Breaking Myths: Human Trafficking is only Sex Trafficking
What do you think of when you think of human trafficking?
Up until a few years ago, human trafficking was synonymous with sex trafficking for me. It was the first, and really only thing, that came to mind. The false equivalency between human trafficking and sex trafficking is certainly not uncommon, and it is perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding this issue.
MYTH: Human Trafficking is only Sex Trafficking
Human trafficking is a complex, international, and multi-billion dollar industry that manifests itself in many different forms. Below are more details about each of these different types of human trafficking.
Forced Labor
“Forced or compulsory labor is all work or service which is exacted from any person under the threat of a penalty and for which the person has not offered himself or herself voluntarily.”
Although sex trafficking is the most widely recognized form of human trafficking, it isn’t actually the most pervasive form. According to the U.S. State Department, forced labor, also known as involuntary servitude, is the biggest sector of trafficking in the world, and it is truly a global epidemic.
Perhaps surprisingly, forced labor is prevalent in the supply chains that give us many of the products we use everyday. According to estimates by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in 2012, there are 14.2 million forced laborers within the agriculture, construction, domestic work, and manufacturing industries. Ten million children are also in forced labor. In Uzbekistan, 1.4 million children have been forced to work in the cotton fields, which is more than the number of children in the entire New York City public school system.
The private economy – businesses and individuals seeking to create a profit – exploits 90% of the world’s forced laborers. This means that the desire to produce a profit is the largest motivating force behind forced labor.
Debt Bondage
“Bonded labor, also known as debt bondage, happens when people give themselves into slavery as security against a loan or when they inherit a debt from a relative. It can be made to look like an employment agreement but one where the worker starts with a debt to repay – usually in brutal conditions – only to find that repayment of the loan is impossible. Then, their enslavement becomes permanent.”
PHOTO: Family of bonded laborers in brick kiln, India
The ILO estimates that eight million people are affected by debt bondage worldwide. Debt bondage is often used as coercion in both labor and sex trafficking. Bonded labor is most widespread in South Asian countries, such as India and Pakistan, and it is often fueled by poverty and caste-based discrimination. It is not uncommon for entire families to work to pay off a debt of another family member. Generational debt, in which children are forced to work off the debt of their ancestors, is also prevalent.
Bonded labor is used for most of Southeast Asia’s shrimping industry, which sends more shrimp to the United States than any other country. And although the 13th Amendment explicitly prohibits slavery, bonded labor, among other forms of slavery, still occurs within the U.S. Immigrants, both legal and illegal, are particularly vulnerable to exploitation through bonded labor, often in agriculture and construction industries. Withholding documentation and exploiting a person’s need for employment are common means of coercion for both forced labor and debt bondage.
Child Soldiers
“Any child—boy or girl—under eighteen years of age, who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity.”
PHOTO CREDIT: ©2006 Peter Mantello.
Over 30% of children used as combatants are girls.
Estimates suggest as many as 300,000 child soldiers are engaged in violent conflicts around the world. Shockingly, 40 percent of armed forces use children, including national armies, militias, gangs, terrorist organizations, and rebel forces. The sad truth is that children make effective soldiers. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, child soldiers are trusting, vulnerable, and easily manipulated. They can be daring and tenacious in combat, especially under the influence of drugs; which is a common practice. Child soldiers have been used as scouts, messengers, and suicide bombers. In addition, 30 percent of forces that use children also have girls, many of whom suffer sexual abuse, as well. One study of child soldiers in Asia found the average age of child soldiers to be 13-years-old, with as many as 34 percent of them being taken before age 12.
The recruitment and use of child soldiers is a form of human trafficking that is given much less attention in most discussions surrounding modern-day slavery. However, the brutal and scarring reality child soldiers face leaves no question that this egregious form of trafficking deserves more of our attention.
Forced Marriage
“Forced marriage occurs when an individual, regardless of their age, has been forced to marry without consent.”
The ILO estimates that over 15 million people worldwide are in situations of forced marriage, although the undocumented nature of most forced marriages make accurate statistics difficult. This form of trafficking is most prevalent among young women and girls, although there are cases of young boys and men in forced marriages. Forced marriage was recognized as a form of modern-day slavery by the ILO in 2017 helping to bring this hidden crime further into the spotlight. Forced marriages can lead to increased vulnerability to abuse, including coerced sexual initiation, marital and statutory rape, interrupted education, transnational abandonment, reproductive coercion, and femicide.
Child marriage is a subset of forced marriage associated with the greatest risks for abuse. In South Asia, almost half of young women, and similarly more than one-third of young women in sub-saharan Africa, are married by their 18th birthday. The Tahirih Justice Center also reported at least 3,000 forced marriage cases in the U.S. between 2009 and 2011.
PHOTO CREDIT: SUBRATA BISWAS/ HINDUSTAN TIMES
In Haryana, the pejorative terms paro or molki (‘molki’ literally means ‘one who has a price’) are used to describe women who have been purchased in other states and brought to the region.
According to a UNICEF report on child marriage, girls are not only denied their childhood, but they are often isolated from family and friends with limited opportunities for education and employment. In addition, over one-third of women aged 20 to 24 who were married by 15 had three or more children in Nepal.
While many conceptualize forced marriage as an ancient or outdated practice, the reality is that forced marriage is alive and well today.
UNICEF reported that unless there is a “reduction in the practice of child marriage, up to 280 million girls alive today are at risk of becoming brides by the time they turn 18. [And t]he total number of women married in childhood will grow from more than 700 million today to approximately 950 million by 2030, and nearly 1.2 billion by 2050.”
“No girl should be robbed of her childhood, her education and health, and her aspirations. Yet today millions of girls are denied their rights each year when they are married as child brides.”
In order to effectively fight against human trafficking, we need to have a clear picture of what it is and all it’s forms. As advocates, who passionately desire freedom and dignity for all people, it is imperative that we arm ourselves with knowledge, dispelling any myths and misconceptions.
When we garner a greater understanding of this complex issue, amazing things happen. We are emboldened in our advocacy and impassioned to fight for freedom on even more fronts. We are better able to recognize trafficking when it’s right in front of us. In sharing what we’ve learned, we can inspire others to fight alongside us. And when we are informed, aware, passionate, and fighting together we can make great strides in pushing back the darkness and blazing a path to a future where all are free.
About the Author
Jacquelyn Chauviere Buss is a Diet Dr. Pepper addict with a deep love for people, especially babies. She recently graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Business Honors and a minor in Psychology. She is passionately hopeful to see slavery eradicated in her lifetime.