Social Problem Analytic Framework: Human Trafficking Essay

Human Trafficking

            Human trafficking occurs in virtually every country globally, with traffickers traversing all social, ethnic, and racial factions. Various organizations are also involved in this business, including criminal entities, nationwide gangs, local street groups, and individuals who are affiliated to multiple groups. Human trafficking throws a majority of the victims into bondage, laboring in fields and industries under the threat of violence should they attempt to escape. Forced to operate as prostitutes or street beggars, women and children are the typical victims of this syndicate (Weitzer, 2015). Pitting those who are vulnerable, victims of human trafficking often lack requisite connections or any way to seek help. Only too late do they always discover that they have been ensnared into a trap of exploitation and brutality. While human trafficking may appear as a localized dilemma, it takes place in every nation, including the united states. The devastating effects of human trafficking are apparent and impact all sectors of society. Fanning violence, triggering family disintegration, undermining legitimate economies, trafficking distorts prosperity worldwide. Curbing human trafficking ensures that human rights violations of the practice are checked for individuals to live with dignity.

In a move to address the ramifications of human trafficking, minimization is possible, though with the knowledge that it takes relatively longer to achieve desired impacts. In an environment where the effects of human trafficking are insignificant, all the negative consequences may not prevail as well. First, there will be no isolation that normally overwhelmsvictims (Kempadoo, Sanghera&Pattanaik, 2015). Trafficking bears serious emotional consequences. Moving individuals from one place to another only to drop them in deplorable conditions has the potential to change one’s emotional state. Such an environment may also be devoid of low self-esteem as individuals are usually trafficked from one location to the other. leaves vitims feeling unworthy and not beiffting society. Oftentimes, perpetrators of human trafficking confisticate the travel documents of their victims, leaving them vulnerable and helpless. This feeling of worthlessness not only lowers one’s self-esteem but relinquishes them of their personality as well. Inevitable in this discourse are trust issues. As Coyle(2018) observes, tackling the problem eliminates trust issues that normally plague victims. Ideally, trafficked people usually develop mistrust for their family members, those trafficking them, and any other person they are in touch with. For instance, a young girl who gets swayed by her parents to seek better opportunities overseas only to end up as a prostitute may not trust her family members any longer. Curbing this predicament ensures that potential victims are safe from this threat.

The most conspicuous of them all is the guilt associated with human trafficking. According to Kempadoo, Sanghera andPattanaik(2015), victims usually feel as if they are responsible for their ordeal. Blaming themselves or circumstances, they are likely to remain in the exploitative arrangement. Creating awareness in this front is likely to convinces victims that they should not feel sorry for their experiences. Again, this approach can restore the erstwhile lost dignity resulting from maltreatment. In the end, the impacts of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder will be at bay. Victims of human trafficking are always prone to this condition, suffering bad nightmares, flashbacks, and intrusive thoughts. Through minimizing these effects of human trafficking, constant fear of what may happen next can be eliminated. Reminiscing past occurrence always puts victims in a constant cycle of stress.

Human trafficking is mashup of cultural and technological factors. Individuals are culturally predisposed to seek better opportunities elsewhere. In this way, they contribute to illegal transfer of labor or technology in the destination nations. In terms of culture, women and children have served as conventional targets of traffickers probably due to their susceptibility to offers (Kempadoo, Sanghera&Pattanaik,2015). Technology facilitates communication, which is a critical element in human trafficking. Smartphone features, such as texting applications, voice over internet protocol enable perpetrators to correspond with potential buyers. In many cases, the victims are tracked through technology, an indication that they may contact law enforcement or leave their traffickers altogether. Given that many smartphones have location tracking capabilities, traffickers are able to identify the location of the victim. Theoretically, the presence of a phone somewhere means that the victim is also there.

Explained from functionalistic theory, human trafficking takes place at the macro level where the societal segments use the practice as a functional agent. The social consensus where members confer that human trafficking and exploitation is right brings the interplay of power, social status, and control. Individuals are in constant need of a stable income. Ironically, the answer to these desires is a ploy to drive victims to sorry situations in the end. Making victims view themselves as not only defenseless but involved in non-consensual arrangements confirms that they are functioning to attain the end of the traffickers.

The ultimate solution to human trafficking entails tighter border controls. The government ought to channel sufficient funds towards installing border infrastructure. Collaborations with the private sector in this front is likely to reinforce security at the borders making it harder for traffickers and their victims to penetrate. Since increased funding implies more personnel at the crossing points, it becomes intricate for perpetrators and their victims to pass undetected (Weitzer, 2014). In addition, training for the policing forces can also be enhanced such that they are ready to apprehend suspicious individuals when necessary. One approach is to construct new roads in a bid to eliminate multiple routes that aid access for traffickers. Whereas there may be conflicting views especially given the human rights concerns at the borders, it is imperative to engage stakeholders, emphasizing why this is a useful exercise in combating the subject. It is prudent to stress the advantages of border control as a prevention measure rather than restoration. Engaging stakeholders is a worthwhile process as it ensures the implementation of ideas only after considering all viewpoints.

In enforcing tighter border control, two key strategies are paramount. To begin with, it is important to strengthen capacities for identifying, protecting, and assisting victims of trafficking. Constraints have always existed at the conventional borders that inhibit prompt and precise identification of victims. In many cases, border authorities have identified these people but, instead of mulling ways of help, they are incarcerated or deported without concern. Part of the problem lies in the human trafficking protocols, which do not provide clear distinctions between the experience of the victims and other migrant groups. The other aspect involves developing policies based on empirical evidence. Governments must strive for comprehensive and accurate data as far as human trafficking is concerned. Consolidating this knowledge at the border controls may enhance the paradigms for identifying potential traffickers and victims.

In conclusion, the effects of human trafficking overshadow a society’s gains. Spanning a mix of cultural, technological, social, and economic factors, human trafficking is a complete violation of human rights. Exploiting trafficked individuals once they land in the destination countries by subjecting them to deplorable conditions and abuse is direct act of brutality. All the same, with the right measures, such as tight border controls, the practice may be eliminated on a global scale.

References

Coyle, E. K. (2018). Saving Human Trafficking Victims from Additional Stigma: Privacy Versus             Publication Rights Related to Identifying Images. Journal of Human Trafficking, 4(1),             102-104.

Kempadoo, K., Sanghera, J., &Pattanaik, B. (2015). Trafficking and prostitution reconsidered:      New perspectives on migration, sex work, and human rights. Routledge.

Weitzer, R. (2014). New directions in research on human trafficking. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 653(1), 6-24.

Weitzer, R. (2015). Human trafficking and contemporary slavery. Annual Review of          Sociology, 41, 223-242.

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