Human trafficking is another issue that demands the attention of America...especially our youth. Since we are the next generation that will deal with the problems of the future, the time for awareness is now. The thing is, human trafficking is inextricably linked to our broken immigration system. But broken systems don't just demand the attention of policymakers or people in Washington, instead, they require that there be greater awareness amongst the American people. The promises of the American government and the American dream require an active and well-informed citizenry.
Below is an excerpt from an Op-ed I wrote at a workshop:
Marika was a very pretty girl. She was the typical sort of girl who would work a few jobs for the sake of her family. But in the blink of an eye, she was no longer that same typical girl. Marika was invited to take a trip to Tel Aviv, where she was promised a waitressing job that would provide a stable income. While at first Marika was uncomfortable with the idea of uprooting herself from her home, she eventually accepted the job offer.
Little did she know she was now a victim of human trafficking.
Marika was forced to have sex with customers day in and day out, wearing nothing but skimpy lingerie and threatened daily with beatings if she did not produce sufficient income. She was indebted to her trafficker because he paid her way to travel to Tel Aviv. Since she could only keep a minuscule part of the money she made, she knew that she would be a captive of her trafficker for a very long time. With no clear way out, Marika was left fearing that the rest of her life would be spent in eternal enslavement.
But Marika is not the only one.
Twenty-seven million. That is the number of people human trafficked each year. In fact there are many “Marikas” who are forced into sex slavery, slave labor, or are kidnapped and forced to join cartels, gangs or other criminal organizations. In more recent years, key organizations such as International Justice Mission (IJM) and the Polaris Project have brought about greater awareness on the issue, but there is much work to be done.
Within the last few weeks, the United States released its annual Global Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP), a report that surveys 184 nations’ compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). TIP categorizes all of the countries into four Tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch list and Tier 3. The tiers measure compliance; 1 being the best and 3 being the worst. Once a country is placed on Tier 3, the United States has the right to sanction them for noncompliance.
There are 23 countries on the Tier 3 Watch List.
Those countries that are placed on the Tier 3 Watch List are there because their governments have made little demonstrable effort to combat trafficking, prosecute traffickers, or create public awareness campaigns as preventive measures.
But the United States is far from exempt from human trafficking. An estimated 100,000 victims are trafficked into the United States annually. While government efforts and awareness are important in the fight against modern-day slavery, there is much more that needs to be done.
It has been said that human trafficking is a “sexy” political issue, but to classify it as such is both demeaning and undermines the importance of the issue. There are many political issues that come and go, blowing in the wind only to dissolve into a mere mist in our imagination.
But modern-day slavery cannot be ignored.
It takes more than just government sanctioning to bring about awareness on such a key issue. First, it’s going to take a grassroots recognition in the individual high-level human trafficking countries such as the Sudan, Venezuela, Cambodia and Cuba that there is a problem.
But it’s also going to take comprehensive reforms.
While U.S. sanctioning may help to bring about awareness on the issue, it cannot provide whole scale resolution nor does it provide truly preventive measures to combat human trafficking. The steps will be different for each country, but many of the issues with human trafficking relate to problems inherent in the immigration system.
Because many immigrants employ coyotes to make their way across the border, particularly the U.S.-Mexico border, many are trafficked. According to a Heritage Foundation study, an estimated 17,500 are trafficked annually from Latin America. If more legal routes were provided, fewer people would be forced to go through underground operations to immigrate to the United States. This would decrease their chances of immigrants falling prey to traffickers.
However, beyond the logistical issues that could be aided through immigration reform and the sanctioning currently in place, human trafficking needs to be recognized as a moral imperative. Many countries, such as Cuba, experience high levels of sex tourism and trafficking because their governments actually encourage the growth of the industry. Trafficking in persons happens for a reason and that is because there is a demand for illicit sex.
The result: 27 million boys and girls just like Marika. Enslaved.
Human trafficking is screaming for a solution. With the help of groups like International Justice Mission and the Polaris Project coupled with U.S. sanctioning, the United States can move toward combating modern-day slavery. But this issue is calling for something more. The millions of slaves worldwide are in need of help. They’re reaching out for a lifeline.
Will it be there?
World, it’s your turn to answer…
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