Human trafficking
Human trafficking is a phenomenon that began to dominate the world after the end of the Cold War and the beginning of globalization. Because it bears a confusing resemblance to past traditional slavery, it is often referred to as modern slavery, or global human trafficking.
And although modern human trafficking differs in many ways from the practice of slavery as we know it in previous centuries, the aim of this practice is identical: the exploitation of another human being, despite the fact that the victim will lose his or her dignity, health or even life.
Evolution of human trafficking
Human trafficking has not disappeared, but evolved. Today’s slavery is not nightly raids by Arab horsemen on African villages, but organized gangs and mobs of smugglers who recruit their victims through promises of good work.
The targets are usually desperate children but also young women looking for a better income opportunity. Unfortunately, behind a great offer lies a scam and the deceived victim is forced into submission by blackmail, beatings or drugs.
Women mostly work as prostitutes, men as forced labour and children are forced to beg.
The United Nations estimates that victims of forced labour (which is only a part of the whole human trafficking business) bring their ‘owners’ more than $30 billion a year – the third source of illegal income for mafias and gangs, after arms smuggling and drug trafficking.
Human trafficking is also the fastest-growing illegal practice worldwide, which means that on an annual basis we can speak of 50 million people as the global number of victims – modern slaves.
Causes of human trafficking
There are many reasons for human trafficking and there is still debate today as to what is the main catalyst for such a sudden increase in this phenomenon in the 1990s.
What causes trafficking is poverty, the gap between the poor and the rich, unemployment, cultural perceptions in certain regions of the world or climate change that forces a sudden change in previous lifestyles.
The above reasons are reinforced by globalization processes such as the communications revolution, the opening of borders to labor migration, cultural changes (including the dominance of Western culture on virtually all continents), the need to reduce labor costs as much as possible, the rise of the porn industry acted as a kind of catalyst for modern slavery becoming a global problem.
Consequences of human trafficking
Enslaved people experience long-term physical, psychological, behavioral and social effects.
Physical effects:
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exhaustion of the body caused by working beyond one’s strength
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diseases resulting from violence and lack of medical care
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sexually transmitted diseases resulting from forced prostitution
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health problems related to malnutrition
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for women – unwanted pregnancies and complications after forced abortions
Psychological effects:
- post-traumatic stress disorder manifested by nightmares and difficulty concentrating
- depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts
- low self-esteem and a sense of shame
- disturbed self-image and problems in interpersonal relationships
Behavioral and social impacts:
- addictions and self-injurious behavior
- eating disorders
- antisocial and criminal behavior as a result of demoralization and being forced into illegal activities
- difficulties returning to normal social and professional life
- a sense of injustice associated with infrequent punishment of offenders
Human trafficking in Africa
Africa, a continent particularly affected by slavery, where the sale of people in slave markets continued well into the 20th century, is not free from the scourge of modern slavery.
The Black Continent has not escaped the changes accompanying globalization, so human trafficking has become a major problem here as well.
African countries are populated by young communities, where population growth is greater than the capacity of the economies there. Young Africans are forced to seek income opportunities outside of where they live, sometimes even outside of their own country or outside of Africa itself.
On top of that, war, ongoing in countries such as Somalia, Congo and South Sudan for decades, is causing a refugee crisis. Refugee camps where refugees have been vegetating for decades are evidence of endless wars and inter-tribal conflicts.
Also, climate change, such as the desertification of areas adjacent to the Sahara, is forcing entire communities to migrate, which human traffickers prey on.
In addition, pervasive corruption, inefficiencies in the legal system, and the poor quality of the rule of law are unable to prevent human trafficking or at least reduce its scale.
Kenya, the commercial and business center of East Africa, is where victims of human trafficking are recruited, transported and exploited. These include Kenyans, but also residents of neighboring countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Uganda, and even countries as far away as Nepal and Pakistan, from where women are brought to work in brothels.
In addition to exploitation in brothels, victims are exploited through forced labor in homes, farms, quarries or fishing. On the streets of major cities, one can find children, often with disabilities, who have been kidnapped by traffickers under the guise of a stipend and forced to beg.
Organ trafficking and the kidnapping of children and young people by terrorist organizations and Somali rebels also flourish in the country. From Kenya itself, victims are taken primarily to the Persian Gulf countries, but also to other, more distant places, such as Asia.
There are also cases of victims being sold from Kenya (or through Kenya) to Europe including Poland.
Fight against human trafficking
In order to counter human trafficking, Kenya has introduced a number of laws to curb the practice. The most important piece of legislation is the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2010.
Thanks to this document, the practice is precisely defined; institutions have been established to coordinate the fight against human trafficking in the country; victims of this crime have been given specific rights, such as the right to protection during the judicial process or the right to be unpunished for not having valid documents and permits if this is the result of a sale.
Human trafficking alone carries a penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
The laws in Kenya are not far from international standards and, if effectively enforced, human trafficking would be a marginal phenomenon. Unfortunately, these laws are enforced with little or no notice.
Traffickers are very rarely held accountable for their actions, victims’ rights are notoriously violated, and mechanisms that were designed to help victims do not function (e.g., there is still no system for paying benefits to victims of trafficking, even though such a fund was established more than 10 years ago).
To prevent human trafficking, the United Nations has developed a system named after the first letters of each component of the 4Ps:
- Prevention – implies working with those who are vulnerable to trafficking; giving them skills such as effective job search, how to distinguish between a genuine offer and a sales trap, and finally how to reduce risks during migration, and what to do if you are taken into captivity (how to free themselves)
- Protection – involves rescuing victims, rehabilitating and reintegrating them, and then helping them find new jobs or start their own companies or small businesses.
- Prosecution – prosecution of traffickers is designed to punish criminals, especially organized crime groups
- Partnership – the last component is to coordinate efforts between international organizations, NGOs and state and local government institutions
To effectively combat human trafficking in a country, a commitment to each of these programs is needed simultaneously.