Human Trafficking - Today's Modern Day Slavery

Human Trafficking Today's Modern Day Slavery

No nation is immune from the curse of human trafficking. The most powerful nation to the simplest of nations are not immune from modern day slavery. Some nations do not even know the true definition of what human trafficking is. The main contributors to human trafficking are governmental corruption, economic and social crisis within each nation's borders. Now most nations are coming together to learn more about the slavery and how to battle it internally and abroad.

What is human trafficking?

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of 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. Exploitation includes, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. Albert, S., Aronowitz, A., Fowke, M., Sarrica, F., Symalzek, J. (2006 p.50)

57 years after of the United Nations Universal Declaration Human Rights that all men and woman are born free and are to have equal rights passed in 1948 (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 2003). This declaration is a great accomplishment, but with no teeth. Many of the participating nations in the United Nations do not even apply this very law to their own people. 57 years should not be acceptable for anyone's race, or culture not to be enslaved or exploited.

Half a century has gone by only to find all nations are still trying to understand what human trafficking is. Humanity has evolved enormous strides only to still practice some of the earliest crimes known to man. There is no excuse for this to be even happening in this day and age. There are still scores of issues with human trafficking that violate the very articles of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

A 21 year old Philippine girl tried to get a good job as a dance troupe in Japan. On arrival her employer confiscated her visa and started her working as a hostess wearing lingerie. If Gina left the bar she would either be beaten or arrested. Gina was trapped (Shannon, 2007). Pot flew to Bangkok as a factory worker and was promised to be paid well. When she arrived her passport was taken away and she was locked up with other girls. She then continued the flight to South Korea to pick up more girls under age and then landed in Japan where she was sold to a manager to work as a prostitute and pay her debt off. Pot eventually escaped after 8 months (Shannon, 2007).

19 year old Katya was influenced by a nice woman to work in a restaurant. She had given Katya false advertisements of a job. She was now selling herself as a prostitute in a disco and then her friend sold her to another pimp where there were 7 women to a room in another town. If they attempted to escape the women were beaten. The only money the woman were given was for food. Katya was eventually was saved by the police. A young orphaned girl was promised by a lady to adopt her. The orphaned girl was lured to Turkey. The young girl ended up in the same place as Katya prostituting (Sea of tears; People-trafficking in Odessa. (Sept 23, 2006).

In Mexico it is common where older men target young girls, only to rape the girls. This starts of a form of slavery all on it's own. The shame the young girl feels and the betrayal of her family, because she was raped and is considered dirty. The families will have the young girls married to the rapist to save face. 14 year old Yolanda was raped on her way home. Virginity and reputation is everything in this culture. After being beaten many times Yolanda left to the United States. Yolanda's neighbor encouraged and lured her into a trap. Yolanda sold her body for 6 months afraid for her family at home. The promise of a great job is another tactic used to start the trafficking process (Garland, May 2006).

Yolanda was