Human Trafficking is a global problem; a problem with many victims that are not easily tracked. High profits, low prosecution and difficulty with inter-agency cooperation is part of what keeps this modern day slavery alive.

The definition underwent an overhaul, as noted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime it now reads as, “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.”

A large percentage of men are trafficked annually for labour, women and children are trafficked most often for sex. In my first article A Sparkle of Hope published in TimeFinders Magazine it was my pleasure to highlight the efforts of Major Winn Blackman and the Salvation Army who have made it their mission to assist in public awareness and help victims of human sex trafficking.

It was from that initial conversation with Major Blackman that I began my further investigation into the subject of human sex trafficking and the organizations that are trying to help. Though the transport of people for labour is very disturbing to me and without a doubt it should continue to receive the  full attention of law enforcement and immigration, sex trafficking of women and children really hits a nerve. In the process of gathering further data it amazes me that something so incredibly abhorrent manages to continue business fairly unscathed. However, there is hope. Through the efforts of many organizations that circle the globe this industry can’t stay fully operating in the shadows.

Organizations like: Polaris Project whose offices are in major cities within the USA and in Japan. CAST provides multiple services that address public education, identification and victim support. The  Future Group a Canadian based organization who focuses on prevention, protection and prosecution. Transitions Global providing training, skill development, therapy and housing to victims/survivors. Somaly Mam Foundation with programs across South East Asia concentrating on awareness, rescue and rehabilitation.

As with any major service it is imperative these agencies are properly monitored and evaluated in order to gain the information we need. It may be helpful to set up standards related to this work that truly aids the cause and breeds the inter-agency cooperation that is lacking. The nature of the business itself means we may never know the true extent to which women and children are trafficked, but it is helpful to know what services are most effective.

With poverty, discrimination, misogyny, violence and demand, the vulnerability for women and children remain. The lucrative businesses of prostitution, stripping and pornography, all part of the sex trade, meant that more and more “product“ (as in human product) needed to shipped around the world. In the acceptance of one trade and its growing consumer appetite, another trade stepped up to meet demand.

What we must attend to is the climate that creates desperation, such as poverty. An empowered individual is not attractive to those that prey on the weak; investing in building the value and self esteem of women and children is so important. We all come to the table with ideas on how to address this problem but what it comes down to is consumer demand. In the act of purchasing sex through prostitution, stripping or pornography one is saying `yes“ to trafficking.

The organizations and their hard work deserve praise and support as some people are put at great personal risk in order expose trafficking and protect the survivors. Everyone has to start somewhere and though there are so many players contributing to the problem, conversely there are a growing number of individuals, governments and agencies that are trying to make a difference. In knowing that, I hold the faith that human trafficking will lose its grip on men, women and children through the collective eyes, ears, speech and actions of many.

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