Ava Krepp
Published 7 April 2022
Antonia, a 19-year-old European, had travelled to Romania under the false promise of factory work when she was forced against her will into sex work upon arrival. Raju was only 12 years old when a wealthy farmer offered him a job to help his family, and he would be held against his will working for the next 8 years. At 13, Deisy and some of her young friends, met a local Dominican woman who gained their trust and then sold them for their bodies while they just hoped to earn some extra money for their poor families.
Human trafficking is rampant globally, not only in the 3rd world but also in western democratic countries. It is estimated that there are 40 million people who have been lured into sex trafficking and/or labour trafficking. The industry is also growing exponentially. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), forced labour from human trafficking generates $150 billion US annually.
Human trafficking is an international issue. As such it is difficult to eradicate domestically as people are trafficked across multiple borders. Governments and related law enforcement cannot combat it alone. As well, corrupt governments see trafficking as a financial opportunity. In many developing nations, billions of impoverished citizens live in communities where the police themselves have become the violent predators and can evade consequences. This even occurs in North America. For example, six individuals, including an American police officer, were charged on December 14, 2021, for sex trafficking. The defendants were contacting foreign women and minors to come to the US, promising them a better life and then forcing them into prostitution upon arrival. Since law enforcement can be involved in human trafficking, it is better combated by domestic businesses that are used by traffickers and international organizations devoted to the abolition of human trafficking.
This initiative includes two classes of actors. First, a variety of businesses must take “active and effective measures to reduce their potential for exploitation within their own systems,” according to Bradley Myles, the chief executive officer of Polaris, which is the US based non-profit organization against trafficking. In particular, the banking sector allows traffickers to help their victims to open bank accounts and/or apply for credit cards. It allows traffickers to use bank remittance services to funnel large amounts of money. It also oversees traffickers who accompany their victims to monitor transactions. The multi-stakeholder Lichtenstein Initiative, FAST (Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking) aims to mobilize the financial sector against trafficking, by knowing the signs of an incident, investing in innovation for prevention and much more.
Secondly, the hotel industry is used as a point for traffickers. Traffickers typically use chain franchises as a “home base” for their victims to work out of because they offer a sense of anonymity and safety from law enforcers. In response, Marriott International trained 500,000 employees to spot the signs of human trafficking and how to respond if they do. For example, warning signs are minimal luggage, multiple men being escorted to a single guest room, disoriented individuals who cannot speak freely, and/or guests who insist on little to no housekeeping.
Multinational organizations such as International Justice Mission (IJM) and Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) are committed to stopping the cycle of human trafficking. These non-profit organizations rescue the trafficked, arrest the perpetrators and provide the victims with the means for rehabilitation. Currently, Operation Underground Railroad supports operation and aftercare efforts in 28 countries. Their team consists of highly experienced and extensively trained individuals who have background in either the military and/or intelligence work. The OUR Team extensively researches the location of the rescue, designs a strategy, and provides the local enforcement training to sustain their anti-trafficking operations. International Justice Mission has 24 offices spreading across the globe. They also rescue victims, but they uniquely bring their survivors to rehabilitation houses to give them community of victims with similar trauma and provide them with social workers. Moreover, IJM has a team of international lawyers that hold slave owners, traffickers, rapists, and criminals accountable in court and educators who strengthen the local justice systems to stop the violence before it starts. Because of organizations like OUR and IJM, Antonia, Raju, and Deisy are liberated from their horrific situations, and get to enjoy lives of freedom and opportunity.
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