Human Trafficking
Human trafficking occurs when an offender, often referred as a trafficker, takes an Action, and then employs the Means of fraud, force or coercion for the Purpose of compelling the victim to get involve in slavery, commercial sex acts and other kind of exploitation against his or her will.
People don’t necessarily have to be transported across borders for trafficking to take place. In fact, transporting or moving the victim doesn’t necessarily define trafficking
San Francisco is not immune to the problem, and has been considered a prime destination for human trafficking due to its ports, airports, industry, and rising immigrant populations. Human trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world with as many as 27 million individuals living in slavery-like conditions throughout the world.
The 3 most common types of human trafficking are sex trafficking, forced labor, and debt bondage. Forced labor, also known as involuntary servitude, is the biggest sector of trafficking in the world, according to the U.S. Department of State. Debt bondage is another form of human trafficking in which an individual is forced to work in order to pay a debt.
Sex trafficking disproportionately affects women and children and involves forced participation in commercial sex acts. In the United States, any child under the age of 18 who has been involved in a commercial sex act is considered a trafficking victim. Women and girls make up 80% of the people trafficked transnationally. Yearly, traffickers exploit 1 million children in the commercial sex trade.
Perceptions of human trafficking often involve women forced into prostitution. This is just one aspect of human trafficking. Survivors of trafficking also include men and children, and these survivors are exploited by any number of means. Victims may be forced into any of the following types of labor, among others:
• domestic servitude
• agricultural work
• manufacturing
• janitorial services
• hotel services
• construction
• health and elder care
• hair and nail salons
• prostitution
• strip club dancing
Some survivors are “mail-order” brides who believe they are going to a new country for marriage, but instead are enslaved. All nationalities and ethnic groups are vulnerable to human trafficking. Any given country may be a source of forced labor, a place of transit, or a destination.
The Needs of Survivors of Human Trafficking
Survivors of human trafficking are forced, tricked or misled into modern-day slavery. If they are able to escape a shrouded abduction and hidden enslavement, they have specific needs that are unique to their situation. Survivors may have experienced profound trauma, lack linguistic skills in the country of their escape, and struggle with basic functioning after trafficking. The United Nations, the United States government, the State of California, and the City of San Francisco are all committed to meeting the unique needs of human trafficking survivors, with the aim of ending this particularly heinous crime once and for all.
Common Reasons behind the Human Trafficking;
1. To escape poverty
2. To improve their live
3. To support their families
4. To get job
5. Some people borrow money from their traffickers in advance to pay for arranging the job, travel and accommodation and when they don’t job; they are forced into trafficking by the lenders/traffickers.
Human trafficking is condemned as a violation of human rights by international conventions. In addition, human trafficking is subject to a directive in the European Union. According to a report by the U.S. State Department, Belarus, Iran, Russia, and Turkmenistan remain among the worst countries when it comes to providing protection against human trafficking and forced labour.
