What is human trafficking, and how can we stop it?

Human trafficking is the second-largest crime in the world after drugs, and children, particularly dropout students, have been a prime target for traffickers.

What is Human Trafficking?

The act of trapping individuals for financial or personal benefit by using force, assault, or other coercive methods is known as human trafficking.

Men are deceived into accepting risky job offers and trapped in forced labour on construction sites, farms, or factories. Women are recruited to work in private homes only to be imprisoned, abused, and exploited behind closed doors with no escape. Girls are groomed and forced into sexual exploitation.

The movement of people across borders is not necessary for trafficking to occur. In actuality, relocating or transporting the victim is not what constitutes trafficking; it can occur inside a single nation or even within a local town.

People can be forced into sexual exploitation, labor, begging, crime (such as growing marijuana or distributing drugs), domestic slavery, marriage, or organ harvesting, among other forms of exploitation.

Human trafficking study by UNODC reveals new face of slavery

The Report states that sexual exploitation is the most prevalent type of human trafficking (79%). Most sexually exploited people are women and young girls. Surprisingly, women account for the majority of traffickers in 30% of the nations that gave statistics on their gender. Women trafficking is commonplace in several regions of the world.

Forced labour is the second most prevalent type of human trafficking (18%), but this statistic may be inaccurate because it is less frequently identified and reported than trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Children make up roughly 20% of all trafficking victims globally. However, children can make up the majority (up to 100% in some regions of West Africa) in some areas of Africa and the Mekong region.

Although it may appear like trafficking involves people travelling across continents, most exploitation occurs locally. According to data, domestic and intra-regional trafficking are the two main types of human trafficking.

Human Trafficking Statistics

• Women make up 51% of those who have been identified as victims of trafficking, followed by children (28%), and men (21%).
• Women make up 72% of those who are exploited in the sex industry.
• 37% of traffickers were women and 63% were men.
• Within national borders, 43% of victims are trafficked domestically.

To read the full report click here.

Strategies Used By Traffickers To Control Victims

The strategies employed by traffickers, and their comrades frequently resemble those of batterers and can even reflect the dynamics of domestic abuse.

To keep their victims under control, traffickers employ a range of coercive techniques, including:

• luring their victims with fabricated assurances of business opportunities
• refusing to provide identity, a work permit, or travel documents
• requesting payment for a debt, real or imagined
• using violence or threatening to use it
• Activities of observation and surveillance
• remuneration for work that is either very meagre or nonexistent

What You Can Do To Stop Human Trafficking?

1. Raise awareness

Find a great book, article, or podcast on preventing human trafficking. Share it online. Discussion among peers has the potential to increase awareness for longer.

2. Share trafficking hotlines

You can find a list of hotlines here.

3. Learn how to keep your family and yourself safe from online predators

Anyone can take a few simple steps. As an illustration, refrain from including hashtags in images of your child as doing so automatically makes the image public and makes it simpler for the criminals to locate your child. Other recommended actions can be found online, such as employing end-to-end encryption, being aware of hotlines, and making use of resources. Above all, we must maintain a line of communication with our young family members to make sure their needs are satisfied and their inquiries are addressed.

4. Post a missing person’s poster online

Share any missing person posters you come across on your social media handles. If the person has been located, don’t forget to delete your shared post. In the future, this will aid in preserving their privacy.

5. Read a book on preventing human trafficking

There are numerous books that elaborate on the realities of human trafficking, ranging from first-person tales to academic works. In addition to movies, UNICEF has a collection of books. Find out if there is a book club or recommendations in your neighbourhood or local library.

6. Download STOP APP

The STOP APP is the first of its kind to give anyone in the world the ability to anonymously and securely report suspicious cases of human trafficking. Anyone with access to a smartphone anywhere in the world can download the STOP APP. The app allows you to report suspicious activities immediately by sending text messages and uploading photographs and videos. It is anonymous, discreet, and safe; it is accessible in seven different languages.

To download click here.