Human Trafficking as a Serious Problem: Impacts and Solutions

Today, even as technologies advance and safety increases, women still face a threat to their safety. Nowadays, women are terrified to be out late at night, forced to carry around things such as pepper spray, and have 911 on speed dial, even in areas that are familiar to them. Human Trafficking has become an increasingly growing concern for women; due to the increasing dangers to women in society, human Trafficking needs to be brought to the foreground and urgently addressed in order to save the lives of millions of women.

Understanding the Modern Slavery: Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking is a very concerning and growing issue throughout the world. Human Trafficking is most closely related to slavery as it is the twenty-first century's version of slavery (Deshpande et al.). Traffickers steal victims from many different places and force them to commit different actions, depending on what the trafficker wants. This can include labor and many other activities. Men, women, and children are forced into Trafficking. Each year, 800,000 people are trafficked over international borders, and women represent 80% of the 800,000 victims (Deshpande et al.). Now, as the numbers of human Trafficking women increase, the safety of women is becoming dangerously threatened. Thousands of people, just in the United States alone, are being trafficked each year. This is very dangerous and poses a threat to the lives of millions of people. In America, 14,500-17,500 people were trafficked, as recorded by Florida Health (Brannon, Amanda). This poses a serious threat to many Americans as they are at risk of human Trafficking.

Who is at Risk?

Anyone can be a target of human Trafficking. Everyone is at risk of human Trafficking. However, human Trafficking is much more of a threat for some people than others. Those who are in "marginalized groups" (such as a person of color, women, immigrants, etc.) are more at risk of being trafficked than others (Fact About Trafficking of Women and Girls). This creates a serious threat as many American citizens fall under one of these categories or multiple. This widens the scope of who can become a target. It creates fear, as this shows that truly no one is safe from human Trafficking. With many people, specifically women, becoming a potential targets for human Trafficking, it is becoming increasingly dangerous for women in the United States.

Tactics of Manipulation

Human Trafficking can happen to any woman, anywhere, and many are at risk. Human traffickers often lie to victims, telling them they can offer them a better life (How to Help Stop Child Trafficking). The traffickers convince these women that they can offer them a life free of poverty. They manipulate women into believing that life in human Trafficking would be easier and more efficient than the life that they currently have. The women take the traffickers up on their offer because they believe they have no other option. They believe that on their own, their life cannot get any better. They feel that the only way to have a better life is to do what their captor says. This is very dangerous. Human traffickers are very controlling of their victims. They manipulate their victims into thinking what they want them to think. Many times, they force them to take drugs or have sex and scare them by saying they will hurt their families and force them to work (Human Trafficking). This puts a trafficked woman in an impossible situation as she truly has no choice but to do what her trafficker tells her. This is terrifying for a woman to go through.

This is also very dangerous. A woman should not have to be put in that situation. To further convince women to fall for their dangerous trap, human traffickers promise their victims that something good will happen to them. This can include things getting things such as money, protection, etc. (Deshpande et al.). This is very dangerous because, many times, the trafficker is lying. It also creates an ultimatum for the victim: keep working/begin working for your captor, be sad but get the thing you need to leave or be free but unhappy with your conditions. Because they believe the benefits of working for their captor outweigh their current conditions, the women decide to become trafficked. Much like in Shakespeare's play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth is manipulated by the witches. He believes their lies because he thinks they will make his life better (Folger Shakespeare Library). Manipulation is a very dangerous attack that can create danger for anyone's life, especially women in the case of human Trafficking. Once a woman enters the trafficking system, it is very hard to get out of it. Due to the overwhelming and dangerous conditions women must go through when being trafficked. There is a serious health risk when being trafficked.

Physical and Mental Health Impacts of Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking has many serious and dangerous effects on the women who are trafficked. Those who are trafficked can experience physical effects of Trafficking, such as head injuries, breathing issues, bruises, broken or fractured bones, sexually transmitted diseases, etc. (Facts About Trafficking of Women and Girls). These physical conditions can be very painful for women to go through. They can occur from being overworked, being harassed and abused, and many other illegal practices. Head injuries, for example, can have long-term effects that could be deadly to women. Brain damage from a head injury can be fatal and last the woman's entire life. Broken bones and bruises take time to heal but can be very painful. STDs are harmful to women's health. They, like head injuries, can lead to future health problems for women. Human Trafficking also can cause emotional and mental health issues. This includes conditions such as anxiety and depression, as well as suicidal thoughts or actions. (Facts About Trafficking of Women and Girls).

Mental health issues are very serious. Women dealing with mental health issues are more likely to take their lives. This is dangerous as it increases suicide rates throughout America. Mental health issues are also very hard for some people to deal with and don't go away as quickly as something like a bruise or a broken bone. Many women deal with the repercussions of human Trafficking for the rest of their life. PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder, is a very serious issue that these women will have to deal with for a very long time. Many women who are trafficked can be haunted by the past captors who hurt them and the actions they had to commit. An increase in stress levels from their situation can lead to health issues as well. In addition to these physical and mental health issues, those who are trafficked may also be underweight or malnourished (Human Trafficking).

Malnourishment is a dangerous condition that can easily lead to death. When a person does not get a sustainable amount of nutrients to survive, they are considered malnourished. This is a very dangerous condition. Without the proper nutrients, one's body will not be able to function properly. Because of this, they may die. Human Trafficking, specifically sex trafficking, increases the number of HIV cases leading to an increase in the number of people with AIDS (Human Trafficking). AIDS is a very dangerous disease that eventually leads to a person's death. Human Trafficking can have long-term effects on the women who are involved. There need to be ways to decrease human Trafficking so that women don't have to go through these struggles and dangerous health situations. There are many things that can be done to stop human Trafficking of women in America. Governments need to set up programs and stricter laws, such as "safe harbor legislation," to help prevent the Trafficking of women (Facts About Trafficking of Women and Girls).

The Urgent Need for Interventions

These new laws will help to control and stop the spread of human Trafficking of women in the United States. Laws will make it harder for human traffickers to traffic women. This will greatly increase the safety of women's lives. Governments need to work to create laws that will reduce human Trafficking in order to increase the safety of women. Awareness of human trafficking prevention needs to be raised. It is such a heavy and dangerous topic that needs to be talked about, as it affects millions of women across America. National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month is January (How to Help Stop Child Trafficking). By helping to raise awareness for prevention, it will show lawmakers that the people want something done about the illegal human Trafficking that is occurring in the United States. It will push for change, and this will allow human Trafficking to decrease. When human Trafficking decreases, areas become safer for all. The use of social media can be used to help stop human Trafficking.

Harnessing Social Media for Change

In today's world, social media is a big part of the culture. So many people of all ages are on social media. If used, social media can be a great place to spread awareness for the fight against human Trafficking. The use of social media can help raise awareness for the issue. Many people share information through social media. Social media can be used to educate a wider range of audiences of all ages. It can be used to show people how bad the issue of human Trafficking is, especially if they were unaware of just how bad the current human trafficking rate of women in America actually is. If one sees something they think could be bad, they should say something (How to Help Stop Child Trafficking).

If someone sees something that they may think is human Trafficking or it looks like someone is in danger, say something. Saying something can help save a person's life, even if one doesn't think so. Seeing something say something is one of the most important ways someone can make a difference; it truly goes a long way. Human Trafficking can help be reduced and even prevented completely if people speak out and show their awareness for the prevention cause.

Conclusion: A Call for Urgent Action

Currently, there is an increasing threat to women's safety. It takes the evil form of Human Trafficking. Each year, in America alone, thousands of women are trafficked and exploited for work and other illegal activities. Women are forced into these stressful and dangerous conditions, and, in recent times, nothing significant has been done recently to help them. The Trafficking of women needs to be addressed and corrected in hopes of saving the lives of women. If nothing is done, life will get more and more dangerous for an average woman, even to the point where one would be too scared to go out, even more than women are now.

References

1. Deshpande, N. A., & Nour, N. M. (2013). Sex trafficking of women and girls. Reviews in Obstetrics and Gynecology, 6(1), e22–e27.
2. Brannon, Amanda. (2020). Human Trafficking in Florida. Florida Health.
3. Facts About Trafficking of Women and Girls. (2019). United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.
4. How to Help Stop Child Trafficking. (2021). UNICEF.
5. Human Trafficking. (2019). World Health Organization.

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