HUMAN TRAFFICKING: CAUSES, PURPOSE, EFFECTS AND HOW TO OVERCOME IT.

OBJECTIVES: After reading this article, you should be able to:

1. Explain the meaning of human trafficking.
2. Understand reasons why people involved themselves into human trafficking.
3. Explain effects of human trafficking.
   4.Outline how to overcome human trafficking.

What is human trafficking?
Human trafficking is the illegal practice of procuring or trading in human beings for the purpose of prostitution, forced labor, or other forms of exploitation. Human trafficking is the crime of buying and selling people, or making money from work they are forced to do, such as sex work.

Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, or the abuse of power or a position of vulnerability, or the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation.

CAUSES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.

1. POVERTY: Poverty is a condition that derived individual (s) or parents from living a comfortable life such as unable to provide their children with the good education and food they need. In most cases, they are sent to live with other families or orphanages on the promise that they will be taken care of. In exchange, the children are required to perform domestic service and sometimes they were abused and used as sex dog or sex slave.
   

2. POLITCAL REASONS: Political instability, militarism, generalized violence or civil unrest can result in an increase in trafficking as well. The destabilization and scattering of populations increase their vulnerability to unfair treatment and abuse via trafficking and forced labor.

3. WAR: Armed conflicts can lead to massive forced displacements of people. War creates large numbers of orphans and street children who are especially vulnerable to trafficking. Their families have either passed away or are fighting a war, complicating child-rearing.

4. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL REASONS: Many societies and cultures devalue, abuse and exploit women and girls, creating perilous living conditions for these women. With little opportunities of upward mobility and with little value placed on women and girls, they are more vulnerable to human trafficking.

5. LACK OF CONSENT: There is no gain saying the fact that most people who give their consent to be trafficked did so believing there are better opportunities at destination which goes to say that the origin countries had limited or no opportunities for its citizenry.

6. IGNORANCE/ILLITERACY: It is said that knowledge is power. Those who are not aware of the ills and effects of human trafficking are more susceptible to fall prey to the traffickers than the others.
   

7. GLOBALISATION: The world they say is a global village and as such recruitment has been made easy. The vulnerable only knows that his chance of survival economically is higher in developed societies.

8. GREED: The get rich quick syndrome has eaten deep into the minds of the young people in developing countries. Unfortunately, the society pays little emphasis on the source of wealth of their people making the youths eager to find ways to acquire wealth and be celebrated.

9. DESIRE TO EARN A LIVING: In my country Nigeria and most other African countries for instance, where person will graduate from the university and remain unemployed for 2 to 6 years without any form of employment would not want to miss any opportunity that he feels will eliminate his desire to earn a meaningful living.

EFFECTS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING:
The effects of human trafficking will not be meaningful without mentioning the purpose for which trafficking occurs. This will give a clear view of how individuals, families, communities, societies and the world at large are affected. Moreover, the purpose of human trafficking is a key element in identifying trafficking cases.

Purpose of human trafficking.

1. SEXUAL EXPLOITATION: Sexual exploitation is the main crux of human trafficking and explains why majority of its victims are women and girls. They work in brothels, massage parlours, prostitution rings or strip clubs, or used to produce pornographic materials.

2. LABOUR EXPLOITATION: Boys are trafficked in most cases for labour exploitation especially to work in plantations, mines or in other hazardous conditions, such as handling of chemicals and pesticides or operation machines. They are in most times isolated within the destination countries and are fearful of reporting the abusive work conditions to authorities.
   

3. DOMESTIC WORK: It is estimated that 80million or 41% of African children, most being girls and between 5-14 years are engaged in domestic work. These victims are sorely dependent on their exploiters for safety, food and shelter and most endure harsh working conditions. They do not have any form of identification and as such cannot attempt escape.

4. FORCED MARRIAGE: Families use the above as a survival strategy by trafficking the girl child as a bride.
   

5. ILLICIT ADOPTION: There is an increase in demand for adoption and this has helped to propel the unlawful trafficking of babies and young children. In the developing countries, sometimes mothers sell their baby or young child and at other times the infant is stolen and mothers are told the baby was stillborn.
   *Taking all the above purposes of human trafficking into consideration, below are the effects of human trafficking.

EFFECTS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING.
Human trafficking is evil and will not have any positive effect on the victims who are exploited, their families, communities and states of origin Granted that human trafficking is a money making machine using human beings.

1. EMOTIONAL EFFECT: Often times victims have heard ugly experiences for instance those who were trafficked into the commercial sex industry and are forced to have sex with close to 20 men if not more in a day while others are forced to have sex with dogs. This experience remove the humanity in the individual especially when it is prolonged. They are broken with very low self-esteem, ashamed, very angry if the perpetrator is trusted. In some cases the health conditions may lead to feeling of severe guilt, depression, anxiety, use of substance abuse and attempted suicide.
2. PHYSICAL/HEALTH EFFECTS: Victims are physically abused by the trafficker to gain control over the victim. They are susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS. Those in the begging industry are maimed to ensure they attract more to almsgiving. Physical torture and deprivation are also used on the victims to take charge of them and ensure they escape is minimized.
3. SOCIAL EFFECT: The victim of trafficking are deprived of a family life and cut off from normal social activities for a prolonged period, possible adjustment would be difficult. Even when all is in place for their rehabilitation and reintegration, the stigma the society puts on them tend to delay their progress.
4. ECONOMIC EFFECTS: Although human trafficking is a high profit and low risk adventure, the lives of adults and children have been mortgaged for the selfish gains of the perpetrator. Any individual who is enriched from the proceeds of human trafficking a large number of adults and children have been grossly exploited. Human trafficking destroys the future of any society where a portion of its members cannot function effectively due to the trauma of human trafficking.

HOW TO OVERCOME HUMAN TRAFFICKING

1. Because poverty is a root cause, the best course of action is to support organizations working to eradicate poverty with sustainable solutionn.
2. Creation of job for masses.
3. Creation of awareness about human trafficking and it's ugly effects in schools, churches and in market places.
4. Avoid being greed.
5. Through prayers.

CONCLUSION:
Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery, an ill wind that blows no body any good. It is a violation of the fundamental human rights of the victim and affects his/her normal functioning in the society. It is a global issue that must be addressed by all. We should do our bit as individuals, families, communities and the larger society to fight and eliminate this evil in our society and world. With all of us working together, we can make a difference for all these precious children, protecting them from lives of slavery and prostitution.

Thanks for reading....... Hope you enjoyed it....

Resource Materials:

1. Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons.
2. Human Rights Watch.
3. Cambridge Dictionary.
   Photo Credit:
4. Google
5. Pixabay