RESEARCH:
How human trafficking is connected to a country's socio-economic state and its effect on the perception of women
Human trafficking, as defined by the UN, is a transfer of persons through force or deception for the purpose of exploitation (which is commonly sexual abuse, forced labor and organ trafficking). It is a major taboo topic in today's society. However, it is a vital topic to know about, regardless of one's age, especially since it is frequently targeted towards impressionable, naive, young kids. This worldwide issue continues to affect our society as the paranoia continues to grow. Among its victims, a significant portion of them comprises women (specifically 65% as said by UN women). Thus, it is necessary to understand the impact of human trafficking, as it affects not only the psychology of females, but the overall view of them. This research paper intends to explore and analyze the ramifications of human trafficking on women, highlighting the socio-economic factors which contribute to the issue.
Human trafficking on a global scale is deeply entwined with socio-economic and political factors. Countries all around the world counter this mass-crime, notably the impoverished and penurious areas of the world. It is most commonly met in the areas where laws and government institutions are eroded, creating a free arena for criminals to thrive in. For instance in Syria, an enormous amount of refugees are, with the help of treachery, trafficked for exploitation, usually forced labor and domestic servitude. When people, intertwined with the miserable fate of their country, are displaced with lack of resources or opportunities, they become especially vulnerable to trafficking. It is not uncommon to hear a story about a destitute family relying on early marriage or prostitution in order to survive economically. Thus, when met with war, many refugees go down the risky path. In Lebanon, 75 Syrian women were rescued from human trafficking; it is said that the criminals kept women caged and away from sunlight, according to SJAC. The victims mentioned prior were originally hired for legitimate occupations, only to be enslaved and imprisoned in an apartment, later sold to prostitution.
In Thailand, the most common form of TIP is sexual exploitation, which comprises 79% of total cases. Usually, the perpetrator would claim an onerous debt from the victim, which could be repaid with labor. Subsequently, many victims are tempted to get a well-paying job and therefore end up being sold to prostitution or forced to work from a young age. What was deemed as an excellent opportunity to get income, turned into imprisonment.
Fortunately, humanity attempts to fight against this appalling crime, as Human Trafficking Prevention hotlines are created, along with Combat Plans. Victims, if given the opportunity to, can call a national human trafficking prevention hotline, where an operator will report the information to an appropriate authority. Similar services are available all around the world, working for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and full year round. Since the hotline's inception, it has received 399,494 calls and SMS reports. Over 160,000 victims were identified and aided.
As the rest of the world continues or begins to spread the information about these cases, so does Azerbaijan. According to ilo, anti-trafficking legislation was signed which "consists of the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, international agreements to which the Republic of Azerbaijan is a party". Furthemore, national action plans have been formulated, which aim to enable "the interaction of relevant institutions in the fight against human trafficking", as said by ilo. The special police agency identifies and investigates cases of human trafficking and carries out prosecutions, which are recorded on a single database. The data is sent to a National Coordinator, who is responsible for implementing the combat plan. Thus, through connection with relevant authorities and creation of a prevention system, Azerbaijan was able to identify 95 victims in 2022 alone, 94 of which were for commercial exploitation of females (specifically prostitution), as stated by State Gov.
However, it is important to note that Azerbaijan does not consider human trafficking its first priority, as it is not a crime practiced as often as in other countries. Despite that aforementioned fact, over $11,700 were donated to NGO to create a human trafficking documentary, including awareness campaigns which were aimed at students, distributing brochures explaining the risks of trafficking. At last, a trafficking hotline was made, which has received 5,705 calls in 2020.
In order to thoroughly investigate this issue, I have conducted a survey, collecting answers of the students of --. The survey specifically researched what gender the students think is affected the most, what consequences it has on victims and if human trafficking is a huge issue in Azerbaijan. With 12 answers at hand, the most commonly found responses regarding the effects of trafficking were PTSD, memory loss, difficulty with communication, loss of trust, trauma and depression. With the collected answers, it is evident that Azerbaijan, being a smaller country with lower population, suffers less from human trafficking as any other country, and thus, does not deem it an important issue. With 83.3% of correspondents believing that females tend to be the victims of this crime, it coincides with the global view of the problem; that is, that women are more vulnerable to exploitation, especially as they are used to being (viewed as) a housewife or prostitute in most developing countries. When asked personally why students consider women to be more prone to trafficking, many answered that the lack of abilities to protect themselves, or forced marriage and reinforcement of societal standards contributed to their reasoning. Therefore, not only does human trafficking affect the personal state of each female victim, but it also poses a view of the female gender; women are perceived as an instrument in a household, or as needy in protection in countries, where low-ranking jobs are most common to get a proper income.
Human trafficking is known to have dreadful effects on survivors, which extends beyond the physical and emotional trauma inflicted during the subjugation. Victims often undergo severe injuries, (sexually transmitted) infections , long-lasting psychological aftermath (PTSD, substance abuse, anxiety) and even biological issues, like complications on reproductive health. Some may even argue that an immediate death during enslavement is more gratifying than the extended consequences after. However, how does it affect the global view of women?
As explained previously, along with the individual effects trafficking has on its victims, it also reinforces the toxic view of women in low-income countries, as it becomes more evident that females are more prone to be victims of domestic servitude and other forms of exploitation. The fact that one considers females to be more vulnerable to a likewise situation, demonstrates that women lack protection and are viewed as objects.
To conclude, human trafficking must take decades if not centuries, before it gets resolved completely. As more deranged criminals are birthed, and instability in our world grows, human trafficking cases only increase. While victims can be aided by contacting the national hotlines, there is still not enough exposure on the issue in the whole world, especially to kids, who are also common victims. Thus, by providing more information to the public and regulating the crimes more strictly, this issue will slowly begin to diminish.
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