|
Trafficking in Human
Misery
Although slavery has been formally abolished from the world, the
trade in human misery continues. Women, still considered property in
some places, may be sold into marriage. Men or women may be coerced
into working in brothels, sweatshops, construction sites
and fields. As illegal migrant workers, they may be subjected to
sexual violence, horrific living conditions, threats against their
families and dangerous workplaces.
Because of their subordinate position, women and girls are most
vulnerable. In view of the clear link between trafficking and the
violation of sexual and reproductive rights and health, UNFPA is
working to draw attention to and address the problem. However,
eliminating this widespread and clandestine activity, which often
involves organized crime and political corruption, will require
collaborative efforts, with participation from international
organizations, governments, NGOs and communities.
Defining
Trafficking
In a protocol
supplementing the United Nations Convention Against
Transnational Organized Crime, trafficking has been defined
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.
Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of
the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual
exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices
similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.
|
The Dimensions of the Problem
Statistics about
trafficking are unreliable for a number of reasons, including the
clandestine nature of the activity. However, rough estimates suggest
that between 700,000 to 2 million women are trafficked across
international borders annually. Adding domestic trafficking would
bring the total much higher, to perhaps 4 million persons per year.
Human trafficking has become a global business generating huge
profits for traffickers. New trafficking routes are regularly
established and the market for fraudulent travel documents,
clandestine transportation and border crossing has become
increasingly well-organized.
Some victims are lured into subjugation by advertisements for good
jobs. Others are sold into service by a relative, acquaintance or
family friend. Traffickers target poor communities, and may show up
during a drought or before the harvest, when food is scarce, to
persuade poor families to sell their daughters for small amounts of
money.
The problem is widespread.
Although the greatest volume of
trafficking occurs in Asia, it also exists in
Africa and Latin America. Recently, the European Commission raised
concerns about a growing "slave trade" in Eastern European women --
some 500,000 may have been forced into commercial sex. As many as
50,000 women and children are brought to the United States under
false pretences each year and forced to work as prostitutes, abused
labourers or servants, according to a report by the U.S. Central
Intelligence Agency. Few cases are prosecuted.
Trafficked migrants are vulnerable because of their irregular legal
status, and may face deportation. They often cannot access legal
assistance and medical care, and remain dependent on their agents
and employers. Trafficking may also occur within countries, however,
often spurred by commercial demand for young women in the sex trade.
Causes and Solutions
Poverty and inequity are root causes of trafficking. Gender
discrimination within the family and the community, as well as a
tolerance of violence against women and children, also come into
play. Lack of appropriate legislation and political will to address
the problem, restrictive immigration policies, globalization of the
sex industry, and the involvement of transnational organized
criminal networks are other causal factors.
Although governments and the international community have been
responding to the growing incidence of trafficking. Several West
African countries, for instance, recently formed a network to combat
the problem. However, more concerted action is needed.
UNFPA is positioned to take a larger role in addressing this issue,
particularly by strengthening the capacities of its programme
countries. Some of the key areas for UNFPA support, within the
framework of its mandate, include:
-
identification of key
interventions and programmes that address them
-
providing technical
assistance and training to governmental and other agencies to
increase their capacity to develop policies and other
anti-trafficking measures
-
providing reproductive
health services, including referrals, for victims of trafficking
-
offering counselling
for victims of trafficking
-
generating greater
awareness of the human rights violations posed by trafficking
-
supporting governments to establish legal frameworks to promote and
protect the rights of women
UNFPA is one of
several UN agencies working on trafficking,
both through partnerships and by promoting
dialogue to bring
greater visibility to the issue and share information about it.
|
