Human Trafficking: What is it?

          Human Trafficking also known as the modern-day slavery is defined as the recruitment, transportation, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force, abduction, fraud and other forms of coercion for the purpose of exploitation. It is an illegal global criminal activity, it has been identified as the fastest growing criminal industry in the world.

          About 27 million people are enslaved from around the world today and 80% of them are women and children due to their heightened vulnerability caused by gender discrimination, lower rates of education and economic empowerment. According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Trafficking in Persons: Global Patterns, as of 2006, around 161 countries have been affected by human trafficking as receiving, sending and transit destinations. Victims of trafficking can be of any age and gender. However, women are more involved in human trafficking as both victims and culprits. Most trafficking is carried out by people whose nationality is the same as that of their victim.

         Given the definition and statistics of human trafficking, there seems to be three constituent elements; the act, the means and the purpose.

• The Act

     The recruiting, transporting, transferring and harboring or receipt of people.

• The Means

     It is done by threatening, forcing or giving payments or benefits to the person in control of  the victim. Coercion, abduction, fraud, deception and abuse of power is also used.

• The Purpose

     Human Trafficking is done for the purpose of exploitation – exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labor or slavery.

Trafficking in Persons Protocol and the constituent elements of the offense. (UNODC)

SOURCES:

• UNODC: What is Human Trafficking?
• FGI: Human Trafficking Worldwide Facts
• FGI: What is Human Trafficking?