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 ascribed to the United Nations) that contains the first internationally agreed definition of human trafficking 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 that they think human trafficking is moving people from one country to another, and while that’s part of what the act really is, the heart 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 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, deception, the abuse of power or a position of vulnerability or the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to obtain the consent of a person having control 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 seek out the vulnerable knowing how to trick and manipulate them, the worst form of kidnapping, by causing one to lose trust in those one should trust 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 current human trafficking advocacy circles, traditional methods of trafficking have been the focus and prohibit any real discovery of the reality of what is causing modern day slavery. Poverty, homelessness, runaways, broken families, high school dropout rates, (media) pornography – each of these are stand-alone 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 complete in our society. However, when we look at human trafficking, we see all these problems wrapped up into one almost like a domino effect. Each of these issues is a contributing factor to those areas that fuel human trafficking. And, dare I say, each of these problems are caused by a giant that controls the United States and manipulates our every move: greed. Traffickers are not only looking for vulnerable and at-risk youth, but also targeting 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 to restore our sense of dignity and worth as human beings. With the right education we can work to bring restoration not only to victims of human trafficking, but to all of us who are a part of American culture, however, we will never end human trafficking in this country if we don’t recognize how we arrived. here first, 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 gathering of men who came together to determine how to bring back the economy after World War II), the first time women were sold commercially, our culture has since declined. a moral perspective. and a financial point of view. Sex crimes have increased as the porn industry (now a $97 billion industry worldwide – pornodemic documentary) has increased. And, the United States leads the way in porn production worldwide, but lags behind in profits. Research has shown that pornography is one of the main causes fueling 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 within 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 fueling this basic human instinct and turning it into such 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 material goods and possessions?
• Why are families willing to sell their children for money?
• What has caused this kind of poverty – financial, moral and spiritual?
• Why are corporations thirsty for more and more profits on the backs of those who create the product that gives them their profits?

Can we really end human trafficking?

With a confident yes, I truly believe we can end human trafficking in time. As an advocate for over 10 years in the anti-trafficking movement, each year I strive to reassess the current state of modern day 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 the safe houses cannot be opened fast enough to house the number of victims being rescued. Activists and advocates are working for free day after day to do their part in any way they can to make a difference. Healing methods are being explored to bring restoration. Research has been conducted 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 slave-free culture remains at the forefront of our challenge and calls us to focus on healing the very fabric of our society.

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