The issue of human trafficking can be discussed as challenging and causing people to avoid this problematic topic because there are opinions that this problem cannot be overcome or addressed effectively. However, it is almost impossible to ignore the data that illustrate how many persons become victims of human trafficking annually. Therefore, it is important to focus on the most controversial or shocking aspects of this problem, as well as on the ways to resolve it.
The Most Shocking Aspects of Human Trafficking
While reviewing the materials related to this topic, it is possible to identify the following details that can shock the audience: people can use products of human trafficking in the form of manufactured goods or vegetables without realizing this fact; thousands of children are sold into domestic slavery; there are many situations when police officers can act as offenders rather than protectors. According to Thrupkaew (2015), more than 65% of human trafficking is related to producing certain goods and using human resources in such fields as agriculture and construction.
In addition to people who purchase results of such labor unintentionally, there are persons who choose human trafficking as a solution to their problems. Thousands of children become victims of domestic slavery because traffickers promise better conditions for these poor children, and their parents agree to make a deal (Worldfocus, 2009). What is more important is that many victims of trafficking cannot find assistance even in the police. Thus, “between 20 and 60 percent of the people in the sex trade who were surveyed said that they had been raped or assaulted by the police” (Thrupkaew, 2015). However, in spite of the fact that the data are shocking, there are still no adequate responses to this problem.
Solutions to Address Human Trafficking
It is possible to propose several solutions to address the problem of human trafficking, and all of them are based on the idea of overcoming poverty and inequality in society. As a consequence, such solutions seem to require a lot of time and resources in order to achieve high results. Petriliggieri (2013) claims that the main cause of human trafficking is poverty that should be discussed with the focus on such dimensions as “financial resources, health-related well-being, accommodation, level of education, occupational integration, societal integration, integration regarding laws of residence and family of origin” (para. 3).
The combination of these factors can be associated with a high rate of human trafficking, and the key solution is a prevention program that can be used to improve the living conditions of vulnerable groups. However, opponents of focusing on poverty state that the problem is in “human traffickers –criminals who commit criminal acts against victims and vulnerable people” (United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking, 2013, para. 11). One more problem is the Internet and online advertisements that attract thousands of potential victims (Boyd, 2013). Therefore, the required solutions are in strengthening the punishment for human traffickers and regulating online platforms that spread such advertisements.
It is important to start with creating more places for working and developing in communities and pay attention to supporting family networks. In communities, it is necessary to focus on the life of vulnerable groups and provide assistance. In addition, more social workers and authorities should be involved in preventing cases of human trafficking in communities with a high level of unemployed people and migrants.
References
Boyd, D. (2013). Restricting classified advertising websites helps pimps and human traffickers.
Petriliggieri, F. (2013). Poverty is the root cause of human trafficking.
Thrupkaew, N. (2015, March 1). Human trafficking is all around you: This is how it works [Video file].
United Nations Inter-Agency Project on Human Trafficking. (2013). Human trafficking is caused by the greed of criminals.
Worldfocus. (2009, July 24). The global economic crisis pushes human trafficking [Video file].