Human Trafficking: Modern Day Slavery

Abstract

This Paper discusses the issues associated with human trafficking, how it has escalated over the years, and become one of the most profitable criminal enterprises across the world, surpassing the illegal drug trade. Human trafficking is estimated to have more than twice as many people enslaved within as the entire Atlantic Slave Trade 350 years ago. It is a growing problem and will require help from everyone to stop this problem. There are three main categories victims of human trafficking: 1) sexual, 2) labor exploitation, and 3) organ harvesting. Human trafficking effects about 27 million people worldwide and the laws seem to be more in favor of just prostitution, ignoring or only slightly addressing labor trafficking or organ harvesting. The United States defines human trafficking as “act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion.” This definition focuses on sexual and labor exploitation. The United States has also adopted the TVPA or Trafficking Victims Protection Act. Human trafficking has gained much more awareness over the past years than before. Relational-Culture Theory, which is defined as people growing through and towards relationships in their lives and how culture impacts these relationships, can explain how people can become victims of human trafficking. Victims could also face other health problems and they can face and mental health issues with the most common being PTSD. It also goes into the origin of where the victims came from, most don’t have happy childhoods.