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An Overview of Human Trafficking

Trafficking of Humans is the Second Largest Criminal

Enterprise in the Worldhttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/512165/an_overview_of_human_trafficking_.html?cat=17

According to the U.S. State Department, anywhere from 600,000 to 800,000 human beings aretrafficked across international borders every year. Some 80 percent of that total is female, and upto half are minors. Further, between 14,500 and 17,500 are trafficked into the U.S. alone.

Human trafficking is nothing more than modern-day slavery of the vilest kind. After drugdealing, human trafficking and arms dealing are tied for the second largest criminal enterprise inthe world. Victims of human trafficking consist of not just women and children, but small

children, teenagers and men are also victimized by this growing illegal enterprise.

Although many human trafficking victims are forced to work in prostitution or the sexentertainment industry, a large number of others are forced laborers. They work in jobs rangingfrom domestic servitude to restaurants to janitorial work to sweatshop factory work to migrantagricultural work. In too many instances, children as young as 10 years of age are sold by theirown parents and forced to work long hours for little or no pay.

USINFO staff writer Jane Morse said in a July 23, 2007, online article that Mark Taylor, thesenior coordinator for the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking inPersons, has put the global value of trafficked labor at approximately $9.5 billion annually.

Traffickers use a variety of ploys and techniques to keep their victims enslaved. Althoughbeating them, keeping them under lock and key and instilling constant fear is frequently used,many other less visible or more subtle techniques are just as effective and just as enslaving.

Traffickers sometimes use financial obligations to keep their victims trapped. Called debtbondage or bonded labor, victims are pledged several thousand dollars for working over a certaincontracted time. The catch: these pledged amounts are more than victims could possibly work offwithin the terms of the contract. Along with keeping victims financially obligated, traffickerswill often also hold victims' money for "safe-keeping."

Never leaving human trafficking victims alone with "outsiders" is another ploy that keeps themenslaved. Keeping them isolated from the public, limiting their contact with others, and makingsure they are monitored when having outside contact is often the case. This includes isolatinghuman trafficking victims from even their own family members if necessary.

Human traffickers usually confiscate passports, visas and other identifying documents. Alongwith that, comes threats of imprisonment or deportation if victims attempt to contact authorities.

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In October 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) made humantrafficking a Federal crime. Prior to 2000, there was no Federal law to protect victims of humantrafficking or to prosecute their traffickers.

Although the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) made human trafficking a

Federal crime in the U.S., human trafficking remains the fastest growing criminal activity in theworld. For its part, the U.S. government has funded more than $448 million to fight humantrafficking since 2001, including more than $74 million contributed abroad in fiscal year 2006 tofund 154 international anti-trafficking projects in 70 countries. But looking at the StateDepartment's own report, the government's impact on this growing enterprise is debatable.

Resources:

U.S. State Department

Article, "Forced Labor a Growing Problem Worldwide, U.S. Officials Say;"

http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2007&m=July&x=20070723135828mjesrom0.5709955