HUMAN TRAFFICKING: THE FIGHT IS FAR FROM OVER
Human trafficking is today interpreted as modern-day slavery. As a contemporary form of slavery, human trafficking surely proves us that the abolishing of slavery was far from realized and accomplished, as the elements, remnants and particulars of slavery remain to exist in a rather wide and broad range.
The history of slavery dates back to thousands of years. Over these years, man and woman were both subjected to all forms of physical, psychological and sexual oppression, exploitation and degradation. Like every other period, man and woman began to resist the exploitation of the masters against them.
Whereas the fight against slavery intensified, slavery itself adopted a chameleon-like skin, changing its patterns and manners. It is on this course that, slavery has accounted to different phases: one moment, there was the infamous “black slavery”, least said about this form of slavery is therapeutic; then there was the “white slavery” of which a white woman or girl was procured — by use of force, deceit or drugs — against her will for prostitution.
The wording slavery might have not been replaced by trafficking, but yet still the meaning of the two remain more similar. In the 1921 International Conference of the League of Nations, the international community remarkably recognized that even male children tend to be victims of trafficking; this as of effect set a foundation towards the address of trafficking of both sexes — male and female.
THE GLOBAL SITUATION TODAY
The fight against trafficking persists but the numbers of victims surely does not appeal. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), the office with the mandate to combat trafficking in persons, accounts that for 2018 there were a total of 48,478 victims detected. Similar to all the previous years, decades and centuries, UNDOC holds that adult women and girls remain to be the predominant victims of human trafficking. As of 2018, UNDOC documents that for every 10 victims detected globally, about five were adult women and two were girls; about one third of the overall detected victims were children, both girls (19%) and boys (15%) while 20% were adult men and 46% were women.
This report revealed that traffickers targeted victims who were marginalized or in difficult circumstances. Undocumented migrants and people who are in desperate need of employment are also vulnerable, particularly of being trafficked for forced labour.
COVID-19 was featured as an accelerating factor to trafficking in persons around the globe. Countries were experiencing fast and continuous loss of employment. The projections revealed that as the unemployment rate rose then more people were likely to be trafficked as well.
The report also identified that the criminals trafficking children targeted victims from extremely poor households, dysfunctional families or those abandoned with no parental care.
REGIONAL SITUATION
The Sub-Saharan Africa is faced with the problem of trafficking in persons. The data in this region is quite intriguing. Victims of trafficking in person elsewhere are likely to be used in sexual exploitation, in sub-Saharan Africa the situation is different. Firstly, children make up for more than half of the victims of trafficking, and secondly these victims were taken to work in forced labour and not sexual exploitation.
Further facts which enlighten on the trafficking in persons situation in Africa facts may be entailed as follows: That 23% of global human trafficking takes place in Africa: That much is still unknown about human trafficking in special case countries: That over half of those suffering exploitation for labor are in debt bondage.
This can be analyzed as follows:
Stating that “a lot is still unknown about human trafficking in special case countries” means that the human trafficking situation in some countries could not be measured due to serious conflicts that exist within. Some countries have experienced years of violence and unrest hence making it difficult for the authorities to track the situation of human trafficking never the less combat it. The law enforcement authorities in these countries may be focused on other matters at hand.
When reports state that “over half of those suffering exploitation for labor are in debt bondage” then it means traffickers force victims to work in order to pay off a debt. The traffickers make the debts impossible to pay by giving the victims very little compensation or nothing at all. This is considered as the most common form of modern slavery.
Hence a summary of the situation of trafficking in persons in Sub-Saharan Africa and Africa.
NATIONAL SITUATION
In 2016 the School of Public Health and Social Science (SPHSS) from Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science together with International Organization for Migration (IOM) prepared a report on the “Dynamics of Trafficking in Persons in Tanzania”. This research was conducted in different districts of the regions of Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Arusha, Iringa and Kigoma.
The findings of the report were wide but provided out the conclusion of what should be done. Focusing on the findings, the report entailed that:
There is a low understanding of what trafficking in persons is in all levels and this limits the availability of data because communities might be witnessing human trafficking but don’t consider it to be so. Example: Forced labour.
Other findings of the report informed the public and stakeholders that; the understanding of the elements of trafficking in person decrease with the hierarchy from the national level to the grass root level, there is no uniform understanding of the definition of trafficking in persons (TIP), Poverty is a key factor subjecting individuals to becoming potential victims of TIP and that the reported incidences of internal trafficking are higher than those of transnational trafficking.
When the question “what are the main means of getting the victims of TIP” was raised, 63 % of all respondents that were engaged in this research revealed that it is through relatives and then voluntary movement of the victims as they act on the false promises that they are given by their captors/ traffickers.
LEGAL CONTEXT
In 2006 Tanzania ratified the protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons especially women and children. In 11th of April 2008 the Tanzania National Assembly passed The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act, a comprehensive piece of legislation aimed at addressing every aspect of trafficking in persons in Tanzania.
This law provides that an individual will be committing the offence of trafficking in persons if he/she recruits, transports, transfers, harbours, provides or receives a person by any means, including those done under pretext domestic or overseas employment, training or apprenticeship, for the purpose of prostitution, pornography, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery, involuntary servitude or debt bondage;”
This law also makes it clear that where the victim of trafficking in person is a child then the consent of parents cannot be used as a defense in prosecution.
The law of Anti-Trafficking in Persons also states that those who will be found liable for the offence of trafficking in persons shall be liable to a fine of not less than five million shillings and not more than one hundred million shillings or imprisonment of a term not less than two years and not more than ten years or both. This is what the law says and some have argued that perhaps the punishment is too light.
Every 30th of July is the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. This year’s theme was “Victims’ voices lead the way”. One may be irritated by the facts and statistics that have been revealed above and ask which way exactly? Well, there is only one answer and it is “towards ending the trafficking in persons”. This theme puts the victims at the center but we cannot task the victims to lead the way alone. We have to task ourselves with increasing our awareness on trafficking in persons in order to lead the way with them.
After the paragraphs and statistics, let us reflect while connecting dots to the heading of this piece which were also words António Vitorino- Director General of IOM on 30th July this year that “the fight against human trafficking is far from over”. CARE TO JOIN IT?
Article Written by,
Ken Edwin Heriel
kenedwin9@gmail.com
