What is human trafficking?

While the act of human trafficking has been going on for decades, it has only been a few years (2000) since the United Nations Trafficking Protocol (the Palermo Protocol of 2000, an international legal agreement attached to the United Nations) which contains the first internationally agreed definition of trafficking in persons with the understanding that it is force, fraud and coercion from one person to another that defines the essence of this crime.

People often tell me they think human trafficking is moving people from one country to another, and while that’s part of what the act really is, the crux of the problem is the mental and emotional movement of one person for another. . The US Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) (created as a result of the UN Protocol) omits what to me is the most important aspect of the definition and therefore it makes it more difficult to prove a case in court against suspected traffickers.

The heart of the United Nations Trafficking Protocol defines trafficking in persons as: the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, through the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, kidnapping, fraud, deceit, abuse of power or a situation of vulnerability or the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to obtain the consent of a person having authority over another, for the purpose of exploitation.

The US-TVPA is weak and should include in it the terminology consistent with the UN Protocol, since it further distinguishes that traffickers use deception and abuse of power, or a position of vulnerability, when searching for their victims. Traffickers target the vulnerable knowing how to trick and manipulate them, the worst form of kidnapping, causing one to lose trust in those one should trust the most. It takes a lifetime to “reprogram” someone who has been manipulated in this way.

Human trafficking must be placed at the top of the list of crucial social problems.

In today’s human trafficking advocacy circles, traditional methods of trafficking have been the focus and prohibit real discovery of the reality of what is causing modern slavery. Poverty, homelessness, runaways, broken families, high school dropout rates, pornography (media) – each are separate social issues that deserve our time and attention. Each brings with it a different set of problems that demand the attention of those who are well-rounded in our society. However, when we look at human trafficking, we see all of these issues rolled into one almost like a domino effect. Each of these problems is a contributing factor to those areas that fuel human trafficking. And, dare I say, every one of these problems is caused by a giant that controls the United States and manipulates our every move: greed. Traffickers not only look for vulnerable and at-risk young men, but also target the male population to recruit them as buyers.

There is a great need to address the root causes that fuel this heinous crime against humanity to begin restoring our sense of dignity and worth as human beings. With the proper education we can work to bring about restoration not only for victims of human trafficking, but for all of us who are part of American culture, yet we will never end human trafficking in this country if we don’t recognize how we arrived. here in the first place, and that will require us to look at the slow trickle of cultural decline over the last few decades.

Cultural decline is a contributing factor to human trafficking.

Since the inception of Playboy magazine in 1953 (which was inspired by a meeting of men who met to determine how to recover the economy after World War II), the first time women sold themselves commercially, our culture has declined ever since. a moral perspective. and a financial point of view. Sex crimes have increased as the pornography industry (now a 97 billion dollar industry worldwide – pornodemic documentary) has increased. And, the United States leads the way in worldwide pornography production, but lags behind in profits. Research has shown that pornography is one of the main causes that fuel human trafficking. (http://www.canadianbusiness.com/blog/tech/64531–us-leads-the-way-in-porn-production-but-falls-behind-in-profits)

We must heal our men if we are to achieve a slave-free America.

Since we have learned that pornography is a driving force in human trafficking and is a destroyer of life and relationships, we must look inward and find the key to addressing the demand. We have to ask the right questions:

• Why are millions of men willing to buy other human beings, including children, to satisfy their unbridled passions?

• What is feeding this basic human instinct and turning it into such a barbaric evil against each other?

• Why are we as consumers willing to buy more and more products like there is no tomorrow, even knowing that those products are made with slave labor, including children?

• What has caused this insatiable thirst for goods and material possessions?

• Why are families willing to sell their children for money?

• What has caused this type of poverty – financial, moral and spiritual?

• Why are corporations thirsting for more and more profit on the backs of those who create the product that makes them profit?

Can we really end human trafficking?

With a confident yes, I truly believe that we can end human trafficking in time. As an advocate for more than 10 years in the anti-trafficking movement, each year I strive to reassess the current state of modern slavery in the United States. We are in a place where the foundations have been laid, the desire for education and awareness is at an all-time high, and safe houses cannot be opened fast enough to accommodate the number of victims being rescued. Activists and advocates are working for free day in and day out to do their part in any way they can to make a difference. Healing methods are being explored to bring restoration. Research has been done so that thematic programming can be created to address the root causes. The notion that we can fight this and win is obvious. In addition to bringing restoration to those who have survived victimization, creating a slavery-free culture remains at the forefront of our challenge, calling us to focus on healing the very fabric of our society.

We must begin to reverse the effects of the onslaught of the media on our lives over the last few decades and see where we can make adjustments that can actually begin to reduce incidents of modern slavery. And while we need to continue to educate about human trafficking, we must simultaneously bring healing to our minds and souls. That is the only way we will defeat human trafficking, modern day slavery.