Human trafficking
The main two forms of Human Trafficking is;
Trafficking for sexual exploitation
Trafficking for forced labour
Trafficking for sexual exploitation
- This usually occurs with women and children
- Women and children, usually from developing countries are lured with promises of employment into leaving their homes and travelling to what they consider will be a better life.
- Victims are often provided with false travel documents and an organized network is used to transport them to the destination country, where they find themselves forced into sexual slavery and held in inhumane conditions and constant fear.
- They are forced to have sex, or participate in sexual activity with the opposite sex for money
- 1.39 million victims
- Sex trafficking- The movement across borders, as well as within the victim’s own country.
- Each year, there is an estimated global profit of $27.8 billion for forced commercial sexual exploitation.
- Victims are forced into prostitution, participate in pornography, stripping, live-sex shows, mail-order brides, military prostitution and sex tourism.
Trafficking for forced labour
- Bonded labour- A bonded labourer is a person who labours for a person as a form or repayment for a loan. They are tricked into working for little or no pay, often for weeks or months. The value of their work become greater than the original sum of money they borrowed. This can be often passed onto future generations. Their employer says they owe them something, and are not allowed to work for anyone else. Bonded labourers live in tough living conditions with little food. The work is usually hard, tedious work, such as on a farm, or in the forest.
- Involuntary servitude- these victims believe that if they try and escape or leave, it will result in serious physical or mental harm. Many victims often receive physical abuse, which is a breach of their original contract, making them captive to that person. Usually victims do not leave as they are fear their life (or their families life)
- Domestic Servitude- Domestic servitude is a category of labour trafficking, which involves the plight or domestic workers such as maids, servants, housekeepers, child-care givers and caring for sick or elderly. However these roles can overlap. It is the second highest form of forced labour in the world. Many victims suffer abuse, resulting in forcing them to stay. Usually these women are promised an education, yet become a slave. Violence and sexual abuse is common as well.
- Child Labour- Children aged between 5-17 are usually involved with child labour. These children can be kidnapped, bought or given too a person, who forces them to work for food or money. Generally it is defined according to a child’s age and work type. Their living standards are poor and most of the time receive little food. In the world, there are 215 million child labourers, 115 million of these children are exposed to hazardous work. This hazardous working space includes working with heavy machinery in deep underground mines.
- Child Soldiers- It involves the illegal recruitment or use of children. This can be though force, fraud or coercion to do labour or sexual exploitation. Most of the time, these children are abducted and are forced to work as cooks, guards, servants, sexual activity, messenger, or spies. Usually, the children are sexually abused and are at a high risk of contracting some sort of health related issue.