Abstract

Human trafficking is among the most horrifying crimes in the world. For many years human trafficking has rapidly grown, and millions are made selling the victims to available highest bidders. The traffickers use deception, physical restraints, threats, intimidation, coercion, and violence to keep the victims to their task. The majority of the trafficked victims are women, and half of the people trafficked are children under the age of eighteen. The victims get trafficked for reasons like prostitution, labor, drug trafficking, terrorism, and crime. Central PA is among the states with the most cases of human trafficking. Central PA has a meeting point named as Harrisburg where thousands of vehicles pass by every day especially cargo trucks. The number of brothels and motels in central PA is high, and prostitution is at peak. This paper discusses the human traffic problem, background, feasible and effective solutions, and contains a detailed proposal for the solutions.

Keywords: human trafficking, central PA, Harrisburg

Human Trafficking in Central Pennsylvania

Introduction

Human trafficking is the recruitment or movement of people through threats, violence, deception, abduction and empty promises with the aim of benefiting traffickers financially. Central PA is among the states with the most cases of human trafficking. Human trafficking happens in a meeting point named as Harrisburg where thousands of vehicles pass by every day especially cargo trucks. Due to prostitution, the number of brothels and motels in central PA is high.  Human traffickers have depravity; they hurt and exploit society’s variable member (Dempsey, 2015). Traffickers take away the children’s normal life and lead them to a devastating and suffering life. They treat their victims like commodities for sale to everyone interested. This paper discusses the human traffic problem, its background, feasible and effective solutions, and contains a detailed proposal for my ideal solutions.

Explanation of human traffic problem

There are many types of human trafficking like Child soldiering, forced begging, criminal activity, organ trafficking, domestic use, and sexual exploitation. Traffickers usually take advantage of the minorities, displaced people, homeless, and marginalized groups that have unmet needs and seems vulnerable. Also, survivors and victims of violence in their life are targets.

Three elements are three elements that define and explain the growth of human trafficking. The first element is, the act; this is the process the traffickers use to run this horrible business. They start with the recruitment, followed by the transfer and the harboring and sell of the victims. The second element is the means, and this is the method used by traffickers to get their victims. These methods include fraud, coercion, vulnerability, abduction, force, power abuse and using gifts and benefits to control the victims. The third element is the purpose, and this explains the reasons why human traffickers do what they do. One is exploitation, where they use sex exploitation in terms of prostitution, required forced labor mainly in places like hotels, clubs, drug transportation, manual labor, and crime. The worst is the selling of organs. Many victims lose their lives when their organs are taken and sold to illegal institutions.

In general, the thing that leads to increased human trafficking in central CA is the high demand for sex prostitution by men, due to the high rise of truck drivers and visitors many young girls go through prostitution. Second, women and children drive themselves to sexual exploitation due to poverty. The traffickers recruit women into sex by taking advantage of their poverty. Thirdly, policies like repressive immigration give trafficker’s opportunities to facilitate migration as international players. Fourthly, Stereotypes that promote sexual exploitation like sexual pressure advertisements, internet, and tourism brochures. Small and large scale traffickers operate across borders, as they recruit girls and women, from and transportation centers, villages, city streets. Charter companies, airlines, and hotels are involved in the trafficking of women for sex tourism supported through direct and indirect government corruption.

Background on Human Trafficking

Human trafficking in the modern day takes different forms. Without any options of employment, people find themselves held against their will and they work for no or little payment due to unemployment. Others are isolated from people who could assist them and force and engage them in prostitution Law enforcement does not recognize or notice the victims of human trafficking because they have few resources. Corrupt social services representatives and other service providers allow traffickers to against the law enforcement, and they make the importance of the crime essential to comprehend. The reasons human trafficking has been popular include, the wars in countries, the natural disasters, poverty and the seeking of a good life. The traffickers will target the people in these areas and use force or deception to get them in the industry. The most target group is children and women refugees and immigrants. Women are more vulnerable than men in the human trafficking business. For the women, they are a target due to the high demand for them in sex trafficking in terms of prostitution. According to statistics, 98% make up the number of girls and women trafficked (Meshkovska, Siegel, Stutterheim, & Bos, 2015). The demand for cheap labor is also a significant reason trafficking is high. In this case, the victims receive promises of useful lives, good salary, and safe work, but they end up exploited. The employees continue manipulating these victims because they know they have no power to take action. The boost of the human trafficking industry is due to its profits. Billions in profit made every year, and the most significant share comes in sexual exploitation

Refutation of Possible Human traffic Solutions

The method to address human trafficking needs intelligence investigations against violators, but the solutions seem not to make any changes to human trafficking crises. The first solution to human traffic is the provision of capital by the government that help to fund the human trafficking war (Konrad, Trapp, Palmbach, & Blom, 2017). Million dollar programs are set aside to provide services and legal help to victims of trafficking. The second solution is the introduction of the T-visa by the government, which permits the victims to stay in the country and help in the court prosecutions. Third, the Presidential Award is used to lure a person into standing and fighting to traffic and is given to the individual who makes extraordinary efforts to eliminate and combat trafficking. The award is awarded annually to recognize exceptional contributions in human trafficking awareness. These solutions are a financial advantage in human trafficking fight. However, due to corruption in the high places and fear of people bringing to light cases of human trafficking due to insecurity the problem remains severe.

A detailed proposal on my Human Trafficking Solutions

In the future, the government should consider creating bodies that create anti-trafficking strategies that do enough research and analysis of the operations of trafficking organizations in forms of organized crime. The second solution for the future, the government should investigate the connection in the terrorist actions and the financial sides of the business of human traffickers.  Thirdly, the government should increase its efforts in pursuing the perpetrators of trafficking activities, and international cooperation that fund human trafficking (Hege et al., 2017). These efforts include in-depth investigations, seizure of crime proceeds, laws coordination and the seizing of the funds made in trafficking and using the funds for development in educational curriculums. Also, grow the business sector and the public on how to help solve and eradicate the problem of trafficking.

In the future, the government should come up with strategies to strengthen the services provided to trafficking victims. It should come up with assessments that track unusual activities within the States, helping both service providers and law enforcement in getting essential resources. Fortunately, if the government provides these services, it will show a positive effort by the administration to fight the human traffickers. Also, new solutions based on numbers, facts, and information and proper awareness are achievable by getting crucial human traffic resources.

The administration should provide trafficking guidance and training to the immigration judges, state law, federal prosecutors, state agencies, law enforcement officials, commercial transportation officials, educators, and enforcement partners. These pieces of training will allow professionals to in trafficking situation. They will be able to recognize victims and get them out of harmful conditions.

Administrations should organize counter-trafficking in people’s campus challenge which will combine college students and technology to come up with innovative approaches to fighting human trafficking. Second, they should create foundations and institution that will concentrate on the prevention of human trafficking. Third, they should grow the Human Trafficking Intervention Courts. This system provides services that help the victims of trafficking to avoid falling back into the cycle ( Lee, & Persson, 2015). The courts should have specially trained judges, defense lawyers, prosecutors, and social workers trained to help sex trafficking victims.

These are some of the things people should do to help decrease the high rise of the human trafficking industry. People should learn how to indicate human trafficking signs to help identify potential trafficking victim (O’Brien, 2016).  The available training is law enforcement, educators, individuals, business, and federal employees.  Always call 911 or the national human traffic hotline: 1-888-373-7888 in case situation of human trafficking.  Always motivate companies to take steps in investigating and preventing human trafficking in their chain supplies and publish information about their company list, suppliers and consumer awareness.  Keep volunteering and supporting anti-trafficking campaigns in the states and communities and meeting with the local, federal and state and government giving them information on human trafficking and asking them what they are doing to address it.Organizing fundraisers and donating the proceeds to anti-trafficking organizations. Encouraging local schools allow their students to join anti-traffic. Modern slavery in the curricula should include in the school syllabus.Join local religious communities and assist in stopping trafficking by spreading the awareness of human trafficking. As an employer provide skills, training, internships, jobs, and opportunities to survivors. Every leaner should take actions in their campuses by joining clubs and raising awareness on human trafficking (Weitzer, 2015). Also, consider doing research papers on topics involving human trafficking and request that the human trafficking unit includes in the school syllabus. The media should guide the public about human trafficking and expose the trafficker’s way of doing things to the world.

Feasibility and effectiveness of Human Trafficking Solutions

The solutions provided above can only be attainable if the government set aside huge funds and find programs that will be effective in teaching people skills for combating human trafficking. The effective practices the governments should consider in developing victim protection strategies include: the first one is Identification: Among vulnerable people develop standard operating processes to know the human traffic victims. Should have procedures should have indicators of human trafficking associated with local situations. Introduce programs that will allow the screening of vulnerable looking people like unaccompanied children, asylum seekers in the border. There should be frequent monitoring of the private sector businesses with labor exploitation risk, and human trafficking. The second is Legal proceedings. Presentation of victim testimony should occur in a less traumatizing way during the court hearing against the traffickers. Measures should be taken in protection of the identity of the victims and given the options to choose if they want to reveal their personal information. Laws should create that protect human trafficking victims. The third is Services. Good services should gives to victims, for example, medical care, housing assistance, spiritual support, family location and reunification substance abuse treatment, clothing assistance, educational and vocational training and placement, safety planning; mental health counseling family location and reunification, translation and interpretation, food aid, criminal, and repatriation, and assistance in getting and  finding the services. All should be applicable and appropriate according to the victims with particular disabilities, gender, and age. Every victim should give a chance to express their needs and opinions whether they want services and shelter. Have services that are readily available and accessible to all victims who need assistance. The third one is durable solutions. Temporary immigration status should be made available to the trafficking victims, and they should be allowed to work for stability. Services for the returning services of the victims should be well funded.

Conclusion

Human trafficking is occurring because administrations and people ignore the problem. The traffickers have depravity; they hurt and use the vulnerable society members. The traffickers take away the children’s normal life and bring them devastating and suffering life. Also, they tear families apart, and they treat their victims like commodities. It is essential to change the mindset inthe society and let everyone sees human trafficking as a modern slave trade that fuels instability, crime, illegal drugs, and funds terrorism. Though administrations are trying to do everything to eradicate human trafficking, still there is not enough education offered to the people about this deadly crisis. Education and awareness on human trafficking should contain programs that focus on modern sex slavery. The emphasis points to the person who contributes to the situation when acquiring sexual services. An education unit on human trafficking could be added to the school curriculums as part of sex education as early as the preschools. Countries need to implement stricter border controls security to prevent human trafficking.

References

Dempsey, M. M. (2015). Decriminalizing victims of sex trafficking. Am. Crim. L. Rev., 52, 207.

Konrad, R. A., Trapp, A. C., Palmbach, T. M., & Blom, J. S. (2017). Overcoming human trafficking via operations research and analytics: Opportunities for methods, models, and applications. European Journal of Operational Research, 259(2), 733-745.

Lee, S., & Persson, P. (2015). Human trafficking and regulating prostitution.-*+

Meshkovska, B., Siegel, M., Stutterheim, S. E., & Bos, A. E. (2015). Female sex trafficking: conceptual issues, current debates, and future directions. Journal of sex research, 52(4), 380-395.

O’Brien, E. (2016). Human trafficking heroes and villains: Representing the problem in anti-trafficking awareness campaigns. Social & Legal Studies, 25(2), 205-224.

Weitzer, R. (2015). Human trafficking and contemporary slavery. Annual review of sociology, 41, 223-242.