In 2013, the United Nations designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking in Persons. Member States deemed this day necessary to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights.”
It is important we salute the fight against human trafficking. It is even more crucial, as we are reminded by Professor Jorgen Carling, we avoid political rhetoric and the mislabeling (hence misuse) of such a sensitive issue:
“By using ‘trafficking’ only when it is warranted, we can support the fight against exploitation and take a stance against opportunistic uses of a powerful word.”
The subject of trafficking has received extensive media and political coverage lately, yet, most migration-related stories, according to Carling, had little to do with trafficking. Migrants crossing the Mediterranean to enter Europe illegally are smuggled in not trafficked. It is essential this distinction is clearly stated as lives are gravely affected. Victims of trafficking (around 21 million) are forced or deceived into forced labor, servitude or sexual exploitation. Identifying trafficking crimes and punishing them is not an easy task; hence, it cannot afford to be overshadowed. The first condition to determine and prevent real exploitative crimes is a clear appraisal of what they are. Trafficking is no exception.
There are three basic components to the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. The first refers to the action of recruiting, transporting, or harboring people. The second defines the means by which this is carried out: threat or use of force, coercion, or deception. Last but not least, behind every trafficking act lies the purpose of exploitation.
When the illegal transportation of persons across borders is called trafficking instead of what it really is, i.e. smuggling, the fight against human trafficking is rendered more difficult.
This misinformed (and at times opportunistic) mislabeling can make sensational media headlines or serve certain political interests but it certainly does a huge disservice to this cause.
Attempts to mislabel flows of unaccompanied minors entering the U.S. illegally through Mexico were common (as we noted last summer). It is important we remember that these illegal crossings are, for the most part, cases of smuggling and NOT trafficking.
After all, and as Carling notes, for those smuggled into Europe across the Mediterranean, “the costs and risks are high, but the vast majority of migrants receive the service that they pay for: they are brought to Europe.”
The same applies to those smuggled into the U.S. across Mexico: They receive exactly what they paid for. They are brought to the United States of America.
5 Comments
Civil Rights of American Citizens
Has nothing to do with the felony of invading our country. Its an absolute separate issue, reserved for American citizens not foreign nationals.
Hillary gave a speech to the Urban League today in which she flat out declared that blacks cannot succeed because the system is stacked against them. Actually, it’s stacked in their favor because of affirmative action, which gives them college entrance and job preference over others more qualified. The problem is that 3/4 of all births in the black community are to single mothers, frequently teenagers, and that almost guarantees a life in poverty, and no respect is given to authority figures such as cops as teachers. But keep playing the victim. [BTW, a cop can ask you to put out a cigarette because he doesn’t know if you are going to flick into his face.]
Just to make the point, she also sees illegals as victims who are in the situation they are in not because of their actions, but because of our “broken system”.
Hillary is going to be our next president. Latinos will elect her since you can’t win without their vote.
I am not a member of any of the minorities that are spoken of on this site. I’m a 69 year old WASP.
I however, almost always find myself siding with the minority groups. I do this because I feel it is the right thing to do. For the most part, the young in this country are with me. I am fully confident that as the senior citizen population numbers become less and less the acceptance of immigration reform will be commonplace.
So I say….Go Hillary! Also a big thank you to President Obama for executive action on this subject.
Right thing to do? Why? You did not explain that part. I only hope your wrong about Hillary as you are wrong to approve of Obama’s illegal action to bypass Congress and reward millions of people for breaking immigration law. We don’t need immigration reform we need enforcement of current immigration laws. There would be less Kate Steinle incidents if the laws were enforced.