Who would have thought that slavery is still alive and well within the 21st century when more or less civilized parts of the world have long abandoned any kinds of discrimination practices against humans? As of 2010, human trafficking was estimated #31.6 billion of international trade per annum (Haken 8). Mind-boggling numbers, which show that slavery has simply gone underground. It is still lurking out there and is a danger to any person, regardless of gender or race. Moreover, slavery has become much more expensive lately than it used to be due to its outlawed status. It can be found in quiet usual and legal establishments such as restaurants, construction sites, commercial agricultural situations, sweatshops or domestic environments (Human Trafficking Online 2014). So, what can be done to deal with slavery appropriately? Obviously, it is likely that eradicating it would never be possible. However, there are ways and recommendations that one should follow in order to start rid the civilized society of this malady.
The problem of trafficking, primarily in regard to women, was acknowledged as far back as the first half of the twentieth century. The League Nations formed in 1919 took up the task of the coordinator over corresponding legislation on the international level. The convention against trafficking was ratified by the members of the League in 1922. The first formal research on the international level was sponsored by John D. Rockefeller with the help of the American Bureau of Social Hygiene. Their report one trafficking in children and women was the first one of such nature issued by an official body (Berkovitch 75-76). The United National carried on the initiative by completing the first international protocol on sex slavery – UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and Exploitation of Prostitution of Others.
The U.S. Department of State offers twenty points that constitute an outline of action that might be helpful in combating human trafficking. The first points advices to get acquainted with “red flags” that may serve as indication of human trafficking activities such as heavy security at the establishment, fear of people working at the establishment and being forbidden to communicate with the customers. The list also advices to keep in mind the phone numbers of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center and the Department of Homeland Security, which are the first instances to be addressed if there is a human trafficking situation. It is a sound piece of advice, because trying to tackle human traffickers is a terrible idea and may result in slavery for the vigilante. The issue should be handled by professionals.
The rest of the points address the necessity to raise awareness this way or another by starting anti-trafficking coalitions, distribute public awareness among people, organize fundraisers dedicated to the matter, start online human trafficking petitions, ensure that the administration of the work place/the company has nothing to do with the supply lines, which utilize slaves de facto. To be fair, the list is not filled with clearly defined actions that one could undertake. Moreover, most instructions concern raising awareness in the society. While this is important doubtlessly, the list does not touch upon other types of activities that could be possible implemented.
There are no points regarding how to protect oneself from slavery. Many have fallen into a trap by giving their ID documents into the hands of the wrong people. Many women have been lured in through such means, having been promised a good work and high wages. Passports were taken away from them, so they were forced to work in fear of losing their real de jure identity altogether. There is little mentioning of various societies one could join in order to collaborate regarding the problem. The list should have provided more phone numbers of various organizations that battle human trafficking such as The Polaris Project, a rescue hotline available 24 hours a day. The line does not assist the victims of trafficking only, but is also a resource for those, who may be involved in the fight against trafficking within their local communities.
It is clear, in any case, that collaboration between people in this matter is essential. According to Somaly Mam (2013), projects developed in collaboration that aim to fight human trafficking turn out to be the most successful. It is also understandable that usual people can only perform the functions of raising awareness and letting the necessary instances know about any relevant information on human trafficking operations. Since the business involves lots of money, the danger of fighting it is immense. The dangers vary from getting injured to being enslaved.
Alas, there is no one action that would serve as panacea against human trafficking. Most do not care about the issue unless directly influenced by it. Judging by how long slavery was a norm of mankind, taking into account the varieties of civilizations and cultures that practiced it through millennia, it is not surprising that slavery is still well and alive.
Looking back at the problem, it becomes evident that human trafficking will stay despite the most effective and elaborate means of fighting it. It will only disappear if people are not interested in slaves. The huge numbers of finances involved in the trade indicate that there is still a huge demand for such type of “goods.” People should start with themselves when fighting human trafficking and not to rely on administrative bodies to do all the difficult work such as uncovering human trafficking operations and neutralizing them.
