52% of girls reported physical violence and 27% sexual violence, compared to 39% and 8%, respectively amongst boys.

Prevalence of violence amongst victims of exploitation.

Pre-departure characteristics, displayed in Table 2 , show that most trafficked persons were in their twenties and thirties, and 17% were minors. amongst all VoTD cases, 75% self-identified as poor before their trafficking experience and 16% as very poor. Records show that 39% were married before they were trafficked. Of the total sample, 40% had achieved a secondary education. The majority reported that they were recruited into the trafficking process (79%), crossed an international border (92%) and were trafficked with others (75%). Forged documents were used in the trafficking process by 10% of trafficked persons. Most victims reported forced labour, 56% of whom were male. Of the 33% who were trafficked into sexual exploitation, 98% were female. Six percent reported they were trafficked into both labour and sexual exploitation. Victims reported a variety of abuses while trafficked, with 60% indicating they were subjected to threats against themselves or their family, 79% were deceived, 76% were denied movement, food or medical attention, 4% were given alcohol and/or drugs, 60% had documents confiscated and 35% reported situations of debt bondage.

Characteristics of trafficked persons at different stages of the trafficking stages for victims.

Exponentiated coefficients; 95% confidence intervals in brackets

Physical and/or sexual violence was significantly associated with being female, young age and self-reported high socio-economic status. More specifically, individuals between ages 18 and 24 are significantly more likely to report violence than those aged 25 to 34 and individuals aged 35 to 49 are less likely to report violence than those aged 25 to 34. Victims reporting their socio-economic status as well-off compared to poor before departure, were significantly more likely to report abuse during their trafficking experience. Crossing one border and using forged documents were all significantly associated with fewer reports of violence during the trafficking experience, while being in sexual exploitation and reporting any other forms of control or abuse during the exploitation stage increased the likelihood of violence reports.

Considering all pre-departure characteristics together, controlling for each other, being female and higher socio-economic status remained significantly associated with reports of physical and/or sexual violence (Model 1, Table 3 ), although only being female remained significant once transit and exploitation factors were taken into account. Controlling for other factors at the transit and exploitation stage, using forged documents remained significantly associated with fewer reports of violence as did most forms of abuses at the exploitation stage such as threats and being forced to take drugs and alcohol. Being in sexual exploitation or both sexual and labour exploitation versus labour alone also remained significant.

Association between trafficking characteristics and physical and/or sexual violence.

Exponentiated coefficients; 95% confidence intervals in brackets. * p < 0.05 ** p < 0.01 *** p < 0.001.

Availability of data on sectors of exploitation was limited. The separate analysis on the prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence in Table 4 displays high reports of violence from those trafficked into sexual exploitation, domestic work, manufacturing, agriculture and begging. Sexual violence was most often reported by victims trafficked into domestic work and the hospitality sector.

Prevalence of violence amongst victims of exploitation by activity sector.

“The opinions expressed in the article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The designations employed and the presentation of material throughout the report do not imply expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IOM concerning legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.”

4. Discussion

Our analysis of the world's largest trafficking victim data set indicates that physical and sexual violence is indeed prevalent in cases of human trafficking, as 52% of the trafficking cases included reports of physical and/or sexual violence. It is noteworthy that nearly half (48%) of survivors did not report violence, indicating that human trafficking does not necessariliy have to involve physical or sexual violence. It is important to recall that 60% of survivors reported being subjected to threats to themselves or their family, a potential explanation for the lack of reports of phyiscal and/or sexual violence. Our analyses also suggest that trafficking-related violence is gendered, as higher levels of abuse were reported by female survivors and in sectors in which women and girls are commonly exploited: sex work and domestic work. It is also noteworthy that sexual violence is an issue amongst trafficked men below the age of 18, indicating the importance of investigating human trafficking by both gender and age and by sector of exploitation.

The prevalence of physical and/or sexual violence found in this study corresponds with the prevalence range reported in a 2016 systematic review, which found rates between 12% to 96% ( Oram et al., 2012 ) and in Kiss et al's 2014 three-country survey of male, female and child trafficking survivors in post-trafficking services in the Mekong. In Kiss et al., 48% reported physical and/or sexual violence, with women reporting higher rates of sexual violence than men ( Kiss et al., 2015 ).

Findings also indicated several contradictions related to common generalisations related to vulnerability to trafficking, which often suggest that the poorest and least educated are at greatest risk of trafficking  ( Passos et al., 2020 ). However, our analysis indicated that 40% of those who were trafficked had a secondary education and only 16% self-identified as very poor. Interestingly, when considering who was most at risk of abuse during trafficking, victims who were younger, between ages 18–24, seemed to experience higher levels of violence, perhaps indicating that those who were more mature were more compliant.

Our study also offers new insights about violence that occurs before individuals arrive at the destination of exploitation. Our study highlights that physical or sexual violence is also associated with factors at the recruitment and transit stage of the trafficking process, such as socio-economic status, crossing international borders and the use of forged documents. The latter contradicts current assumptions that are applied in trafficking awareness and training activities, which warn prospective migrants about international trafficking and against the use of forged documents ( Kiss et al., 2019 ). There are a number of possible explanations for this finding on forged documents. First, it is possible that having used forged documents gives traffickers the ability to threaten their victims with arrest or imprisonment because of their illegal status versus using physical abuse. The study found that internal trafficking was associated with a higher prevalence of violence. To interpret this, it is necessary to consider the general population or work-related prevalence of violence in countries from where the victims originate. If their countries of origin have higher levels of violence, this may make individuals less likely to report what they might consider to be minor workplace abuses ( Paasche et al., 2018 ). Similarly, violence in sex work and domestic work may have been related to socially normative abuse patterns and general prevalence of violence in these sectors and locations to which individuals were trafficked ( Kaur-Gill and Dutta, 2020 ). For abuse in situations of commercial sexual exploitation, a sector in which violence was reportedly most prevalent ( Platt et al., 2018 ), victims were likely to have been subjected to abuses by traffickers (e.g., pimps, managers, brothel owners) and clients at levels relative to general levels of abuse in that sector in that location. Likewise, women trafficked into domestic work, would have been exposed to violence from members of the household, a behaviour that is rarely condemned or punished in countries where trafficking into domestic work is common.

It is also possible that the levels of violence experienced by trafficked persons are proportional to the degree of control the exploiter feels he needs to exert over the victim. In that sense, trafficking victims who have more resources or capabilities to leave an exploitative situation may be the ones who experience higher levels of violence. For example, people with greater economic resources may have a greater ability to leave and may also have a social network that can support their exit process. Sexual exploitation may take a higher degree of coercion over victims, which would make threats and violence a useful tactic to keep them in the situation.

The VoTD is a unique dataset on human trafficking. However, it is useful to recognise that the VoTD is a case-management database and not systematically collected survey data. Data is limited to single-item assessments rather than validated instruments to capture complex situations and experiences and often entered retrospectively by caseworkers. For example, socio-economic background was self-assessed through four options only and recruitment through a single question. It is for this reasons that we did not include emotional abuse into our measurement of violence – given the lack of internationally agreed definitions of emotional abuse, we could not be certain that case workers recognize and enter all experiences of emotional abuse uniformly across the globe. Furthermore, the VoTD is cross-sectional in nature and does not allow to infer causality with respect to the factors associated with experiences of violence during the trafficking process. The VoTD is not representative of the overall population of trafficking victims, as it only captures individuals who have been identified as trafficked and who were in contact with post-trafficking services.

Despite these limitations, the analysis highlights the importance of large-scale administrative datasets in future international human trafficking research to complement in-depth qualitative studies. Our analysis suggests the urgent need for clearer and more consistent use of definitions, tools, and measures in human trafficking research, particularly related to socio-economic background, what is meant by ‘recruitment’ and ‘emotional abuse’. In particular, there is a need for international standards and guidance for recording and processing administrative data on human trafficking for research purposes. Prospective donors must also recognize that record-keeping is part of care cost, and support it through grant-making. This will allow frontline organizations to invest in information management systems, staff training, and record keeping policies and protocols. If frontline agencies are to provide data for research purposes, beyond those which are necessary for delivering protection services for victims, additional resources should be considered.

Our study reiterates the importance of psychological outcomes resulting from violence in cases of human trafficking, which has been identified in many other site-specific studies ( Ottisova et al., 2016 ). Yet, despite these common findings, and the world's commitment to eradicate human trafficking in the Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, to date, there has been extremely little evidence to identify what types of post-trafficking support works for whom in which settings. For instance, there have been few robust experimental studies to determine what helps different individuals in different contexts grapple with the psychological aftermath of human trafficking, even amidst growing number of post-trafficking reintegration programs and policies ( Okech et al., 2018 ; Rafferty, 2021 ). Given the increasing amount of case data from many programs working with survivors, organisations will have to produce more systematically collected case data to ensure findings are relevant and useful for future post-trafficking psychological support for distress and disorders, such as PTSD and depression.

Furthermore, the data indicate that abuses may occur throughout the trafficking cycle, which suggests that victim-sensitive policy responses to human trafficking are required at places of origin, transit and, particularly at destination, when different forms of violence often go undetected. Our findings also underline the need for post-trafficking policies and services that recognise the variation in trafficking experiences, particularly the health implications of abuse for many survivors. Ultimately, because of the global magnitude of human trafficking and the prevalence of abuse in cases of trafficking, human trafficking needs to be treated as a public health concern ( Kiss and Zimmerman, 2019 ). Moreover, because survivors’ experiences of violence varied amongst men, women and children and across settings, it will be important to design services that meet individuals’ varying needs, designing context specific interventions ( Kiss and Zimmerman, 2019 ; Greenbaum et al., 2017 ).

5. Conclusion

This study offers substantial new insights on the patterns of physical and/or sexual violence amongst trafficking survivors. By highlighting the linkages between violence and associated factors at different stages of the trafficking process, our findings emphasise the importance of understanding the entire human trafficking process so that intervention planning can more accurately assess opportunities to prevent trafficking-related harm, improve assessments of survivor service needs, and increase well-targeted survivor-centred care. Ultimately, while these results suggest patterns can be observed, they also show that trafficking is a wide-ranging and far-reaching crime that requires responses that are well-developed based on individuals’ different experiences.

The study was funded by a Freedom Fund grant to the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the International Organization for Migration.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Impact of Human Trafficking on Survivors

The impact of human trafficking on victims and survivors varies depending on the type of trafficking and the specific situation.  But research has identified a range of issues that victims and survivors may experience.

Victims of trafficking are often exposed to harsh and extreme physical conditions, including excessive work, work without proper protection and equipment or the use of force by their traffickers. In addition, victims may be exposed to health risks, such as HIV/AIDS, infections, and substance abuse. They often experience serious mental health risks due to being trafficked that result in anxiety, insecurity, fear, and trauma. Several studies indicate high levels of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in survivors. Trafficking can also lead to cognitive impairment, memory loss, depression, and even suicide.

Trafficked minors are even more vulnerable due to their age. Trafficking of any kind greatly impacts the healthy development of a child’s emotional, physical, and overall psychological development.

Victims are also vulnerable to social ostracism. They often become isolated from their social circles, leaving them unable to engage with their community or reach out for help. When trafficked internationally, victims may be unable to ask for help or try to flee due to language limitations, geographic barriers and lack of cultural familiarity.   

Trafficked persons are sometimes forced to engage in illegal activities as a direct result of their victimization.  If law enforcement fails to properly differentiate between a victim and a criminal, survivors can be prosecuted and convicted for a situation they were forced into. Having a criminal record can make moving forward after being trafficked much more difficult, preventing survivors from renting an apartment, getting a job, or receiving financial aid towards education.

Additional Resources:  -UNODC and UNGIFT: An Introduction to Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact, and Action.

– International Migration: Economics of Human Trafficking.

– Child Development Perspectives: The Impact of Trafficking on Children: Psychological and Social Policy Perspectives

-American Psychological Association: Report of the Task Force on Trafficking of Women and Girls

-US Department of State: Addressing the Internal Wounds: The Psychological Aftermath of Human Trafficking

-UNODC and UNGIFT: Anti-Human Trafficking Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners Module 3: Psychological Reactions of Victims of Trafficking in Persons

– World Health Organization: Human Trafficking: Understanding and Addressing Violence Against Women

– US Department of State: Protecting Victims from Wrongful Prosecution and Further Victimization

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Home — Essay Samples — Social Issues — Human Trafficking — Human Trafficking Definition. Its Causes and Impacts

Human Trafficking Definition. Its Causes and Impacts

• Categories: Human Trafficking

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Published: Jan 29, 2024

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Definition of human trafficking, causes and factors contributing to human trafficking, impacts of human trafficking, efforts and initiatives to combat human trafficking, challenges and limitations in combating human trafficking, recommendations and solutions.

• International Labour Organization. (2017). Global Estimates of Modern Slavery : Forced Labour and Forced Marriage. https://www.ilo.org/global/publications/books/WCMS_575479/lang-en/index.htm

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Essay on Human Trafficking

Students are often asked to write an essay on Human Trafficking in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

100 Words Essay on Human Trafficking

Understanding human trafficking.

Human trafficking is a serious global issue. It involves the illegal trade of people for exploitation or commercial gain. Victims are often lured with false promises of well-paying jobs or manipulated by people they trust.

Types of Human Trafficking

Preventing human trafficking.

To prevent human trafficking, we must raise awareness about its reality. Educating people about its signs and consequences can help prevent it. Additionally, supporting victim services is crucial.

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250 Words Essay on Human Trafficking

Human trafficking, a grave violation of human rights, is a complex issue that has plagued societies globally. It is a form of modern-day slavery, where individuals are exploited through force, fraud, or coercion for various purposes such as forced labor, sexual exploitation, or organ trafficking.

The Scale of the Problem

Measures to combat human trafficking.

Addressing human trafficking requires a multi-faceted approach. Legal measures, such as strict laws and penalties, are crucial. The Palermo Protocol, adopted by the UN, provides a framework for criminalizing trafficking, protecting victims, and promoting cooperation among states.

The Role of Education and Awareness

Education and awareness play a pivotal role in combating human trafficking. By informing communities about the tactics used by traffickers and the rights of individuals, we can empower potential victims to protect themselves.

500 Words Essay on Human Trafficking

Introduction to human trafficking.

Human trafficking, a grave violation of human rights, is a contemporary global issue that transcends borders, cultures, and economies. It is a multi-billion dollar criminal industry that enslaves nearly 25 million people around the world. This heinous crime involves the illegal trade of people for exploitation or commercial gain and is often referred to as ‘modern-day slavery’.

The Mechanics of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking operates on the principles of supply and demand. The demand for cheap labor, sexual services, and certain criminal activities fuels this illicit trade. The supply side, however, is driven by factors such as poverty, lack of education, gender discrimination, armed conflict, and political instability. Traffickers exploit these vulnerabilities to lure victims with false promises of employment, education, or a better life.

Forms of Human Trafficking

Impacts of human trafficking.

Preventing human trafficking requires a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach. It involves strengthening laws and regulations, enhancing victim identification and protection, promoting awareness and education, and fostering international cooperation. Governments, non-governmental organizations, and individuals all have crucial roles to play in this fight against human trafficking.

In conclusion, human trafficking is a global human rights crisis that requires urgent attention and action. While the task is monumental, with concerted efforts and a commitment to uphold human rights, it is possible to combat this modern-day slavery. Understanding the complexities of human trafficking is the first step towards developing effective strategies to prevent it, protect victims, and prosecute perpetrators. The fight against human trafficking is not just a legal or political issue, but a moral imperative that tests our values as a global community.

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• DOI: 10.1086/664472
• Corpus ID: 146135680

What Is Human Trafficking? A Review Essay

• R. Parreñas , M. Hwang , H. Lee
• Published in Signs: Journal of Women in… 1 June 2012
• Law, Sociology, Political Science
• Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society

31 Citations

Human trafficking legislation as a resource: contradictory interpretations of human trafficking in zambia, human trafficking: statute comparisons and attitudes in nebraska, challenges to addressing trafficking into forced labor in chile: a legal culture perspective, trafficking in persons and internal armed conflict - governmental barriers to combat trafficking in women and girls for sexual exploitation in colombia, remembering the “human” in human trafficking: an analysis of female leadership and anti-trafficking policy choices, how is human trafficking understood within health care a discursive analysis of british columbia health stakeholders' understandings of human trafficking and health care implications for persons who are trafficked, the modern-day white (wo)man’s burden: trends in anti-trafficking and anti-slavery campaigns, consent and its discontents: on the traffic in words and women, human trafficking and migration: concepts, linkages and new frontiers, from panic to pity: circuits and circulations of the contemporary anti-trafficking crusade, 22 references, misery and myopia: understanding the failures of u.s. efforts to stop human trafficking, book review: sex trafficking: inside the business of modern slavery, the politics of trafficking: the first international movement to combat the sexual exploitation of women, competing claims of victimhood foreign and domestic victims of trafficking in the united states, trafficking in persons report, illicit flirtations: labor, migration, and sex trafficking in tokyo, sex and danger in buenos aires: prostitution, family, and nation in argentina, sex slaves and discourse masters: the construction of trafficking, red lights: the lives of sex workers in postsocialist china, live sex acts: women performing erotic labor, related papers.

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Impact of Human Trafficking

The phrase “human trafficking” has emerged as a potent lens for redefining and criminalizing human mobility. This way of thinking simultaneously reveals weaknesses and provides a strategy for preventing them. When looking at the situations in Bosnia and Kazakhstan, we can see the far-reaching effects of the term “human trafficking.”

The word “human trafficking” effectively reframes mobility from a socially and economically productive activity to a criminal one. The war’s aftermath in Bosnia paved the way for the sexual exploitation of civilians, particularly women. The official narrative, framed by the phrase “human trafficking,” depicts this exploitation as a criminal activity, stressing the agency of criminals and the suffering of those exploited (Snajdr, 2013). However, international relations, peacekeeping, and postwar instability are often overlooked in favor of criminalizing the problem. The word “human trafficking” in Kazakhstan reframes the flow of people according to an American-led narrative. Since the State Department classifies Kazakhstan as a Tier Three country (Snajdr, 2013), migration was first handled as a trafficking issue inside a more extensive effort concentrating on domestic abuse. This re-definition is in line with a growing body of international discourse that views some types of migration, especially those involving exploitation and coercion, as criminal acts. The workshop participants’ inability to separate trafficking from broader post-socialist changes and economic difficulties demonstrates the additional risk of oversimplifying local viewpoints and challenges.

In addition to already vulnerable people, the stigmatizing connotations of the word “human trafficking” can further exacerbate the problem. Accounts from both Bosnia and Kazakhstan focus on marginalized people, usually women, who fall victim to exploitation. However, by criminalizing the movement, there is a risk of victim-blaming and oversimplification. Workshop attendees in Kazakhstan displayed some cruel ethnovictimology, laying blame on lone “adventurers” rather than addressing the economic desperation and ethnic factors that contribute to susceptibility. The criticism of foreign NGOs in Kazakhstan provided by Snajdr (2013) demonstrates how the criminalization of mobility may obscure the intricacies of local circumstances. The phrase “human trafficking” might cause people to concentrate solely on legal frameworks and law enforcement, rather than on the broader social and economic solutions that are sometimes necessary to combat the problem. Based on the workshop’s revelations, criminalization alone may not address the core reasons for vulnerability.

However, the phrase “human trafficking” is also crucial in setting up safeguards. It makes it possible to recognize instances of exploitation and take appropriate measures against those responsible. As efforts to resolve the problem increased, the story in Bosnia moved from Tier Three to Tier One. The protective component of the word is not limited to punitive measures, as evidenced by the workshop in Kazakhstan that resulted in the creation of preventative measures and legal initiatives. The term’s protective effects are also visible in spreading information and formulating regulations (Snajdr, 2013). Participants at a workshop in Kazakhstan decided to make a brochure warning high school students about the perils of human trafficking as a form of protection and prevention. The establishment of legislative mechanisms and international collaboration in response to the worldwide discourse on human trafficking has laid the groundwork for tackling exploitation.

In conclusion, the term “human trafficking” reframes and criminalizes the movement of individuals while also revealing their vulnerabilities. There are benefits and drawbacks to using this phrase. It can reduce nuanced regional settings to generalizations, increasing the risk of victim blame and ineffective responses. Nonetheless, it offers a vital structure for determining the scope of exploitation, educating the public, and legislating preventative actions. Finding the right mix of criminal punishment and all-encompassing, situationally appropriate solutions to safeguard vulnerable groups is complicated.

Snajdr, E. (2013). Beneath the master narrative: human trafficking, myths of sexual slavery and ethnographic realities.  Dialectical Anthropology ,  37 (2), 229–256. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10624-013-9292-3

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What Is Human Trafficking? A Review Essay

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United Nations

Office on drugs and crime, 8 facts you need to know about human trafficking in the 21st century.

Human trafficking is a pressing global problem that continues to affect millions of people, despite widespread efforts to combat it. 

To shed light on this pervasive issue, here are eight key facts about human trafficking in the 21st century that help to better understand why this crime occurs, how victims are recruited and exploited, and the links between human trafficking and migration, climate change or conflict. 

1. Human trafficking occurs in all regions of the world 

Human trafficking occurs everywhere, but people are mainly trafficked from lower-income to higher-income countries.  

Most victims, or 60 per cent, are detected domestically, while victims of cross-border trafficking are mainly found within the same region (18 per cent) or in nearby regions (6 per cent). Only 16 per cent are detected in transnational flows and end up in distant regions. 

Most victims of cross-border trafficking come from Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa, and from South and East Asia. 

2. Human trafficking is a widespread crime and a lucrative business  

Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people by force, fraud or deception to exploit them for profit. 

The true extent of the crime is difficult to ascertain. While about 50,000 cases were reported to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2020 by 141 countries, as many as 50 million people globally – the equivalent of the populations of South Korea or Uganda – may be subject to various forms of exploitation. 

Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing crimes , along with drugs and arms trafficking, and a highly profitable business, generating an estimated $150 billion in profits each year.  

3. Human trafficking thrives on poverty, conflict and climate change 

Human trafficking is driven by a complex interplay of social, economic and political factors. 

Conflict and persecution, poverty and political instability, lack of access to education and jobs, migration and displacement, gender inequality and discrimination, natural disasters and climate change all create conditions that fuel human trafficking.  

With nearly half of the world's population living on less than $6.85 per person per day, or with at least three billion people worldwid e living in areas severely affected by climate change and non-climatic environmental degradation, millions of individuals have become vulnerable to exploitation. 

Traffickers capitalize on this desperation, disparity and deficiency, targeting people who are vulnerable, marginalized or in difficult situations, including irregular or smuggled migrants and those in urgent need of work. 

4. Traffickers use everything from deception to violence to recruit and exploit their victims 

Because human trafficking is often under-reported and under-prosecuted, it is characterized by high rewards and low risks for its perpetrators, who reap substantial profits with little fear of punishment. 

Taking advantage of the high demand for cheap labour, commercial sex or other services, criminals exploit shortcomings in legislation and its enforcement, as well as corrupt actors and weak governance, to carry out their illegal activities. 

They fraudulently promise a better life in a new country, offer exciting jobs with great benefits, or use outright violence against vulnerable people to coerce them into exploitative practices, such as sexual exploitation or forced labour.  

5. Escaping exploitation can be extremely difficult 

Victims often endure inhumane conditions and find it difficult to escape from the hands of their exploiters, who utilize a range of mechanisms and manipulations to control them. 

Victims can be beaten, threatened and blackmailed. They can be humiliated, abused or have nowhere else to go. Their passports and other documents can be taken away. Many might not even identify themselves as victims – which is often the case when they are manipulated by a partner or relative.  

Fear of reprisals often prevents victims from seeking help, and they are more likely to self-rescue than be rescued by authorities . While 41 per cent of victims self-report to authorities, in only 28 per cent of the cases does the investigation start with proactive police activity. 

6. The most common forms of human trafficking are sexual exploitation and forced labour 

Human trafficking manifests in many forms . UNODC's latest research shows that 38.7 per cent of victims are trafficked for sexual exploitation, which takes place on the streets, in brothels, massage centres, hotels or bars. The victims – mainly women and girls – often experience extreme violence and abuse. 

A further 38.8 per cent are exploited for forced labour. Some people work long hours in factories, for minimal or no pay, producing clothes, computers or phones. Others work on fields, plantations or fishing boats – often in harsh weather – cultivating corn, rice or wheat, harvesting coffee and cocoa beans or catching fish and seafood. 

Around 10 per cent are compelled to engage in illegal activities, such as pickpocketing, bag snatching, begging or drug selling. Other forms of exploitation include forced marriage, organ removal and domestic servitude. 

7. Women are the most detected victims of human trafficking 

No one is immune to trafficking. People of all genders, ages, backgrounds and in all regions of the world fall prey to traffickers, who resort to a variety of means to recruit and exploit their victims.  

Women and girls make up the majority of victims, accounting for 42 and 18 per cent, respectively. They are mainly trafficked for sexual exploitation and are three times more likely to suffer physical or extreme violence than men and boys. 

At the same time, the number of detected male victims has increased over the last years: 23 per cent of victims are men and 17 per cent are boys. They are mainly trafficked for forced labour. 

In the past 15 years, the proportion of children among identified victims of trafficking has tripled to 35 per cent, or one third of all victims. 

8. Traffickers can be anyone from members of an organized crime group to the victim´s own family

UNODC’s data shows that 58 per cent of those convicted for human trafficking are men. At the same time, the involvement of women in this crime is higher than in other crimes – female offenders account for 40 per cent of those convicted. 

People who engage in trafficking range from organized criminal groups to opportunistic individuals operating alone or in small groups.  

In addition to trafficking in persons, criminal organizations are frequently involved in other serious crimes, including drugs or arms trafficking, as well as corruption and the bribery of public officials. Such groups exploit more victims, often for longer periods, over greater distances and with more violence than non-organized criminals. 

However, traffickers can also be the victim's family members, parents, intimate partners or acquaintances. 

Further information

UNODC is the leading entity within the United Nations (UN) system to address human trafficking. It provides expertise and knowledge to countries and helps them ratify and implement the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children , the main international legal instrument to combat the crime.  

UNODC's experts support the development of national laws and policies on human trafficking and train public officials, including police officers, border control guards, labour inspectors and victim support specialists.  

With the guidance provided by UNODC, countries are better equipped to investigate and prosecute cases of human trafficking, dismantle the criminal networks behind this crime, trace the illegal proceeds and protect and assist victims. 

• Fraud Alert
• Legal Notice

The Mann Act: its History and Impact on American Society

This essay is about the Mann Act, also known as the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910, which aimed to combat human trafficking and immoral activities across state lines. Named after Congressman James Robert Mann, the act targeted the transportation of women for prostitution or debauchery. Over time, its broad language allowed for varied and sometimes controversial interpretations, leading to high-profile cases involving figures like Jack Johnson and Chuck Berry. The essay discusses the act’s impact, its evolution, and its role in modern legal contexts, highlighting both its contributions to protecting vulnerable individuals and its potential for misuse.

How it works

The Mann Act, recognized as the White-Slave Traffic Act of 1910, stands as a monumental legislative endeavor in American history, aiming to thwart human trafficking and unethical conduct spanning state boundaries. Named after Congressman James Robert Mann, its architect, the statute primarily addressed the conveyance of women for purposes of prostitution or moral degradation. Over time, the Mann Act has been a subject of extensive deliberation and interpretation, sculpting its legacy in intricate manners.

Initially, the Mann Act emerged to tackle mounting apprehensions regarding “white slavery,” a term employed during that period to delineate the exploitation of women in prostitution.

The early 20th-century United States grappled with rapid urbanization and immigration, fueling escalated concerns regarding societal morality and women’s safeguarding. The statute endeavored to criminalize the interstate or foreign transportation of any woman or girl for the intent of prostitution or any other morally dubious purpose, reflecting the moral hysteria of that epoch.

The verbiage of the Mann Act, notably the expression “any other immoral purpose,” has been a source of substantial controversy. This sweeping and somewhat nebulous terminology facilitated a plethora of interpretations and applications, often straying from the original objective of combating human trafficking. Consequently, the statute has been invoked in numerous high-profile cases throughout the 20th century, occasionally in contexts seemingly distant from its inaugural intent.

One of the most prominent cases involving the Mann Act centered around heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson. In 1913, Johnson faced conviction under the statute for transporting his white girlfriend across state lines, an occurrence widely perceived as racially motivated. Johnson’s case brought to the forefront the racial and moral biases of the era, illustrating how the Mann Act could serve as a mechanism for enforcing societal norms and discriminating against marginalized groups.

Another notable case was that of Chuck Berry, the iconic rock and roll musician, who faced charges under the Mann Act in 1959. Berry stood accused of transporting a 14-year-old girl across state lines for purportedly immoral purposes. Although Berry’s conviction was subsequently overturned on appeal owing to the judge’s racial prejudice, the case underscored the statute’s susceptibility to misuse and the ambiguities surrounding its enforcement.

In contemporary times, the Mann Act has been invoked in proceedings involving prominent figures such as R. Kelly and Jeffrey Epstein, both accused of leveraging their influence to exploit young women and girls. These instances have rekindled attention towards the statute and its relevance in modern endeavors to combat sex trafficking and exploitation. The evolving legacy of the Mann Act thus mirrors ongoing societal concerns regarding the protection of vulnerable individuals and the battle against human trafficking.

Despite its contentious applications, the Mann Act has left an indelible mark on American legal and social realms. It paved the way for subsequent legislation aimed at shielding individuals from sexual exploitation and trafficking. The statute also influenced the formulation of laws addressing the commercial sex industry and the rights of sex workers, although these matters persist as contentious and convoluted issues.

Detractors of the Mann Act posit that its expansive language has engendered abuses and unintended ramifications, often ensnaring consensual relationships and adult conduct under the guise of moral enforcement. Conversely, proponents argue that the statute has played a pivotal role in combatting the exploitation of women and girls, particularly during its nascent stages when such safeguards were imperative.

The Mann Act further serves as a historical prism through which broader themes of morality, law enforcement, and societal regulation in American civilization can be scrutinized. Its evolution over the past century reflects shifting attitudes towards sexuality, gender roles, and the state’s role in governing personal conduct. The persistent relevance of the statute in contemporary legal contexts underscores the enduring dilemmas inherent in balancing individual liberties with the imperative to safeguard vulnerable populations from exploitation and harm.

In summation, the Mann Act represents a multifaceted and intricate piece of legislation that has molded American legal and social history in profound ways. Initially designed to combat human trafficking and immoral practices, the statute’s expansive language has facilitated diverse interpretations and applications, occasionally culminating in contentious and high-profile cases. Despite these controversies, the Mann Act has contributed to the establishment of safeguards against sexual exploitation and remains pertinent in contemporary endeavors to combat trafficking and exploitation. Its legacy reflects the persistent challenges of addressing moral, legal, and societal issues in a perpetually evolving society.

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• Homeland Security Investigations
• What We Investigate
• Human Trafficking

HSI plays an integral role in combating human trafficking by working with its law enforcement partners to deter, disrupt, and dismantle the criminal networks engaged in trafficking activities.

Every year, human traffickers prey on millions of victims around the world — regardless of age, race, gender or nationality. Human traffickers will prey on anyone, but those often at the greatest risk are people who:

• Are hoping for a better life.
• Lack of employment opportunities.
• Have unstable home lives.
• Have a history of sexual or physical abuse.

HSI plays an integral role in combating human trafficking by working with its law enforcement partners to deter, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks that engage in it. Special agents use their expertise and rely on HSI’s authorities to seize assets and eliminate profit incentives, work with nongovernmental organizations to protect and assist victims, and bring traffickers to justice.

Understanding Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a global crime that generally takes two forms:

• Sex trafficking
• Forced labor

Traffickers use various methods to control and exploit their victims, including physical violence, psychological manipulation, threats and deception. They often lure victims with false promises of employment, education or a better life.

A wide range of criminals — including individuals, family operations, small businesses and criminal networks can be human traffickers. Those working within these criminal organizations traffic people in conjunction with other criminal activities, such as money laundering and fraud.

Human Trafficking’s Impact

Human trafficking’s consequences are far-reaching and include the following:

• Individual trauma. Trafficked victims may endure physical violence, sexual abuse, forced labor and deprivation of basic needs, so they often experience severe physical, psychological and emotional trauma resulting from their exploitation. The trauma can have long-lasting effects on their mental health, self-esteem and ability to trust others. In fact, the trauma can be so severe that many don’t identify themselves as victims or ask for help.
• Social stigma. Trafficked victims often face stigma, discrimination and social rejection due to misconceptions about their experiences. This can further isolate them from support networks and prevent them from getting the help and services they need.
• Community impact . Human trafficking perpetuates cycles of exploitation, poverty and vulnerability. It drives organized crime and illicit economies, destabilizing communities and undermining laws.

HSI's Response to Human Trafficking

HSI is a leader in the global fight against human trafficking, and its mission is twofold:

• Proactively identify, disrupt and dismantle human trafficking organizations and minimize the risks they pose to national security and public safety.
• Employ a victim-centered approach, placing equal value on identifying, recovering and stabilizing victims while investigating and helping prosecute traffickers.

HSI’s strategy to counter human trafficking is modeled after the four Ps of the National Action Plan and the DHS Strategy to Combat Human Trafficking: Prevention, protection, prosecution and partnerships.

• Prevention. Reduce the threat by providing information and resources to specific vulnerable populations, schools and community groups.
• Protection. Disrupt illicit activity by identifying and helping victims toward recovery.
• Prosecution. Leverage HSI’s unique authorities to investigate, enforce the laws, and refer cases for prosecution.
• Partnership. Partner with domestic and international law enforcement agencies.

HSI leads the DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) to advance counter human trafficking law enforcement operations, protect victims and enhance prevention efforts. The CCHT integrates the efforts of every component within DHS involved in combating human trafficking, including criminal investigations, victim assistance, identifying and reporting human trafficking, external outreach, intelligence and training.

HSI’s Victim Assistance Program provides a critical resource to HSI investigations and criminal prosecutions. The Victim Assistance Program helps preserve victims’ and survivors’ rights, helps connect them with the services they’re legally entitled to receive, and provides them with the support they need to fully participate in the criminal justice process.

HSI participates in more than 120 counter-human trafficking task forces around the country, as well as with foreign partners. We have a network of over 90 international offices that work with foreign governments to coordinate investigations, enforcement actions and prosecutions.

How We Can Help Each Other

The fight against human trafficking is a worldwide effort. You can join the fight by familiarizing yourself with indicators of human trafficking, raising awareness and educating your community or industry about the issue — and report suspected trafficking at any time.

If you suspect someone is a trafficking victim, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the person appear disconnected from family, friends, community organizations or houses of worship?
• Has the child stopped attending school?
• Has the person had a sudden or dramatic change in behavior?
• Is a child or teen engaged in commercial sex acts?
• Is the person disoriented, confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse?
• Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?
• Is the person fearful, timid or submissive?
• Does the person show signs of having been denied food, water, sleep or medical care?
• Does the person often defer to someone they’re always with, or are they always with someone who seems control what they do, where they go or who they talk to?
• Does the person appear to be coached on what to say?
• Is the person living in unsuitable conditions?
• Does the person lack personal possessions and appear to have an unstable living situation?
• Does the person have freedom of movement? Can the person freely leave where they live? Are there unreasonable security measures?

Although these indicators may signal human trafficking, every case looks different. If you suspect someone may be a human trafficking victim, call the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP .

• Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)
• Blue Campaign