What is the problem?
The problem is human trafficking. It is important to define the problem. Human trafficking refers to the trade of humans. The trade is for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation, or forced labor, or sexual slavery for the traffickers or others. There are other articles that refer to the term as receipt of persons, harboring, transfer, transportation, or recruitment through the means of force, threat, forms of coercion, deception, fraud, or abuse of power for the purpose of exploitation. A large number of men, children, and women are trafficked each and every year (Force, 2014). This happens abroad and in their countries. Every nation in the globe has and is being affected by this problem of human trafficking. This whether as a country of transit, destination, or origin for victims affected. Out of the total international trade carried out per annum, human trade totals to approximately $31.7 billion. This is a value that was gotten in the year 2011. This problem is believed one of the activities in the trans-national organization that is growing at an alarming rate. Human trafficking is greatly opposed and condemned since it is a violation of human rights. It is condemned by the human rights by international conventions.
What are we doing now?
The United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) acts as a guardian of the United Nations Convention that is strictly against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) assists various countries when it come to the efforts of implementing laws and policies directed to preventing human trafficking, suppressing the act, and punishing individuals who are trafficking. The United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime provide practical help to various states when it comes to creating national anti-trafficking strategies that are comprehensive and drafting laws. It also gives a hand to states when it comes to resources required to implement the drafted laws and strategies. Various states get specialized assistance together with the development of local expertise and capacity (Macy & Graham, 2012). Apart from that, the states also receive support related to getting access to practical tools that are required to encourage cooperation across the border with regards to investigating and prosecuting human trafficker.
Is it working, Why or why not?
Some of the methods are not working. Positive results have been seen when it comes to the laws and strategies. The adoption of various strategies and laws directed towards preventing, suppressing trafficking act, and punishing traffickers trafficking individuals, especially children and women by the United Nations General Assembly. There has been a big milestone when it comes to international efforts directed towards stopping the trade of people. As the guardian of the laws directed towards preventing, suppressing, and punishing people who are trafficking, the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime do everything to address issues related to human trafficking. It does this through its Global Program that is against trafficking of persons. A large majority of countries have now signed and ratified the law directed against doing away with the issue of human trafficking. Translating the newly signed and ratified law now remains very problematic to various states. There are very few human trafficking criminals who are convicted each and year (Weitzer, 2015). Sometimes, a big number of victims are never assisted and also sometimes identified. Various states together with the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime have been working with regards to these issues since the late 1990s.
What would you do differently?
The United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime needs to increase or come up with comprehensive strategy that sets out complementary nature of the work of the United Nation Office on Drugs and crime when it comes to preventing and combating issues related to human trafficking. The body also has to define some of its immediate priorities for its future engagement and action with regards to human trafficking crime. The new strategies to be designed by the United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime and other states should complement thematic program that is against Transnational Organized Crime and Illicit Trafficking. The United Nation Office on Drugs and crime also needs to play a leading role when it comes to coordination and strengthening the criminal justice response to both smugglings of immigrants and human trafficking. The United Nation Office on Drugs and Crime should be in the forefront when it comes to acting as a guardian of Protocols on Trafficking in Smuggling and Persons of Migrants and Organized Crime Convention.
How much will it cost?
Coming up with the new comprehensive strategy by the United Nation Office on Drugs will require more funds. This is estimated to be about $120 million. This will work well in supporting this effort that is intended to do away with the new issue related to human trafficking. Others refer to it as modern slavery. This amount of cash is believed to be helpful when it comes to providing resources that are necessary for enhancing the process of implementation of the new strategy and laws that are comprehensive. It will be very hard to ensure that every dollar invested in the projected will be well accounted for, but it is the belief of the organization that the money will be well spent when it comes to preventing and fighting issues related to human trafficking. Additional funding may be required by the organization, in case, the available funds are not enough.
Intended and unintended consequences the proposal
The proposal is intended to come up with better and comprehensive ways directed towards preventing, suppressing, and punishing the people who are caught promotion the act of human trafficking. Through this, the cases related to human trafficking will be significantly reduced in many states. Translating the newly signed and ratified law had been problematic for a long time. The new proposal is also intended to make the newly signed and ratified law to be easily translated by various states. Easy translation of the newly signed and ratified law will make the process of implementation to be very easy, especially be the states that are significantly affected by the issue of human trafficking.
Who would be affected by the proposal?
The proposal will affect some parties. The victims of trafficking are one group that will benefit from the proposal. The proposal is intended to bring down the cases of human trafficking. This means that many people, especially women and children will not easily become the people to be trafficked. The trafficked individuals always go through many different types of suffering. Those who are trafficked for sex undergo many types of violence from different people who handle them. Doing away with the act will prevent any person from going through what these victims are experiencing. The human traffickers will also be affected. Having strict laws and policies will help prevent this group from easily getting way with what they are doing. A large number of the traffickers will be caught in the act of trafficking their victims. Others who will witness how the states are very active when it comes to doing away with the practice of trafficking will deter from human trafficking act. This will make the states accomplish their task when it comes to limiting the bad habit related to trafficking other humans.
- Force, S. C. H. T. T. (2014). South Carolina state plan to address human trafficking/by the South
Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force. South Carolina State Documents Depository, 3(4), 51-76. - Macy, R. J., & Graham, L. M. (2012). Identifying domestic and international sex-trafficking
victims during human service provision. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 13(2), 59-76. - Weitzer, R. (2015). Human Trafficking and Contemporary Slavery. Annual Review of
Sociology, 41(1).
