Three ways to engage with human trafficking

 

When Nandi* was 15 years old, the orphanage where she was living in South Africa closed. She did not go to school and she was bored most of the time. She met John, a 25-year-old man, while walking home from church one day, and he offered her a ride in his car. Nandi and John became friends and very soon after he became her first boyfriend.

What Nandi didn’t know was that John was part of an organised criminal gang who recruits teenage girls into prostitution. In just three short weeks, John had convinced Nandi to leave her village and begin working in street prostitution. He used the promise of love to lure her in, and the threat of losing that love to keep her, a vulnerable child, working for him.

Trafficking in human beings is often referred to as a modern-day form of slavery, but its forms are often convoluted and difficult to identify.

What can we do as individuals to engage with this problem, understand it better, and help to reduce the number of victims?

Human trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, harbouring or receipt of a person through the use of force, fraud, or coercion usually for the purpose of forced labour or sexual exploitation.

According to the UN, more than 90% of countries have legislation criminalising human trafficking,yet it is prevalent around the world (UNODC, Global Report on Trafficking in Human Beings 2014 (TIP 2014) pg 5). People are exploited through forced prostitution, as well as forced labour in industries such as agriculture, mining, fishing, construction, domestic work, and manufacturing.

Due to its many forms and the covert nature by which it occurs, the scale of trafficking victims worldwide is difficult to quantify and the exact number of victims is not known. In 2016, the organisation, Walk Free, estimated 45.8 million people are enslaved worldwide. An estimated 55% of which are women and girls.

Nandi’s story reflects just one way in which a person can be exploited. Yet, while human trafficking takes many forms and is a complex issue, there are ways in which you can make a difference.

Three ways to engage with the issue of human trafficking

• Become educated – The first step to truly understanding an issue and your personal role in addressing human trafficking is to become more educated. Expanding our knowledge of human trafficking and its many forms is one way we can become engaged.
• Support human rights organisations – Helping individuals understand their basic human rights is a form of prevention. Children, like Nandi, have the right to an education and a safe living environment. Adults have the right to safe working conditions. All people have the right to be free from abuse and exploitation. Supporting rights focused organisations protects vulnerable people.
• Make ethical purchases – The demand for cheap products fuels forced and child labour around the world. Making ethical buying decisions can have a direct impact in reducing exploitation and creates a demand for fairer labour practices. As consumers we can do our part to further reduce the demand for cheap, slave-made goods.

Like so many forms of global systematic injustice, the trafficking of human beings can feel like a daunting issue that is difficult to engage with. But that should not stop us from taking steps to create a freer world.

* Note: Name has been changed to protect the identity of the victim

 

Further Reading:

Trafficking in Persons Report, US State Department (2016)

Global Report on Trafficking in Human Beings, UNODC (2014)

Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecoside, and the Secret to Saving the World, Kevin Bales (2016)

Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade and How We Can Fight it, David Batstone (2007)

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Editor’s note: Stahili is a movement of people working to make this world a better place for children. Stahili helps trafficked children regain their right to family, provides education opportunities, and empowers children and communities. For information on how you can help, contact us at info@stahili.org.

 

Thanks to Saskia Wishart for her support in the preparation of this post.