Persuasive Essay On Human Trafficking

When the topic of black market activities is brought to discussion, society almost automatically thinks of things such as illegal drugs and the illegal selling of weapons, animals, along many other things. In reality, there is a bigger issue that puts the lives of innocent people -- women and children especially -- at risk: human trafficking. Human trafficking is a growing black market trade that affects lives across the globe. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, human trafficking is defined as the transportation and holding of people using force, fraud or deception. These people are controlled by their owners for the purpose of exploitation. Human trafficking can include forced labor, sex slavery (prostitution) and state/military imposed slavery. The detriments of human trafficking not only extends to many lives, physically and mentally, it also has a major impact on the economy. Human trafficking has evolved with

These activities are not regulated by the government, and therefore cannot be a real measurement of how well a country’s economy is doing. When Italy added its shadow economy to its GDP their economy grew by 18%, becoming the West's fourth-largest economy (Istat.it). Adding this shadow economy created an artificial growth, causing il sorpasso. A country’s national joy should not be because of an artificial surge. Including illegal activities in one country’s GDP is supporting things such as human trafficking, devalues the credibility of the country’s GDP. Countries that include this, could lose from support with other more economically firm nations. The United States started the fight towards the end of human trafficking. Countries such as China, Australia, Canada and Mexico are all countries that are starting to do small things to stop this horrific trade (Appendix D). While other countries such as Saudi Arabia does not comply with the standards set in the U.S.