Dr Mohamed Kirat
By Dr Mohamed Kirat
United Nations defines Human Trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring 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”. Human trafficking affects every country in the world, as countries of origin, transit or destination — or even a combination of all.
Trafficking often occurs from less developed countries to more developed countries, where people become vulnerable to trafficking by virtue of poverty, conflict or other conditions. Most trafficking is national or regional, but there are also notable cases of long-distance trafficking. Europe is the destination for victims from the widest range of destinations, while victims from Asia are trafficked to the widest range of destinations. The Americas are prominent both as the origin and destination of victims of human trafficking. Africa is no exception where all kinds of human trafficking take place.
Although slavery is commonly thought to be a thing of the past, human trafficking still exists today throughout the world when traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control other people for the purpose of engaging in vice trade or forcing them to provide labour services against their will. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), around 21 million men, women and children around the world are in a form of slavery. Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to trap victims in horrific situations every day. All trafficking victims share one essential experience — the loss of freedom. In the United States, for instance, and in many other countries, sex trafficking commonly occurs in online escort services, residential brothels, places disguised as massage businesses or spas, and in street prostitution. Labour trafficking has been found in domestic servitude situations, as well as sales crews, large farms, restaurants, carnivals, and more.
There are two primary factors driving the spread of human trafficking: high profits and low risk. Like drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking is a market-driven crime industry that is based on the principles of supply and demand. Every year, traffickers generate billions of dollars in profits by victimising millions of people around the world. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally, including 5.5 million children. 55 percent of these are women and girls. The International Labor Organization estimates that forced labour and human trafficking is a $150bn industry worldwide. Victims are frequently lured by false promises of a lucrative job, stability, education, or a loving relationship. Victims can be men or women, adults or children, foreign nationals or locals.
While they share the trait of vulnerability, victims have diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, varied levels of education, and may be documented or undocumented. Victims of human trafficking can be divided into three populations: Children under 18 induced into vice trade, adults aged 18 and above induced into the trade through force, fraud, or coercion, and children and adults induced to perform labour or services through force, fraud, or coercion. While human trafficking spans all demographics, there are some circumstances or vulnerabilities that lead to a higher susceptibility to victimisation and human trafficking. Runaway and homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, war or conflict, or social discrimination are frequently targetted by traffickers. Foreign nationals who have paid large recruitment and travel fees to labour recruiters, often become highly indebted to recruiters and traffickers. Traffickers control and manipulate these individuals by leveraging the non-portability of many work visas as well as the victims’ lack of familiarity with surroundings, laws and rights, language fluency, and cultural understanding. Victims face many challenges in accessing help. Their traffickers may confiscate their identification and money. They may not speak the language they need to communicate their grievances and problems. They may not know where they are, because they have been moved frequently. They are often not allowed to communicate with family or friends. And they may have trouble trusting others, due to their traffickers’ manipulation and control tactics. Human traffickers recruit, transport, harbour, obtain, and exploit victims – often using force, threats, lies, or other psychological coercion. Traffickers promise a high-paying job, a loving relationship, or new and exciting opportunities. In other cases, they may kidnap victims or use physical violence to control them. Often the traffickers and their victims share the same national, ethnic, or cultural background, allowing the trafficker to better understand and exploit the vulnerabilities of
their victims.
Traffickers can be lone individuals or extensive criminal networks. Pimps, gangs, family members, labour brokers, employers of domestic servants, small business owners, and large factory owners have all been found guilty of human trafficking.
Their common thread is a willingness to exploit other human beings for profit. The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 and came into force on December 25, 2003. The Trafficking Protocol, which supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, is the only international legal instrument addressing human trafficking as a crime and falls under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The purposes of the Trafficking Protocol are: to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, to protect and assist victims of trafficking, and to promote cooperation among States Parties in order to meet these objectives. The Trafficking Protocol advances international law by providing, for the first time, a working definition of trafficking in persons and requires ratifying States to criminalise such practices.
Three main actions are to be taken: Prevention of trafficking in persons, protection of victims of human trafficking and prosecution of trafficking offenders. Unfortunately the number of victims is growing day after day, and efforts undertaken by international agencies, states and civil societies around the globe are still not enough and inefficient to contain this expanding and dangerous crime.
The writer is a professor of Public Relations and Mass Communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.
The Peninsula
By Dr Mohamed Kirat
United Nations defines Human Trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring 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”. Human trafficking affects every country in the world, as countries of origin, transit or destination — or even a combination of all.
Trafficking often occurs from less developed countries to more developed countries, where people become vulnerable to trafficking by virtue of poverty, conflict or other conditions. Most trafficking is national or regional, but there are also notable cases of long-distance trafficking. Europe is the destination for victims from the widest range of destinations, while victims from Asia are trafficked to the widest range of destinations. The Americas are prominent both as the origin and destination of victims of human trafficking. Africa is no exception where all kinds of human trafficking take place.
Although slavery is commonly thought to be a thing of the past, human trafficking still exists today throughout the world when traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control other people for the purpose of engaging in vice trade or forcing them to provide labour services against their will. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), around 21 million men, women and children around the world are in a form of slavery. Traffickers use violence, threats, deception, debt bondage, and other manipulative tactics to trap victims in horrific situations every day. All trafficking victims share one essential experience — the loss of freedom. In the United States, for instance, and in many other countries, sex trafficking commonly occurs in online escort services, residential brothels, places disguised as massage businesses or spas, and in street prostitution. Labour trafficking has been found in domestic servitude situations, as well as sales crews, large farms, restaurants, carnivals, and more.
There are two primary factors driving the spread of human trafficking: high profits and low risk. Like drug and arms trafficking, human trafficking is a market-driven crime industry that is based on the principles of supply and demand. Every year, traffickers generate billions of dollars in profits by victimising millions of people around the world. The International Labor Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million victims of human trafficking globally, including 5.5 million children. 55 percent of these are women and girls. The International Labor Organization estimates that forced labour and human trafficking is a $150bn industry worldwide. Victims are frequently lured by false promises of a lucrative job, stability, education, or a loving relationship. Victims can be men or women, adults or children, foreign nationals or locals.
While they share the trait of vulnerability, victims have diverse ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, varied levels of education, and may be documented or undocumented. Victims of human trafficking can be divided into three populations: Children under 18 induced into vice trade, adults aged 18 and above induced into the trade through force, fraud, or coercion, and children and adults induced to perform labour or services through force, fraud, or coercion. While human trafficking spans all demographics, there are some circumstances or vulnerabilities that lead to a higher susceptibility to victimisation and human trafficking. Runaway and homeless youth, victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, war or conflict, or social discrimination are frequently targetted by traffickers. Foreign nationals who have paid large recruitment and travel fees to labour recruiters, often become highly indebted to recruiters and traffickers. Traffickers control and manipulate these individuals by leveraging the non-portability of many work visas as well as the victims’ lack of familiarity with surroundings, laws and rights, language fluency, and cultural understanding. Victims face many challenges in accessing help. Their traffickers may confiscate their identification and money. They may not speak the language they need to communicate their grievances and problems. They may not know where they are, because they have been moved frequently. They are often not allowed to communicate with family or friends. And they may have trouble trusting others, due to their traffickers’ manipulation and control tactics. Human traffickers recruit, transport, harbour, obtain, and exploit victims – often using force, threats, lies, or other psychological coercion. Traffickers promise a high-paying job, a loving relationship, or new and exciting opportunities. In other cases, they may kidnap victims or use physical violence to control them. Often the traffickers and their victims share the same national, ethnic, or cultural background, allowing the trafficker to better understand and exploit the vulnerabilities of
their victims.
Traffickers can be lone individuals or extensive criminal networks. Pimps, gangs, family members, labour brokers, employers of domestic servants, small business owners, and large factory owners have all been found guilty of human trafficking.
Their common thread is a willingness to exploit other human beings for profit. The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2000 and came into force on December 25, 2003. The Trafficking Protocol, which supplements the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, is the only international legal instrument addressing human trafficking as a crime and falls under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The purposes of the Trafficking Protocol are: to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, to protect and assist victims of trafficking, and to promote cooperation among States Parties in order to meet these objectives. The Trafficking Protocol advances international law by providing, for the first time, a working definition of trafficking in persons and requires ratifying States to criminalise such practices.
Three main actions are to be taken: Prevention of trafficking in persons, protection of victims of human trafficking and prosecution of trafficking offenders. Unfortunately the number of victims is growing day after day, and efforts undertaken by international agencies, states and civil societies around the globe are still not enough and inefficient to contain this expanding and dangerous crime.
The writer is a professor of Public Relations and Mass Communication at the College of Arts and Sciences, Qatar University.
The Peninsula
