UNIT 13 VULNERABILITY FACTORS'

Structure
13.1 Introduction

13.2 Objectives

13.3 Push and Pull Factors

13.4 Interplay Between Push and Pull Factors

13.5 Checklist of Causes

13.6 Vulnerability Factors

13.7 Trafficking Routes

13.8 Gender Dimensions of Human Trafficking

13.9 Vulnerabilities and Appropriate Interventions

13.10 Summary
13.11 Terminal Questions

13.12 Answers and Hints

13.13 References and Suggested Readings

13.1 INTRODUCTION
What makesa person or community vulnerable to human trafficking? Despite the high
priority given to combating human trafficking by the international humanitarian community,
knowledge is still limited about why some people are more vulnerable to being trafficked
than others. In order to design comprehensive responses to the problem, there is need
for information not only on the environment within which trafficking occurs, but also the
awareness and attitudes of vulnerable individuals and their communities. Common
assumptions are that poverty and a lack of education are primary factors, but evidence
often proves that there are additional factors that increase the risk of being trafficked.
Vulnerability to being trafficked can be conceived as consisting of external and internal
factors. External factors may include household, social, economic, and criminal variables
within a household and community, while internal factors are essentially a person's
mindset and receptivity to entering themselves or family members into what may be
considered a risky situation, in order to gain a perceived economic and/or social return
within a certain timeframe.

13.2 OBJECTIVES
After reading this unit, you should be able to:

• discuss the factors that create vulnerability;

• discuss in detail how conditions of poverty, gender discrimination and migration
behaviour contribute to vulnerability; and
• discuss the gender dimension of human trafficking.

20
 Vulnerability Factors
13.3 PUSH AND PULL FACTORS
The 'push' factors:
These are the conditions in the environment of the 'sending' communities or countries
that ensure a supply of people for trafficking. These factors include poverty, economic
and social vulnerabilities, low employment opportunities, low social status of women,
urbanization.migration, etc. Social and cultural attitudes, governance, natural disaster,
armed conflict and globalization are further factors influencing the supply side of the
trafficking cycle:

The 'pull' factors:

The demand for trafficked labour shapes the "pull" dimension of the trafficking cycle.
Demand generally stems from unregulated or illegal sectors (commercial sex work,
domestic work) or in industries seeking low-cost labour working tinder hazardous or
unreasonable conditions. Demand is also influenced by macro level conditions related
to such things as globalization and international labour markets. Growing sex tourism,
industrialization, uninformed rural-to-urban migration, the expanding commercial sex
industry, demand by employers and enterprises for cheap and disposable labour, male
attitudes and perceptions of women, male-dominated value systems in society and
women's unequal andlow socio-economic status, are also the main pull factors of
trafficking.

13.4 INTERPLAYBETWEENPUSHANDPULL
FACTORS
The push factor is also aggravated by pull factor or demand side of trafficking. Demand
must be socially constructed in the sense that people think they want or need a given
product or service. Such demand prompts a process of production and delivery of
those goods and services, which in turn require a workforce. Triggered by such dynamics
within a given country or sector, trafficking takes place within the context of ill-informed
and ill-prepared migration of people from poor zones to richer ones; for instance, from
poor rural districts to rich industrial towns/cities or business centers. It works the same
across borders, with movement from poorer countries to richer ones. In both situations, .
there seems to be an inevitable interplay between push and pull factors.

13.5 CHECKLIST OF CAUSES

Trafficking is a many sided problem with factors causing vulnerability both in the countries
or reg~qs of origin as well as in countries or regions of destination. Added to these are
the universal factors that make people vulnerable to trafficking. Here is a brief roundup
of the causes 1 :

Countries or regions of origin:

• Abject poverty, especially among women
• A lack of political, social and economical stability/Political and humanitarian crises
• A lack of reasonable and realistic prospects

I http://www.caritas.org/activities/women_migration/caritas _migration _trafficking_and _women.html ?cnt=431 21

Vkltims aad Survivors • Situations of armed conflict and oppression
• Domestic violence and disintegration of the family structure
• Gender discrimination, marginalization and/or subordination of women and girls
• Lack of access to education and information

Countries or regions of destination:

• . A rise in the demand for sex workers in a highly lucrative and globalized sex industry
• Increasing demand for cheap and exploitable labourers in the construction, agri-
cultural and industrial sectors
• Increasing demand for cheap and exploitable domestic labourers
• The expense of social charges that employers need to pay for the social protection
of regularly employed workers

Universal factors:
• A lack of public awareness of the dangers of trafficking
• The high profit potential for those engaged in the criminal activity
• Limits and obstacles to legal migration channels to countries with stronger econo-
mies and/or regions with better prospects
• The sophisticated organization, resources and networking capacity of criminal
networks
• A lack of effective anti-trafficking legislation, and if such legislation exists, a lack of
effective enforcement
• Global economic policies that foster exclusion of marginalized people
• Disintegration of social protection networks
• Widespread corruption in countries of origin, of transit and of destination among
the persons capable or responsible to combat trafficking

13.6 VULNERABILITY FACTORS

5(

There are several factors that make potential victims vulnerable to trafficking. It is a
complex issue and it is unlikely to have one cause or set of causes that will apply in all
situations. A review oftrafficking reports, however, reveals some of the contributing
factors, which have been discussed below.

a) Poverty
The link between poverty and human trafficking is complex. Poor people are vulnerable
to trafficking by virtue of exerting little social power and having few income options.
They often do not challenge social superiors in relation to migrant contracts and working
conditions. Acommon feature of almost all trafficking cases is the direction of movement:
individuals are trafficked from a relatively poorer country or region to a relatively wealthier
country or region. While the situation for every trafficking case is different, a lack of
economic opportunities in the home community appears to be a major factor in
encouraging individuals to travel away from family and other support structures in search
ofwork", Their families may decide it is worth going for better opportunities and often
in this process get into situations of exploitation and abuse. What makes these people

2 UN.GIFf Human Trafficking - An overview, UNODC Vienna 2008 - http://www.ungift.orgldocs/ungift/

22 pdf/knowJedge/ebook.pdf .
notably vulnerable to trafficking is their dependence on a lifestyle they cannot themselves Vulnerability Factors
escape without social change or relocation. Challenges for someone who wants to
leave - such as language, lack of outside connections, and lack of familiarity with the
other places - become advantageous for a trafficker, making disorientation, isolation,
and intimidation simpler.
However, it is not necessarily the poorest of the poor who become victims of trafficking,
although in many cases victims are poor, especially victims in developing countries' .
For example, it has been noted that it is not the "poorest of the poor" that end up
travelling long distances for work, as this generally involves capacity to borrow money,
and a level of family assets against which debt can be secured. It is therefore important
to understand the role poverty plays in the dynamics of trafficking. Firstly, poverty in
most cases does not work alone in leading a vulnerable person to a trafficked situation.
Many factors work in combination to create a situation ripe for trafficking. While most,
but not all of trafficked persons come from the poorest segment of society, poverty has
many non-economic elements and those need to be understood as in most cases they
have a major role in creating risks of being trafficked. So, it can be said that trafficking
is a multi-causal phenomenon and involves both micro and macro level factors.The '
micro factors that induce trafficking involve deep-tooted processes of gender
discrimination, lack of education, ignorance and naivety of the rural population, poverty
and lack of economic opportunities in rural areas with consequent marginalization of
particular social groups. Landlessness and insecurity of access to productive land are
also major obstacles to overcoming hunger in high risk areas. Most rural families have
to work on someone else '8 land or have to pay for informal use of land. In times of
crisis and hunger, the families go to the landlords for loans, and their labour (including
the children's labour) becomes collateral for repayment of debts" . The cycle of poverty
and indebtedness continues, with families lacking regular sources of income or the ability
to build up any assets. Moreover, over-reliance on agricultural employment is a major
problem where agricultural labour provides part-time work - sometimes paid only in
grain - for only six months a year. The lack of work during the off season or when hit by
any natural calamity is a 'direct cause of trafficking, since families are unable to feed
themselves or their children at that time and are vulnerable to being trafficked.
Poverty is also indisputably a driving factor for migration. However, the very lack of
resources which forces them to leave their home country means that the poor will need
to find more creative means to do S05 . Since there have been significant technological
advances in the last few decades, countries have faced a growing economic disparity,
particularly between agricultural and urban communities. As the richer individuals gain
wealth, a consumer platform for superfluous and vulgar trafficking businesses is created,
including sex tourism and domestic servitude for personal fulfillment, as well as trafficked
factory workers, for business fulfillment. This demand for people as products places ,
those looking for opportunities to make a living, at greater risk of being trafficked.
Trafficked people frequently come from economically challenged areas, giving families
of trafficked personslittle protection from the groups of organized crime that are used
as a threat to keep the victim in line.
When the countries reported most frequently as countries of origin and destination are
compared against the United Nations Human Development Index, it can be seen that,

3 An Introduction to Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact and Action, United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime, 2008
4 Recovering Childhood - Combating Child Trafficking in Northern India, Free the Slaves (2005)

5 Human Trafficking and HlV: Exploring vulnerabilities in South Asia, UNDP 2007 2J
Victims and Survivors while the top countries of destination are rated highly in terms of human development,
most of the top countries of origin are at the middle human development level. Thus, it
can be concluded that those targeted as victims of trafficking are not the poorest of the
poor, but rather people with at least some resources" .

Self Assessment Question

1) Is poverty the sole most important cause that makes people vulnerable to
trafficking?

.....................................................................................................................

b) Economics
Trafficking has been described as "the dark underbelly of globalization". It is one of the
end results of rapid economic, technological and social changes worldwide. Such rapid
changes have created or exacerbated people's vulnerability and, at the same time,
expanded the opportunities for predators to exploit that vulnerability. Various studies
have recognized the need to reduce economic vulnerability while enhancing the capacity
. of communities to implement protection mechanisms for people at-risk? .
Economic factors driving the increase and expansion of human trafficking include not
only poverty itself but also:
• Lack of employment options, which may have existed in the past
.• Increased economic disparity
• Rapid and severe economic decline in some countries
. Additionally, greater vulnerability has been created by" :
• Elimination of social safety nets - many countries have been mandated to
restructure their economies and minimize social spending in order to qualify for
.multilateral loans and international economic support.
• Fluidity. of capital- recent advances in information systems have made the
profitsfrom criminal activity, such as trafficking, easier to transfer and launder
rapidly across the globe.
., Race to the bottom onlabor standards!cost of production - increased Inter-
national competition to produce consumer goods at the lowest cost possible can,
and has, exacerbated abusive labour practices, the most severe, that of forced
labor and slavery-like practices.
•. Corruption - state corruption is a serious concern in many societies and is
closely tied to the spread of trafficking. Corruption of state representatives re-
sponsible for public order and social welfare can be exacerbated by economic
decline.

6 An Introduction to Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact and Action, United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime, 2008
7 http://crs,.arg!public-policY/in_depth,cfm
8 http://crs,orglpublic-policy/in_depth.cfm
24
Economic migration -As economies are increasingly integrated and investment and
employment quickly move from one part of the globe to another, workers- generally.do
not have the legal freedom of movement to go where employment exists, Even as,
wealthier nations with aging populations and declining fertility rates increasingly rely 00'
migrant labour, prohibitive immigration laws have been created, which make theaetof
migrating both difficult and dangerous. In the absence of safe and legal options.fon '
migration, large numbers of migrants can be left with little choice but to place themselses
at the mercy of migrant smugglers and in the worst cases, unknowingly in the hands.of "
traffickers? .

c) Gender discrimination
Gender discrimination is a complex issue that has serious implications for both men and'
women, and boys and girls. Very often, gender discrimination is understood as
"discrimination against women". For example, in India, there are families where women
and girls are regarded as secondary to men and boys and are discriminated against in
relation to family status, education and employment opportunities, property rights and
legal protection'". Girls are often denied equal opportunity for education. Unskilled
and under-educated, they may also be subject to abuse within their own family and
community. Limited opportunities at home coupled with the substantial burden of
household labour usually leads to girls running away or being lured by young men who
promise marriage. When girls are trafficked, it is often through taking advantage of a
girl's aspirationfor a life outside domestic drudgery and they leave their homes in order
to escape situations of violence and abuse" . '
While some forms of gender discrimination are very obvious, gender discriminatiorrcan
also operate in very subtle ways, with particularly serious implications in the context.of
trafficking. It has been noted that in many countries around the world, there may be
very few real employment options for women and girls who need to earn, a living.
Often when women are paid, they are paid less than men. Other work opportunities
away from the village are also less available. So when men leave the family, eannet
work, or when they fail to send money home, women have great difficulty supporting
their families. If going with a trafficker seems to be the only hope for a child to be fed,
these women feel there is no choice but to let them go" .Also, women and-girls with
limited education and no savings behind them may have very few options other than
seeking employment as a domestic worker (which often involves going tolivein someone
else's home, a long way from their own community) or getting trappedin.the sex industry'
where they are commercially sexually exploited. Both options involve work that is latigeLy,
unregulated by the governrnent, in locations that are hidden from everyday view. W{i)n1lJ.iml
and girls in these situations may have few options for change, andrelatively little control'
over their working environments. These are just some of the many structural factors
that help to explain why so many trafficking cases seem to involve the abuse of women
and girls in private homes and in the sex industry. There is a further gender dimensionto
trafficking as reported by Free the Slaves in one of their research reports that most
anti-trafficking outreach is carried out by male workers who, within this culture, have
minimal access to female village residents" .

9 Ibid
10 Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project - http://www,artipproject.org!artip-tip-cjs/tip-about.html
11 Recovering Childhood - Combating Child Trafficking in Northern India, Free the Slaves (2005)

12 Recovering Childhood - Combating Child Trafficking in Norfhera.India, Free the Slaves (2005)
13 Ibid
 'j.

Vi~tims and Su~iv6rs It is also important to understand that gender discrimination is not just about "women".
Men and boys are also affected by gender stereotypes albeit in different ways. For
example; in some contexts, men and boys may be unwilling to report experiences of
abuse if this means they will be perceived as "weak" or having "failed" their duty to their
families to migrate and eam enough money to make regular remittances". Sometimes,
criminal justice officials may also ignore or trivialize trafficking in men and boys. Men
and boys are often expected to assume financial responsibility for their families, which
means they will be prepared to do work that is dirty and dangerous, if it means they can
feed their family, or to get to live in another country where they think their family might
have a better life. All ofthese gender-related factors have a significant impact on access
to opportunity, the willingness of individuals to accept risk, their capacity to exercise
meaningful choice in difficult circumstances and willingness to seek or accept help.

d) Migration
Movement ~fpeople for survival is a common phenomenon. In fact, the history of
human migration is closely linked with the change in demographic factors and shift in
market as well. Often moving from one country to another or even moving within a
country makes people vulnerable. When people have a strong desire to leave their
native place because they feel they have no opportunities at home, when finding new
opportunities across the border is difficult due to the absence of formal channels or due
to restrictive migration legislation, they run the risk to get caught in the greedy hands of
traffickers. It is thus this multi-dimensional nature that has even fueled the growth of
organized crime, depriving people of their human rights and freedoms and exposing
them to risks". Migrants may not have proper travel documents so they may be in a
country illegally. They may not know the local language, they may not have any social
network to assist them or they may be totally dependent on members of their own
caste/community/ethnic group receiving them in the destination country. Often foreigners
do not have access to any national health care or social support system. Also, safe and
legal migration to the preferred destination countries is becoming more and more
restricted, particularly for the unskilled and this leads individuals into the arms of
unscrupulous 'facilitators" who may be traffickers or smugglers. Once they are in the
destination area, traffickers may confiscate the victim's documents, creating a situation
where victims are made to believe that they are in the country illegally. Traffickers can
then use this vulnerability of non-documented victims as a control mechanism.
Unfortunately, sometimes authorities reinforce the vulnerability by failing to identify
victims, which then results in their immediate deportation" .

e) Illiteracy
Education is an important individual factor of vulnerability. As a socialization institution,
its purpose is twofold: first it shapes the professional abilities necessary in the labour
market; secondly it is a control institution imposing specific rules and norms, contributing
to people's social integration and enticing the formation of group affiliations. In this
context it is obvious that the higher the degree of education and the longer the period
spent in school, the more education constitutes a protection factor against trafficking" .

14 Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project - .http:/twww.artipproject.org/artip-tip-cjs/tip-about.html

15 Who is the nextvictim: Vulnerability of young women to Human Trafficking, International Organization
of Migration, 2003
16 UN.GIFT Human Trafficking - An overview, UNODC Vienna 2008 - http://www.ungift.org/docs/ungift/
pdf/knowledge/ebook.pdf ,
26 17 Recovering.Childhood - Combating Child Trafficking in Northern India, Free the Slaves (2005)
 Inadequate provisionof education directly contributes to the vulnerabilities to trafficking, Vulnerability Factors
especially in context of child trafficking, as families, hard pressed for money; more
readily agree to send a child away with a recruiter. Not understanding the value of
education, people in rural areas devalue education because they do not see how schooling
will increase their or their child's earning ability orbenefit them in any other way. In
order to increase family income, these parents press their child to enter the workplace
at the earliest possible age. Also, while some families would like their children to be
. educated, economic pressures make this impossibleand are likely to send their children
away with a recruiter who promises that their children will be placed in school in addition
to working. Many traffickers play on this view and are quick to promise the possibility
of education" .

f) Violence, conflict
The existence of violence and / or sexual abuse within the family is frequently identified
as a "push" factor within the supply chain, especially in relation to children and young
adults. There is also some evidence that trafficking may increase in situations of internal
unrest and conflict. Certainly, the risk of harm from conflict, breakdown in civil society
and absence of the rule oflaw can all combine to make victims even more vulrierable to
trafficking situations. Conflict can also lead to internal displacement and the additional
vulnerabilities that come when people are not near their homes and families" .
g) Child vulnerability
Around the world, many children help their families by working to earn additional income.
When the child is able to realize her or his right to health, education and a family life,
this does not need to be a problem. However; children can be particularly vulnerable
to abuse and exploitation, particularly if they do not have appropriate care-givers, such
as their parents or other relatives, to help ensure their best interests. Also, there are
some forms of work that are particularly harmful to children's development and welfare.
This includes work that interrupts their education, that is harmful to their health, or that
involves sexual or other forms of physical abuse and/or exploitation.
Cases of parents selling their children into trafficking situations have been reported in
many parts of the world. More commonly, parents have been known to hand over
their children to people whom they trust for a small sum of money. The traffickers often
promise that the child will be well taken care of and given a good education, perhaps in
exchange for some light domestic or farm work. It is thought that children living in
situations of conflict, in orphanages or with distant relatives, without a strong network
of social or family support, may be especially vulnerable to exploitation and abuse,
including trafficking.
h) Demand and supply"
Trafficking feeds into a global market that seeks cheap, unregulated and exploitable
labour and the goods and services that such labour can produce -labour that can be
supplied most profitably through traffickers. Sex tourism, including child sex tourism,
the recruitment of domestic labour from developing countries, internet pornography
and organized marriages between women from developing countries and foreign nationals
are examples of new forms of actual or potential exploitation made possible through
18 Ibid
19 Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project - http://www.artipproject.org!artip-tip-cjs/tip-about.html.
20 This section is drawn from A. Gallagher, Commentary to the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on
Human Rights andHuman Trafficking (OHCHR, forthcoming, 2009) 27
Victims and Survivors trafficking. Demand, in this context, generally refers to two quite different things: employer
demand for cheap and exploitable labour; and consumer demand for the goods or
services produced or provided by trafficked persons. Demand may also be generated
by exploiters and others involved in the trafficking process such as recruiters, brokers
and transporters who rely on trafficking and victims of trafficking to generate income.
Finally, demand cannot be considered separately from supply - not least because
supply may well generate its own demand. For example, the availability of a cheap and
exploitable domestic labour force can itself contribute to generating demand for
exploitative domestic labour at a level that may not otherwise have existed. Similarly, it
is possible that an increase in the supply of cheap, 'controllable' sex workers could
lead to greater demand for the services of these workers.

i) Social environment/Lack of 'safety nets' and family crises

A number of research studies indicate that' destitution' and' dysfunctional family
relationship' are the two life conditions that make an individual extremely vulnerable to
trafficking. These conditions are built upon structural factors (family poverty, low level
of education, unemployment, family abuse, discrimination, child marriage, dowry,
domestic violence, marital breakdown/widow hood) and psychological factors
(desperation due to hunger and social stigmatization) of vulnerability. Families of landless
agricultural workers in rural areas, families headed by women or children in both rural
and urban settings, and the homeless are highly vulnerable to destitution, and therefore,
trafficking" . Vulnerability due to dysfunctional family relationships is high among women
who are separated from their husbands or widowed. Lack of awareness about trafficking
creates vulnerability to deception but mer5! knowledge is not the protective factor. The
risk-mitigating action that arises from awareness is a critical component. Situations of
hardship can become compounded by family or personal crises, such as the death of a
breadwinner, severe illness requiring expensive medical care or crop failure. These
factors can combine to create an environment in which people may have very few legal
or viable means by which they can escape from their circumstances and change their
situation for the better. This can lead to'situations where people have debts they cannot
repay, medical bills they cannot afford and children they cannot feed. In these
circumstances, people may be willing to tolerate or accept the possibility - or even the
reality - of highly exploitative situations that would be intolerable to those in different
circumstances.

j) Statelessness
Statelessness or lack of citizenship may prevent people (both children and adults) from
accessing state services and benefits such as education, health care and employment
services and hinder their freedom of movement and access to legitimate labour markets
within and across borders. These are all factors which increase a person's vulnerability
to trafficking and exploitation" . (Lack of access to a birth certificate or some form of
legal identity may also prevent trafficked persons from receiving the protection and
support they need arid complicate repatriation. It also makes it more difficult to establish
·whether or not the victim is a child).

-
13.7 TRAFFICKING ROUTES
While traffickers may find excellent possible victims, they are not going to attempt to
recruit those people unless there is a way to move them, which indicates the necessity

21 Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project - http://www.artipproject.org/artip-tip-cjs/tip-about.html

28 22 Ibid
 of trafficking routes, A noticeable trend in trafficking routes is the movement of trafficked Vulncrabilit)' Factors
persons from rural areas into more densely populated, urban areas. Logically, it is a
strategic move, because a victim will blend in easier; there are m<?reinternational travelers,
such as sex tourists, in cities versus in the country; and there are more businesses,
means of transportation, and resources in general" .

13.8 GENDER DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN

TRAFFICKING
Gender affects all aspects of the trafficking process, from the factors that contribute to
trafficking (as discussed above under vulnerability factors); to the nature of the laws
and policies developed to deal with it.
Trafficking in Persons is a highly gendered phenomenon. Women and girls are often
trafficked in different ways to men and boys, and for different reasons. Furthermore, a
person's sex or physical characteristics can determine or contribute to that person's
experience of trafficking. For example, men and boys are predominantly amongst those
identified as victims of trafficking in the agricultural and industrial sectors whereas women
and girls are predominantly amongst those trafficked into domestic service, commercial
sexual exploitation, forced surrogacy and forced marriage" .
The personal and social costs experienced by the trafficked person may also be particular
to that person because of their sex. Sexual harassment and sexual violence are more
commonly perpetrated against women and girls, the latter exposing them to health related
risks such as sexually transmitted diseases. Stigmatization, compulsory health checks
and 'moral rehabilitation' are also more likely to be experienced by women and girls
during return and reintegration. On the other hand, the assistance and avenues of redress
provided for trafficked men (and boys to a lesser extent) are limited.
There is an overwhelming perception that only women and girls are trafficked. While it
is increasingly recognized that men and boys are also victims of trafficking crime, there
is a tendency to equate the terms "trafficking victim" or "trafficked pers,on" with a
woman or child (usually a girl). The commonly held notion that 'men migrate, but
women are trafficked' has meant that national criminal justice agencies often appear to
"be slower to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases involving men". Perceptions
about men's and women's 'natures' and the 'differences' between them are often reflected
in their treatment as victims of crime. Criminal justice responses to trafficking in persons
must understand that women, men, boys and girls can all be victims of trafficking crime
and they must respect the rights of all persons, and the gender implications of trafficking
should be an integral aspect of the response.

Self Assessment Question

• 2) Write a note on the gender dimension of human trafficking.

23 Human Traffickinga nd factors craeting vulnerability - http://www.teenink.com/opinioD!sociaUssues_civics/

articie/185207 /Human- Trafficking-and-the- Factors-Cultivating-Vulnerability /
24 Asia Regional Trafficking in Persons Project - http://www.artipproject.org/artip~tip-cjs/tip-ab()ut.html
- 25 lbid
Victims and Survivors
13.9 VUL~ERABILITIESAND APPROPRIATE
INTERVENTIONS
. .
How can we more effectively address some of the common trafficking vulnerability
factors that exist in the Greater Mekong Sub-region?

Vulnerability Appropriate Interventions

People/families want to leave the village • Promotion of safe, informed migration
in search of work and betteropportunities, . for those youth-who will migrate
1.)0' matter what theirfamily'seconomic
• Life and career skills training if
condition
applicable
People considered 'middle class' are more
• Promotion and enforcement of safe,
likely to migrate, rather than the poorest,
quality job brokering and recruitment
since they have the means to do so
Financial emergencies in the family, such • Low-interest medical or emergency
as illness of a parent, lead children to loans available to villagers
urgently seek money to pay emergency • Policy advocacy towards improved
bills, often ending up in debt bondage welfare provision
Loss of property/assets resulting from • Support for alternative livelihoods
natural calamities lead to loss of livelihood
• Agricultural or environmental programs,
options
as applicable
• Promotion of safe, informed migration
for people who migrate

13.10 SUMMARY
Societies become vulnerable to human trafficking through a variety of factors including
a high degree of socio-economic stratification, proximity to accessible trafficking.routes,
and lack of adequate governmental regulation. While poverty is considered the root
cause for human trafficking; lack of education and other socio economic aspects are
other leading causes behind trafficking. Globalization and materialism also encourage
this growing problem and due to increasing landlessness and inadequate investment in
. rural industrialization, the scope for employment opportunities and skill development,
particularly for rural women, is less. Women have traditionally worked as unpaid family
labourers. Families (men, women and children) are forced to migrate from rural areas
to urban ones when times are hard. This trend creates vulnerable conditions for people
and provides opportunities to the traffickers to exploit them. The reintegration process
should ensure the safe and dignified return of each individual victim. It should involve a
risk assessment of the place to which the victim is going to return, coordination between
countries of origin and destination, a supported transportation and travel process,
reception and referral upon arrival. Unfortunately, many return processes are not carried
. out in an ideal way and may themselves pose risks to victims, making them vulnerable
to re-trafficking.

30
 <,

Vulnerability Factors
13.11 TERMINAL QUESTIONS
1) What are the pull and push factors driving the crime of human trafficking?
2) What are the Universal factors that make people vulnerable to trafficking?
3) What are the economic factors that drive the increase and expansion of human
trafficking? .
4) How does migration make people vulnerable to trafficking?
5) How does the social environment/lack of 'safety nets' and family crises make
people vulnerable to trafficking?
6) How does education relate to making people vulnerable to trafficking?

13.12 ANSWERS AND HINTS

Self Assessment Questions

1) Refer to Section 13.6 (a)
2) Refer to Section 13.8
Terminal Questions
1) Refer to Section 13.3
2) Refer to Section 13.5
3) Refer to Section i3.6 (b)
4) Refer to Section 13.6 (d)
5) Refer to Section 13.6 (i)
6) Refer to Section 13 .6 (e)

13.13 REFERENCES AND SUGGESED READINGS

1) An Introduction to Human Trafficking: Vulnerability, Impact and Action, United
Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2008.
2) Recovering Childhood - Combating Child Trafficking in Northern India, Free the
Slaves (2005).
3) Toolkit to combat Trafficking in Persons: Global Programme against Trafficking in
Human Beings, United Nations Office on' Drugs and Crime, United Nations Pub-
lication, 2008.
4) Human Trafficking: Dimensions, challenges and responses, Nair PM, Konark
Publishers, 2010 .
. 5) Michele A. Clark, "Vulnerability, prevention and human trafficking: the need for a
new paradigm", background paper, Vienna Forum to Fight Human Trafficking,
2007.