What is human trafficking?

The most widely accepted international definition of human trafficking is given in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

Article 3 (a) "Trafficking in persons" shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. (c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered "trafficking in persons" even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article.

 

What is exploitation?

(a) Exploitation shall include at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs. (c) The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used.

 

How does trafficking works?

Though trafficking in persons occurs in a variety of ways, depending on the level of organized crime, the legal structure and the local context, there are three interrelated parts of trafficking:

 

Recruitment

Trafficking in persons often begins with a false promise of an opportunity, that is used to lure victims into being trafficking. In some cases, the victim is aware that they are to be employed in a given activity but do not know under what conditions. A victim may also expect to be employed in one type of work, but is forced to another type of work upon arrival. A victim may also be abducted. Recruiters also use false advertisements in the local press, fake employment agencies and false recruitment websites. They offer attractive opportunities, promise good jobs as nannies, babysitters, waitresses, dancers, models, nurses, etc. They often are people you think you can trust: friends, boyfriends or relatives. They can be very believable.

 

Transportation

Trafficking in persons includes transporting a victim from one place to another, although not necessarily across a national border. Victims are often physically and sexually abused and exploited en route to the final destination and are sold or often re-sold at each stage of movement.
Trafficking routes will always reflect one consistent factor - victims will be routed to where the demand exists for their services, where the potential profit of their services is the highest.

 

Exploitation

For a clearer understanding of exploitation it is important to specify those forms of control one person may exert over another, and the violence and abuse of a person's right which may qualify as exploitation. The exploitation activity usually begins very soon after the arrival at the final point of destination. Though there are many types of human trafficking and forms of exploitation, which may differ in communities around the world, here we will mention the following forms: