Introduction
Human trafficking is defined as the process through which human beings are recruited, transferred or received through forceful means with the intention of exploiting them. The pacific regions in Asia have been described as the most vulnerable to human trafficking due to factors such as high population, rapid urbanization and high poverty levels. Human trafficking is a criminal activity that violates human rights by exposing the victims to mental and physical abuse. It separates them from their families making them suffer the pain of staying away from their loved ones. The crime impacts the society negatively by slowing down the rate of development and causing an increase in health and other social costs. (Ruggiero, 2011). Human trafficking has negative impacts to the victims and the society hence governments should actively fight and prevent it.
Body
There are different types of human trafficking. The first type of human trafficking is referred to as bonded labor. This involves the use of a debt or bond to keep an individual subjugated. Workers fall victims of debt bondage after incurring debts as part of the employment terms they have to comply with. This form of human trafficking is common in South Asia where the victims are turned into slaves.
The second type of human trafficking is referred to as involuntary servitude. This type of human trafficking occurs when the victims are afraid that their escape attempts could cause physical harm or expose them to the risk of being deported. The victims of this type of human trafficking are often semi-skilled workers who are moved from developing countries into developed countries. They are physically abused and experience violations of employment contracts. As a result, they are forced to live without most basic needs (Shelly, 2010).
The third type of human trafficking is domestic servitude where domestic workers are forcefully exposed to servitude and physical abuse. In most cases, children fall victims of domestic servitude which takes place under secret circumstances in homes and usually without the knowledge of government authorities. An example is the need for domestic workers which is evident in some wealthy countries of Asia where workers are forced to offer services involuntarily.
Governments should put strong measures to ensure that human trafficking is stopped since it is associated with many negative effects. The first negative effect associated with human trafficking is that it gives rise to organized crime. The money obtained from human trafficking is used in supporting and funding other criminal activities. The United Nations has pointed out that human trafficking is ranked third among the largest criminal activities of commercial nature. It is believed to generate billions of money every year. Victims of this criminal activity are usually subdued because of being forced to use drugs, something that causes them to indulge in drug trade. Benefits obtained from human trafficking have also been linked with terrorism where the money is used to support terrorist groups such as the al-Qaeda (Shelly, 2010).
The second negative impact of human trafficking is that it affects national and international health by exposing the victims to sexual, psychological and physical disturbances. The results of forcing women into prostitution include sexually transmitted diseases such as Aids. In addition, anxiety and other disorders associated with trauma are common among victims of human trafficking. Absence of sanitary living conditions and crowding causes health problems such as scabies and other communicable diseases. These factors expose children to developmental problems and psychological effects which make human trafficking undesirable.
The third negative effect of human trafficking is the loss of human capital in the affected societies. Human trafficking affects labor markets negatively by causing severe loss of human capital. Some of the effects include reduction in wages, decrease in the number of people left to take care of the aged and increase in the number of uneducated people. When these effects are brought together, they lead to a decline in the economic development of the affected regions. Forcing children to work long hours in a day denies them a chance to get education hence bringing national development to a standstill. Children bear the greatest suffering of human trafficking since they are subjected to repeated exploitation by being resold from time to time. They are eventually exposed to sexual and physical abuse which makes it difficult to reintegrate them back into the society (Lagon, 2009).
Since human trafficking has negative effects to the victims, their families, the society and even the economic development of a country, it is the responsibility of governments to fight it. Governments of countries that are vulnerable to human trafficking should implement measures to ensure that the criminal activity is prevented. Some governments have already started taking decisive actions to deal with the crime.
The first step that governments take to prevent human trafficking is supplementing the already existing programs that attempt to fight it. For example, many governments have enhanced their investigation services to catch and take legal actions against criminals involved in human trafficking. In addition, tough policies on immigration have been put in place to ensure that human trafficking does not take place. These policies involve scrutinizing immigrants and other people seeking asylum thoroughly. The mechanisms have reduced incidences of human trafficking.
The second strategy that governments use to prevent human trafficking is making human capital investments in regions that are prone to the criminal activity. For example, governments have started schools in such regions to ensure that the vulnerability of children to human trafficking is reduced. When children are given the opportunity to attend school, this reduces their vulnerability of being trafficked (Lagon, 2009).
The third mechanism that is used by governments to prevent human trafficking is increasing awareness among the citizens. Some people fall victims of human trafficking because of lack of information. For instance, some are promised good jobs and good living conditions without knowing that they are being enticed in order to be trafficked. Awareness also includes efforts by governments to inform citizens of countries that are associated with human trafficking. By doing so, it becomes easy for individuals to detect attempts to draw them into human trafficking.
Conclusion
Human trafficking is a violation of human rights that should not be encouraged. It has many negative impacts such as denying children education and forcing women into prostitution. It also affects economic development since individuals who contribute towards economic development are taken away. It is a responsibility of governments to implement strategies to prevent human trafficking. Some governments have already adopted strategies of dealing with the crime. Some of the strategies that governments are using include assisting vulnerable children go to school and starting projects for the women.
References
Lagon, M. (2009). How to Stop Human Trafficking. Web.
Ruggiero, V. (2011). Thinking Critically About Ethical Issues. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies,Inc. Web.
Shelly, L. (2010). Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press. Web.