Social Stigmas Of Human Trafficking

“I was forced to kill my best friend as initiation process into the army. That’s something I will never forget and I still fight with every single day,” recollected by Michel Chikwanine, former child soldier of The Democratic Republic Of Congo as published by the U.S. State Department in the 2017 “Trafficking in Persons Report”. Chikwanine gives a face to the millions who have been made victims of human trafficking; his story, unfortunately, is not unique. Protected by the social stigmas that surround it, human trafficking operates on a global scale, assisting in the perpetuation of widespread inequalities and degradations. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates there to be 20.9 million victims of trafficking globally, many

Kelsey McGregor Perry, a lawyer who represents those who have been made victims of human trafficking, and LIndsay McEwing, an associate with the World Health Organization, found that key social determinants that facilitate trafficking include poverty, conflict, displacement, migration, ignorance, and class or caste status (Perry & McEwing). Kriistina Kangasputa, UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) chief of the global report on Trafficking in Persons Unit and her staff, write that this victimization is enabled by “[i]ssues such as disempowerment, social exclusion, and economic vulnerability [as a result of] policies and practices that marginalize entire groups of people”(Kangasputa et al). Stigmas that surround migrants and those in areas of poverty make it exceedingly difficult for such groups to receive help or social services, allowing systems and patterns of trafficking to be enabled and grown. The low level of education associated with members in these groups works to discredit victims claims, the ignorance and stigma surrounding human trafficking stops them from receiving help, the movement of victims to foreign environments, in which they have no knowledge of local customs or language, and common xenophobic sentiments inhibits their ability to communicate effectively

The practice has succeeded in aiding in the perpetuation of of the exploitation of some of the most vulnerable members of society globally, and backed patriarchal systems around the world. Efforts to reverse the trend have received little to no success due to the complexities and regional differences presented by the system as a whole. As published in “An Introduction to Human Trafficking” Kangasputa writes that prevention is being inadequately addressed by the international community, as more funds and time have been placed towards persecution and law enforcement actions against traffickers than towards preventative measures. She suggests that prevention and persecution should be valued with equal importance in an attempt to take preemptive action against the system as a whole. She also suggests that programs aiming to educate communities on trafficking and help victims should be tailored to suit regional needs, adapting to better serve cultural views. Thus, the efforts to limit human trafficking have to be undertaken by a variety of organizations, from humanitarian non-profits to government units in order to effectively limit the effects of human trafficking on people and cultures