Major Reasons and Consequences of Human Trafficking.
Reasons and Consequences of Human Trafficking… Human trafficking is the act of trading humans especially women and children for the purpose of forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation or sexual slavery. This may circle around providing a spouse in the case of forced marriage, or extraction of organs or tissues, also for surrogacy and ova removal.
Reasons and Consequences of Human Trafficking
This act can occur within a country or across nations. Human trafficking is seen to be a crime against the person who becomes a victim because of the violation of the victim’s rights of movement and because of their exploitation for money.
In this article, we will discuss the major reasons and consequences of Human Trafficking.
Reasons for Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is caused by so many reasons, mostly by numerous political, social, and economic factors. Trafficking is dependent on the principle of demand and supply. Also, they are certain instigating factors in some countries, such as unemployment, social exclusion, poverty, war conflicts and repression, domestic violence, gender discrimination, lack of proper education and information, lack of political, economic, and social stability, and so on, which has an effect on people who choose to migrate to other countries in search of greener pastures or simply to survive.
In developed countries, there is a large demand for low-cost products and services, and cheap labor. Some organized crime groups have made it a point of interest to make huge profits by connecting the demand and supply. These are the reasons why people feel the need to migrate but for people who cannot migrate, due to numerous policies, they feel the need to use smuggling channels exposing themselves to violence, deceit, abuse, and exploitation.
In addition, there are also universal factors causing trafficking and increase vulnerability among the population as a whole. They include:
- The absence of information about human trafficking.
- Corruption of government officials.
- Transit and destination.
- Nonexistence of incrimination of human trafficking in some countries.
- Inadequate capacities of law enforcing and border control officers.
Consequences of Human Trafficking
The victims of this act face abuse and exploitation in specific conditions, which sometimes result in short and long-term minor and severe physical and psychological injuries, infections and diseases, especially sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or HIV, which could result in permanent disability or death of the victim.
The victims may develop symptoms like anxiety, alienation, depression, aggression, disorientation, and difficulties in concentration which are consequences of the long-term and traumatic experiences they have suffered during the trafficking process. Studies have shown that injuries and traumas sustained during this process can last for a long period of time, even after the person is no longer in the trafficking situation especially if there is no support and counseling provided.
The recovery process of victims is complex and long-term which the success cannot be guaranteed. Sometimes, even when it’s possible to resolve any physical problems and overcome the stigma, the trauma and psychological damage hinder the process of healing completely. Some of the victims find it difficult to adapt to their former way of living.
Their human rights continue to be violated even after coming out of the trafficking situation, which is in many cases they are faced with re-victimization, due to the fact that in many countries, the protection provided to such victims is dependent on their willingness to cooperate with the authorities, thus making it a conditional protection.
This conditional protection is contrary to Human rights since every victim is guaranteed unconditional support and respect for his/her rights and the use of these victims as an instrument in criminal proceedings is not allowed.
In conclusion, having stated the reasons and consequences of human trafficking, it is deemed as an unacceptable act and must be stopped. Therefore, the government and bodies who are capable of putting a stop to this act should do everything within their power to put an end to it and any effort to combat this act must include scrapping out the roots, i.e. the traffickers.
NG Team.
