Shameful history of human trafficking
Origins of human trafficking -
The earliest form of global human trafficking began with the African slave trade, in the 16th century.
A flourishing industry -
The slave trade was both legal and government-tolerated, and business was brisk!
Slave Trade Act 1807 -
By the early 19th century, abolitionists in Great Britain, notably William Wilberforce (1759–1833), had successfully campaigned to end slavery.
The white slave trade -
As the door closed on the African slave trade, another opened on the procurement of white slaves.
White slavery - In the Roman Republic and later Roman Empire, for example, slaves accounted for most of the means of industrial output in Roman commerce.
Definition of white slavery -
The definition of white slavery refers to the slavery of Europeans, whether by non-Europeans or by other Europeans.
White Slave Traffic Act -
In 1910, the US Congress passed the White Slave Traffic Act (better known as the Mann Act), aimed at curbing sex trafficking.
League of Nations -
In the wake of the First World War, the League of Nations was founded, on January 10, 1920.
United Nations - In 1949, the United Nations adopted the UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.
Human trafficking redefined -
The mid-20th century saw the United Nations divide human trafficking into three categories—sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and the removal of organs.
An organized crime -
By 2000, human trafficking had become such a global concern that the United Nations criminalized it under the protocols of Transnational Organized Crime.
Alarming statistics -
According to Safe Horizon, 16 million people are victims of forced labor. A further 4.8 million people are trafficked for forced sexual exploitation.
Disproportionately affected -
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by human trafficking, accounting for 71% of all victims worldwide, notes Safe Horizon.
Methods -
Traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.
Deception -
Deception extends to withholding identification, employment authorization, or travel documentation.
No privacy -
Victims of human trafficking are nearly always monitored, and live and work under constant surveillance.
Substandard living conditions -
Trafficked victims invariably end up living in accommodation that is often shared, with sometimes no heat, running water, or electricity.