Human Trafficking

Jose Zelaya
Grade 10
School of Information Technology @ Eastside High School

          Internationally, human trafficking is considered a major conflict and needs to be addressed. It’s an issue that has been going on for decades, and it continues to grow and expand. There are various traffickers out there causing damage to the lives of individuals and making their world an extremely unpleasant place. It may seem hard to imagine that in the 21^st Century people literally buy and sell other people as if they were cattle, but the cold, hard fact of the matter is that they do. Throughout the world there are people and organizations that specialize in this despicable trade and they need to be stopped.

          Human trafficking is the illegal trading of people for exploitation and forced labor. Victims are men, women, and children, many of whom are illegal immigrants. They are being trafficked across both international and national borders^[1]. Victims are poorly treated, have no freedom, no health care, and basically their living conditions are a nightmare. There are three types of human trafficking: sex trafficking, in which the victim is forced into prostitution, and involves mostly women and children; labor trafficking, where victims are forced to work for little or no money; and lastly, domestic servitude, another type of human trafficking that affects women in particular, and they are forced to work at homes and may not leave.^[2]

           There are several countries, including the United States, where human trafficking is a huge issue. To some people, it might be obvious, but to others who know the United States as a country of “Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness” it wouldn’t make sense. Slavery was supposedly over in the nineteenth century^[3], but there’s actually still slavery, illegal slavery. Each year, people are being trafficked into the United States from many different countries and within the country.^[4] Those who come to the United States in search of the American Dream are promised a better life by the traffickers, but instead optimistic innocents find only an American nightmare.

           Last year, five men were sentenced to prison for being involved the trafficking of women from Mexico to New Jersey to work as prostitutes. Jose Cruz Romero-Flores, 34, the owner of two Lakewood brothels, and his associates, Felix Rios-Martinez, 48, Raul Romero Castillo, 31, Santos Lazaero Flores-Cruz, 59, and Haliro Bueno, 22, were sent to state prison for being connected to a network of brothels.^[5] They lured their victims by telling them they would work as house cleaners and babysitters. By believing that lie, these women were forced into the world of prostitution.

           Russia is also known as a central point for human trafficking. Victims are sent to and/or trafficked from Russia to European, Asian countries, and even the United States. People, who are in search for a better life, and a better job with high wages, are often tricked into trafficking. Believing in advertisements about jobs that are being offered, without hesitation, they'll travel for a life change. The number of females trafficked from Russia within one decade (1992-2002) reached 500,000.^[6]

           The United States has chastised Russia for not taking enough action to stop human trafficking and for not seriously combating this “crime against the person”. ^[7] However, the fact that the demand comes from the U.S. does not please Russia. Russia does not like being told what to do, ^[8] so it wouldn’t really matter in this case who is telling whom to do something. What Russia needs to worry about is to stopping human trafficking, and they’re demonstrating a lack of attention to it.

           It is not easy to escape human trafficking. Once victims are enslaved, their employers never let go of them. Victims often feel abused or threatened, and believe that if they speak up they are putting their families’ lives in danger. Other reasons they don’t report human trafficking include language and fear of law enforcement and deportation. Unfortunately, that's the only thing authorities care about. Many see the victims as criminals because they may be in the country illegally. Victims, regardless if they're illegal or not, deserve to get help. They don't need more suffering after what they have gone through as slaves. If we really care about our people, we must help them no matter who they are.

           Meanwhile, organizations are fighting against it, and there needs to be strong laws put in place. Human trafficking is an international conflict; therefore, the best countries can do is unite and stand together against this serious issue. It will not be that easy, but it should happen. It might take time for it to be possible, but what’s important here is to remove a crime that costs the rights of men, women, and even children who are affected.

           Everyone deserves to live peacefully and with respect. Countries should group together to protect the inhabitants of our planet. To achieve this, more protection should be provided in common places, such as the streets and, most importantly, borders. We need to work with the international community to stop traffickers before they leave their home countries, and activate more shelters around the world for victims and their families. Law enforcement working in cyberspace could scam human traffickers online, collect data from traffickers, and use this information the for prosecution of the guilty. If we want a peaceful community, we must work for it because problems do not fix themselves. We, as humans, are responsible for the actions of our species, and it is our responsibility to see that no human being exploits another. All we need is a strong and united world to attack a worldwide problem.