Human Trafficking Research

Human trafficking is a big problem all around the world. Yet for some reason it does not get discussed to the magnitude that it should. Every year, thousands of men, women and children are kidnapped by traffickers, and forced into sexual exploitation. As defined by the United Nations,” human trafficking is 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.” (Women, 2010) The victim is almost always promised

A conservative estimate puts the number of victims at any one time to 2.5 million. Depending on the source, the number of assisted victims ranged between 500 and almost 900 between 2000 and 2004. The Romanian Government has identified trafficking as one of the priorities in its efforts to fight organized crime. It is in the process of developing a national plan of action and is organizing an inter-ministerial group that will focus on the trafficking of children. ("Reaching out, 2013) The industry thrives in low-risk areas where the community is unaware of the issue, government and community institutions are not properly trained to respond, local laws are ineffective in addressing the crime, safety nets for victims do not exist, and law enforcement does not investigate or prosecute the criminals. Within these areas of susceptibility, particularly vulnerable groups include undocumented migrants, runaway and homeless youth, and oppressed, marginalized and/or impoverished individuals. One of the most common tactics used by human traffickers is to play on the desperate situation of individuals looking for a job and can be easily convinced with lucrative-sounding offers of employment. Overall, the human trafficking industry involves victims of all ages, genders, and

That is the first step to ending modern slavery.Kenya has the highest rate of human trafficking in both Central and East Africa. As a source, transit, and destination country, Kenyan urban centers such as Nairobi and Mombasa provide both the supply and demand required to grow the industry. Often victims are trafficked either to or through Kenya from neighboring countries such as South Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.(Unknown, n.d.) Forced labor is the main form of human trafficking in Kenya, with 41.3% of Kenyan children ages 10-14 years of age being exploited for cheap labor within the country. Once taken, these children are put to work in industries such as agriculture, fishing, cattle herding, street vending and begging. Kenyans are also frequently lured to the Middle East and Europe with the promise of well-paid employment. After their arrival, their passports and identification documents are often confiscated and their wages withheld, leaving them at the mercy of their employers.

As determined by the U.S. Department of State, Kenya is currently on the Tier 2 Watch List. Kenya passed a Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act in 2010 but it has been poorly implemented and the Kenyan government has not demonstrated evidence of increased efforts to combat human trafficking. Their efforts remain uncoordinated