Gather information from the mainstream media on this issue.

Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery. Victims of human trafficking are subjected to force, fraud, or coercion, for the purpose of sexual exploitation or forced labor.

After drug dealing, human trafficking is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal industry in the world today, and it is the fastest growing.

The United States of America is principally a transit and destination country for trafficking in persons. It is estimated that 14,500 to 17,500 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked to the U.S. annually. ¹The largest number of people trafficked into the United States come from East Asia and the Pacific (5,000 to 7,000 victims). The next highest numbers come from Latin America and from Europe and Eurasia, with between 3,500 and 5,500 victims from each.

Trafficking includes men, women, and children who perform all forms of forced labor, including agriculture, domestic service, construction work, and sweatshops, as well as trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.

They are trapped in lives of misery—often beaten, starved, and forced to work as prostitutes or to take grueling jobs as migrant, domestic, restaurant, or factory workers with little or no pay.

According to United Nations on Drugs and Crime trafficking in persons has three constituent elements;

1.      The Act: recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons

2.      The Means: threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or giving payments or benefits to a person in control of the victim

3.      The Purpose or the purpose of exploitation, which includes exploiting the prostitution of others, sexual exploitation, forced labour, slavery or similar practices and the removal of organs.

 There are a number of common patterns for luring victims into situations of trafficking, including:

• A promise of a good job in another country
• A false marriage proposal turned into a bondage situation
• Being sold into the sex trade by parents, husbands, boyfriends
• Being kidnapped by traffickers

Traffickers frequently subject their victims to debt-bondage, an illegal practice in which the traffickers tell their victims that they owe money (often relating to the victims’ living expenses and transport into the country) and that they must pledge their personal services to repay the debt.

Traffickers use a variety of methods to “condition” their victims including starvation, confinement, beatings, physical abuse, rape, gang rape, threats of violence to the victims and the victims’ families, forced drug use and the threat of shaming their victims by revealing their activities to their family and their families’ friends. Victims face numerous health risks and psychological harms.

Gather research about this issue

According to the U.S. Department of State

• More than 80% of trafficking victims are females
• More than 50% of the trafficking victims internationally are under the age of 18
• An estimated $9.5 billion is generated throughout all trafficking activities
• 95% of victims experienced physical or sexual violence during trafficking
• 43% of victims are used for forced commercial sexual exploitation, of whom 98 per cent are women and girls 
• 32% of victims are used for forced economic exploitation, of whom 56 % are women and girls
• Many trafficking victims have at least middle-level education

According to the International Labor Organization, Forced Labor Statistics Factsheet (2007)

An estimated 2.5 million people are in forced labor (including sexual exploitation) at any given time as a result of trafficking

·         1.4 million – 56% - are in Asia and the Pacific

·         250,000 – 10% - are in Latin America and the Caribbean

·         230,000 – 9.2% - are in the Middle East and Northern Africa

·         130,000 – 5.2% - are in sub-Saharan countries

·         270,000 – 10.8% - are in industrialized countries

·         200,000 – 8% - are in countries in transition2

It is estimated that human trafficking generates around 9,500 million dollars a year, a figure that   is compared only to arms and drugs trafficking. 
The points of arrival are developed countries such as Italy, Holland, Germany, USA, Japan, Spain, that offer better quality of life.

Use the Sociological imagination to describe your issue

This issue is a personal matter for people who become enslaved. Their freedom is taken away, and the traffickers have the power to decide what it will be done with their lives against their will. Trafficked people lose their social identity
This issue is a public matter. The consequences of trafficking for the victims, their families, and communities are severe and diverse. Once trafficked an individual’s future opportunities in life are often very limited. Trafficked children are deprived of the opportunity of obtaining an education. Teenagers and women trafficked for both sexual and labor exploitation are deprived of the opportunity of marriage or of having children. Men trafficked as laborers face years without family life.

Increased numbers of illegal migrants and trafficked peoples in an area may result in increased discrimination and hostility toward racial minorities.

We can say that trafficking is a crime that has always existed. At first it was fully accepted in most cultures, through sexual exploitation, prostitution, and through slavery. Trafficking has increased dramatically with globalization, the rise of illicit trade, the end of the Cold War and the demise of Soviet Union, leaving desolation and many individuals expose to exploitation by human traffickers.

Increasing and more severe natural disasters have also left millions displaced.  Dispossessed of their land and without opportunities in nonagricultural sectors, these distressed people are often exploited by human traffickers.

Use the three Sociological perspectives to analyze your issue

Structural Functionalism: In What Ways does your social issue to relates to social stability and Instability? 
Social stability is manifested in the number of jobs that trafficked human perform. We find them not only doing sexual work, but in all areas such agriculture, domestic service, construction work and factories.  Due to the low cost that owners that have to pay for this kind of slavery, businesses become very profitable. Profitable businesses generate wealth to the country. For example, children labor in countries like China allows foreign industry to offer low manufacturing cost that will return higher margins for the owners.

The instability exists in different areas. Jobs for the general population are reduced. Sexual slaves live in deplorable conditions and lack hygiene, increasing the chance of getting sick and transmit sexual diseases. Since human trafficking is an illegal business, the places where they take place do not meet health and safety standards. The trafficking industry also generates violence, increasing the number of victims and death people in the country.

Conflict Perspective: In What Ways does your issue relates to power, status and access to resources? 

The lack of jobs, low wages and high cost of living caused by inflation creates an opportunity to human traffickers. Lack of food, clothing and housing and the impossibility of the government fulfilling these needs create the desire in their citizens to emigrate and look for better opportunities, and it is there when they become a prey for heartless human beings who lure them with false promises. Trafficked people usually are seduced with untruthful promises of employment, better pay and security.

When they arrive to their destination, they discover they have been lied and suffer a series of abuses. Drug traffickers belong to powerful criminal organizations that enrich selling human beings and their services. Conversely, trafficked people usually pertain to lower social stratus, reason why they become an easy target.

Interactionism: In What Ways is your issue a product of rational choice and symbolic interaction? Human trafficking is not a product of rational choice, but it is influenced by the desire to satisfy basic needs and progress in life. There is when traffickers take advantage of peoples dream and promise them employment abroad with secure pay. Trafficked people become slaves in other countries while they perform all kind of services.

The majority of trafficking is done by networks of smaller groups that each specialize in a certain area, like recruitment, transportation, advertising, or retail.

Use at least one Sociological Theory to explain your issue

I believe the best theory to explain human trafficking is the conflict perspective. There are different groups in society; there are conflicts between these groups that generate economic inequality.  Human trafficking is the result of  excessive ambition that creates a market for trafficking with men, women and children who are engaged in all forms of forced labor, including agriculture, domestic service, construction work and sweatshops, as well as sexual exploitation.
The groups that conflict here are the traffickers and the industries that surround them with the trafficked people and all those who use them for their own benefit creating a demand.


The fundamental causes of human trafficking are social and economic forces that function within the society. The criminal system operates on behalf of rich elites such as criminal organizations who are rarely prosecuted for these crimes.

Explain how this issue is Socially Meaningful

Globalization allows the media to strongly influence our society. The idea of a better place found beyond the borders, creates in individuals the desire to emigrate and discover better opportunities. For example many women are enticed into prostitution with the lie they will become models. TV shoes and soap operas create this fantasy world that omits to mention the risks that surround them.

Our belief system has a significant impact on this issue. More and more people lack moral values and are willing to do anything to obtain power and money.

It is important to mention human trafficking is a profitable business, because there is a high demand for these services. Traffickers are guilty for oppressing human beings, but we as society hire these services without wondering the reasons of the low cost. People who uses prostitutes choose to ignore the warnings of abuse because they are concerned only with their well being.

Businesses hire illegal immigrants because they do not have to pay them minimum salaries or offer them safe environment.

Explain how society makes this issue real.

Unfortunately our society doesn’t accept the fact that human trafficking is present  and constitute a modern form of slavery. It is very uncommon to find news about human trafficking. This subject isn’t covered in TV programs.  Most teenagers are not aware that human trafficking exist and anyone can become a victim.

On the contrary, research shows an increase of the numbers of people who are converted into modern slaves.

Explain how this issue is impacted by social stratification and Inequality?

Inequality in society creates a huge gap between rich and poor, giving raise to social stratification. People in lower social class are usually the principal victims of human trafficking. Within this group, women and children are the easiest to dominate and abuse. People who lack monetary resources or education are not informed of risks related to traveling abroad.
Their families ignore the laws that protect them, or simply they understand that without money not much help will be offered by government authorities. Human trafficking is a very lucrative industry that has the power and resources to entice police members to ignore these violent crimes.

Explain how this issue is a matter of normative and / or Deviant Behavior?

Human trafficking is a deviant behavior. Traffickers sell human beings in order to achieve monetary gain. They violate rules, judgments, and in some cases their own moral beliefs in order to profit with this modern form of slavery.
 Traffickers are deviants who violate severe norms and receive disapproval from the majority of society. Crimes committed by traffickers are subject to criminal charges.

Conclusion

Trafficking is one of the most profitable industries. Counter-trafficking strategies and programs have been inadequate to stop the expansion. Traffickers are usually not persecuted and some countries where they work, there are no laws criminalizing their atrocious practices. Where laws exist, law enforcement has not prioritized human trafficking.
International cooperation to fight this problem is inadequate, and protection is not enough for victims.