FOUNDATION COURSE PROJECT

WOMEN TRAFFICKING

INTRODUCTION TO WOMAN TRAFFICKING

Human trafficking is a global and domestic human rights issue that is characterized by economic exploitation
through force, fraud and coercion. It can be described as a modern-day form of slavery. Trafficking involves
the transport or trade of people within and across borders for the purpose of forcing them into slavery
conditions. Trafficking is a serious violation of human rights. The majority of people who are trafficked in
Asia are women migrant workers. They migrate to escape poverty and discrimination, improve their lives and
send money back to their families.
The cruelty of human trafficking, Especially women and girls are attracted by the prospect of a well-paid
job as a domestic servant, waitress or factory worker. Traffickers recruit victims through fake advertisements,
mail-order bride catalogues and casual acquaintances. What is promised to be a well-paid and decent job turns
out to be nothing but inhumanity. Traffickers prey on others’ weaknesses, unfortunate circumstances,
unfamiliarity, and inexperience. Traffickers are trained to identify vulnerability and use expert manipulation
tactics to persuade and control their victims.
Everyone has the potential to discover a human trafficking situation. While the victims may sometimes be
kept behind locked doors, they are often hidden right in front of us at, for example, construction sites,
restaurants, elder care centers, nail salons, agricultural fields, and hotels. Traffickers’ use of coercion – such
as threats of deportation and harm to the victim or their family members – is so powerful that even if you
reach out to victims, they may be too fearful to accept your help

GENDER INEQUALITY AND TRAFICKING OF WOMEN

A recent study by La Strada has linked the trafficking of women with gender inequalities; “Poverty,
unemployment and a cultural context in which violence against women is tolerated are among the most
important causes of trafficking. Another important factor is the demand for cheap labour and services in
female-designated sectors of work. As the UN Rapporteur on Violence against Women noted, ‘the lack of
rights afforded to women serves as the primary causative factor at the root of both women’s migration and
trafficking in women […]. By failing to protect and promote women’s civil, political, economic and social
rights, Governments create situations in which trafficking flourishes.’” [La Strada, 2008]
WOMEN TRAFFICKING OF OMEN AROUND THE WORLD
The United Nations estimates that 4 million people are trafficked each year, resulting in $7 billion in profits to
criminal groups. Many countries have weak, unenforced or no laws against trafficking in human beings, often
making it less risky and more profitable to criminal groups than drug or arms trafficking. With increased
economic globalization, trafficking in women from poor to wealthier countries appears to be on the rise.
Trafficking networks may recruit and transport women legally or illegally for slavery-like work, including
forced Prostitution, sweatshop labor, and exploitative domestic servitude.

WOMEN TRAFFICKING IN INDIA

According to estimates, human trafficking in India may affect between 20 and 65 million people. Women
and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced
marriage, especially in those areas where the sex ratio is highly skewed in favour of men. A significant
number of children are subjected to forced labour as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and
agriculture workers, while others have been used as child soldiers by insurgent or terrorist groups.
India is also a destination for women and girls from neighbouring countries, smuggled for sexual
exploitation. Indian women are also trafficked to the Middle East for the same purpose. Indian migrants who
travel willingly to the Middle East and Europe for work as domestic servants and low-skilled labourers may
also end up in the country’s human trafficking industry and into situations of forced labour or debt bondage.
Even though India is the world’s largest democratic republic, the country is plagued with widespread poverty
and lack of proper education, resulting in a myriad of human rights violations, especially against women and
girls.
THE WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS COUNTRY FOR WOMEN ?
Last year, India has been coined ‘the world’s most dangerous country for women’, ahead of Afghanistan,
Syria and Saudi Arabia, according to a poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, which surveyed 548 experts
on six different indices, including healthcare, discrimination, cultural traditions, sexual and non-sexual
violence, and human trafficking. This survey has been widely criticized in India, with many questioning how
countries such as Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, which grant far fewer rights to women, managed to perform
better. The country’s National Commission for Women rejected it outright, pointing out that rape,
harassment, human trafficking and other forms of violence against women appear to have risen in India
because more cases are being reported, driven by public outrage.
All the same, it is true that discrimination and violence against women are ingrained in the Indian society.
Discrimination starts at birth, where many people think giving birth to a girl child is a curse. As a result
female infanticides and sex-selective abortions are widespread – activists have estimated that eight million
female foetuses might have been aborted in the past decade. Discrimination continues in childhood, where
Indian girls, rural girls especially, are denied their rights to education – although literacy rates are increasing,
the female literacy rate still lags behind (65% compared to 82%). Discrimination is still rampant in
adulthood, contributing to gender wage differentials, with Indian female workers earning on average 64% of
what their male counterparts earn for the same occupation and qualification level.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the father of the Indian Constitution, voiced against the denial of education to women.
However, despite their constitutional rights to education, people continue to treat women as sub-humans.
Way back in the history of India, denial of education to women, the practice of forced prostitution, child
marriage, sati (the practice of burning the widow along with her deceased husband) and selling away the
daughters in the markets were widespread customary actions, all of them resulting in today’s human rights
violations.
Infants are being stolen for beggary and women enrolled in forced prostitution; about 70,000 children are
working as bounded labourer in private mines while others are being used as domestic servants after
inheriting their parents’ debt; some of them are even being sold to organ traffickers.
 Until recent years, the problem of human trafficking had remained unnoticed due to the high prevalence of
rural poverty. Children from tribal areas are at greater risk of human trafficking, including the Kuki people
from Manipur as well as the Nagas from the Northeast, while the Jharkhand state and the Anantapur and
Prakasam regions of the Andhra Pradesh State are some areas prone to human trafficking.

A CULTRE OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Women in India are also traumatized in less obvious ways. Their oppression starts almost invisibly. It takes
place in their homes, within families, with girls being locked up in their own houses, women being beaten by
their husbands, by their fathers, by their brothers. This violence is the product of a culture that bestows all
power on men and denies women’s most essential rights. Among men, many are those who look down on
women and girls; girls are trained in silence; they are told to have no opinions, no arguments, no conflicts.
Their only choice is to live a life of silence that slowly erodes their sense of self.

The Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act that prevent commercial sexual exploitation, the Bonded Labour
Abolition Act, the Child Labour Act and the Juvenile Justice Acts are in force in India but to no avail.
Because tt takes more than laws to change a culture which serves as a breeding ground for violence against
women, poverty, and human trafficking. What we need is to reclaim our humanity and open a national debate
about this toxic patriarchal culture and its repercussions.

“For to be free is not to cast off one’s chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the
freedom of others” – Nelson Mandela.

LAWS GOVERNING TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN

Because trafficking of women is an international business, individual countries are challenged to create
legislation to deter and punish that trade. In 2000 the United States passed the Victims of Trafficking and
Violence Protection Act, which specified actions to punish traffickers and assist victims within the United
States and to urge foreign countries to eliminate trafficking, address the economic conditions that lead to
trafficking, and assist victims who are repatriated. The United Nations (UN) has several protocols aimed at
halting human trafficking. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child from 1989 focuses particularly on
guaranteeing human rights to children, and the UN Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in
Persons from 2000 defines trafficking, outlines punishments for traffickers, and requires states that ratify it to
protect and assist trafficked persons. In 2002 the United States implemented a special "T" visa that allows
victims to remain in the country if they testify against their traffickers and face likely danger in their home
countries.
Many countries have no laws against trafficking; one is South Africa, a popular source and destination for
trafficked persons from at least ten other countries, including Mozambique, Thailand, and China. In addition
to legal action some governments and nongovernmental organizations have launched educational campaigns
both to inform women from popular source countries about the dangers of trafficking and to encourage
citizens of destination countries to be watchful for immigrants who may be victims of that industry.
WHAT CAUSES WOMEN TRAFFICKING ?
 Vulnerability creates opportunity for traffickers
Individuals living in difficult conditions can become desperate, and that desperation makes them
vulnerable. While the following categories do not cause human trafficking, they do create a state of
vulnerability and ideal opportunities for traffickers to strike.

 Conditions That Create Vulnerability

1. Poverty
When someone living in poverty, such as a widow or single mother who struggles to provide for her
children, is desperate to meet a basic need, she is in a vulnerable position.
A trafficker, familiar with this scenario, might offer her a job that enables her to feed her children. If this
appears to be her only option, she may accept and be willing to do whatever the trafficker asks of her.

2. Unmployement
Traffickers target unemployed individuals and often use deception to persuade them to leave home and
take a job in another city or country. The position may initially sound promising, but once the individual
arrives at the destination, it is often much different than what was described. To keep them from leaving,
traffickers may confiscate their victims’ passports or IDs. They might also pay for transportation, shelter,
clothing, or food so their victims are indebted to them and feel obligated to work.

3. Displacement
War, political instability, and natural disasters can displace individuals or entire families. When people
are forced to flee their homes and communities, they can experience financial hardship, homelessness, and
culture shock. Children who have lost their parents, for example, are easy targets for traffickers. Without a
safe place to call home or a guardian to provide for and protect them, these children become vulnerable to
abuse, unfair treatment, and trafficking.

4. Lack of Knowledge and experience

 Inexperience may lead individuals down a path that ends in exploitation. A teenager who is approached
by a trafficker may accept an attractive job offer, seeing it as a great opportunity at such a young age. An
immigrant who arrives in a foreign country may not understand his or her rights, may be unfamiliar with
the nation’s laws, or may not know the national language. A trafficker will quickly take advantage of these
types of situations.

5. Broken families
Individuals who are cast out of their homes, abandoned, or placed into the child welfare system are highly
vulnerable to human trafficking. Runaways, youth experiencing homelessness, and those who live in
isolation are often targeted. When someone feels alone or unloved or has been abused in the past, they
may be willing to take great risks. They may feel as though they have little to lose or may even find
comfort living with their trafficker. Some traffickers offer love and acceptance to lure individuals to work
for them.

6. Cultural practices
In some societies, it’s widely accepted to devalue and abuse women and children. This outlook is
ingrained into the minds of men and women in certain cultures, which creates a huge opportunity for
traffickers. A parent may be willing to sell a daughter and send her into a world of exploitation. Some girls
and women may leave home willingly if they’ve been raised to believe they are unequal to men or have
few opportunities for work and advancement in their own communities. In traditional cultures where
arranged marriages are common, girls are sometimes forced into child marriage, which can also be
identified as a form of human trafficking.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING ?

 Human trafficking can have physical, emotional, and psychological effects on anyone involved. It has the
power to impact someone's life forever. Here are some common ways human trafficking affects victims
and perpetrators. As you read through this section, keep in mind that many traffickers also experience
trauma because of what they see and do to others, and many traffickers have been victimized themselves
at some point in their lives.
 For the victims

1. Mental trauma
It is said that Because traffickers dehumanize and objectify their victims, victims’ innate sense of power,
visibility, and dignity often become obscured.Victims of human trafficking can experience devastating
psychological effects during and after their trafficking experience. Many survivors may end up
experiencing post-traumatic stress, difficulty in relationships, depression, memory loss, anxiety, fear,
guilt, shame, and other severe forms of mental trauma.

2. Physical trauma
Many victims also experience physical injuries. Those who have been sexually exploited are often abused
by their traffickers and customers. They may be raped, beaten, and subjected to abuse over a long period
of time. There is also a higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, infections, diabetes,
 cancer, and other illnesses. A lack of proper medical care allows these conditions to spread and worsen—
often affecting an individual's health permanently.Victims of forced labor may work in dangerous
conditions for long hours doing repetitive tasks. They may also be exposed to dangerous contaminants or
work with heavy equipment. As a result, many are subjected to serious infections, respiratory problems,
injuries, impairments, and exhaustion.

3. Ostracism
Individuals who are being trafficked can quickly become isolated from friends, family, and other social
circles. This may be due to their personal feelings of guilt and shame or because they’ve relocated and
now live far away from their community. Either way, victims can become isolated, withdrawn, and lose
contact with most people.Some individuals who return home or escape a trafficking situation may even be
excluded from social groups due to a stigma they now face; they may be shunned by their family and
friends and feel unloved and unwanted.4 Unfortunately, this isolation can make them vulnerable to being
trafficked again or lead them to return to an abusive lifestyle.

4. Lack of independent living skills

Many victims who escape a trafficking situation lack advanced education and the resources needed to
live independently. They may not understand laws in the country where they now reside or may not speak
the language. They may have been trafficked at a young age and were unable to attend school or go to
college. After being confined to the same job for a long period of time and not being allowed to learn new
skills, victims can become dependent. When the time comes, they may have a hard time living on their
own.

 For the traffickers

1. Money
Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, second in size only to drug
trafficking.2 Traffickers generate $150 billion per year, according to the International Labor Organization.
$99 billion of that is generated through sex trafficking alone, while the other $51 billion is generated
through labor trafficking. The more traffickers participate in the exploitation of others, the more money
they make for themselves.

2. Cheap labour
Traffickers use deception to attract employees to work for them. They may promise a safe working
environment and fair pay. In reality, employees are often forced to work long, hard hours for little or no
pay. By using threats or violence, employers can convince their employees to continue working for them
and to keep quiet.

3. Escape from victimiziation

Once victims age out of their current positions, they may be offered a job as a trafficker. Some accept the
new position to escape their own victimization. They then begin exploiting others.Human trafficking
continues to grow in staggering numbers around the world. The effects of this injustice are far reaching,
impacting all individuals involved, their communities, and generations that follow. While the causes and
effects are varied and multifaceted, sustainable change can happen if survivors are rescued and their
 perpetrators are arrested. The more dangerous human trafficking becomes for traffickers, the less likely
they will continue exploiting others.

WHAT CAN WE DO TO REDUCE WOMAN TRAFFICKING ?

 Human Trafficking Indicators
While not an exhaustive list, these are some key red flags that could alert you to a potential trafficking
situation that should be reported:
1. Unpaid or paid very little
2. Poor living conditions
3. Multiple people in cramped space
4. Inability to speak to individual alone
5. Answers appear to be scripted and rehearsed
6. Employer is holding identity documents
7. Signs of physical abuse
8. Submissive or fearful
9. Living with employer
10. Under 18 and in prostitution

 Questions to Ask
Assuming you have the opportunity to speak with a potential victim privately and without jeopardizing the
victim’s safety because the trafficker is watching, here are some sample questions to ask to follow up on
the red flags you became alert to:
1. Can you leave your job if you want to?
2. Can you come and go as you please?
3. Have you been hurt or threatened if you tried to leave?
4. Has your family been threatened?
5. Do you live with your employer?
6. Where do you sleep and eat?
7. Are you in debt to your employer?
8. Do you have your passport/identification? Who has it?

 How can you help

1. Bring awareness to your social circles so your friends and family know more about trafficking.
2. Consider volunteering with a local counter-trafficking organization.
3. Donate money to an organization that works on the front lines.
4. Call the National Human Trafficking Hotline if you notice suspicious activity.
5. Be a friend to someone who’s alone and vulnerable.
No action is too small. Never underestimate the difference you can make in someone's life through one
small act of kindness.
REFRENCES:
 https://www.danchurchaid.org/articles/women-trafficking#:~:text=Human%20trafficking%20can
%20be%20described,forcing%20them%20into%20slavery%20conditions.&text=The%20majority%20of
%20people%20who,Asia%20are%20women%20migrant%20workers.

 https://www.apa.org/advocacy/interpersonal-violence/trafficking-women-girls

 https://www.state.gov/identify-and-assist-a-trafficking-victim/

 https://blog.theexodusroad.com/causes-effects-of-human-trafficking

 https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/
trafficking-women