To most people, slavery is a terrible relic of the past; yet approximately two million women and children are presently held in sexual servitude throughout the world, half of who are estimated to have been trafficked by force, deceit, or economic coercion. In addition, sources suggest that between 100,000 and 200,000 women and children, some as young as six years old, are trafficked across borders for the purpose of sexual exploitation each year.
Many of these individuals never reach the age of thirty. They die of AIDS and other
sexually transmitted diseases, ill health, physical and psychological
abuse, violence, and drug abuse. Trafficking in persons is one of the
most compelling human rights problems of our time, yet this tragic
situation has prompted minimal to no response from most governments
around the world.
The phenomenon is fueled by several factors, among them
poverty, conflict and political upheaval, gender attitudes leading to
inequality in opportunity, and the general indifference to the plight of
women and girls. The advent of globalization has exacerbated the
problem by creating what some call market opportunities for traffickers
and exploiters in human beings.
Liberalized borders and the ease of
movement of people across them have increased opportunities for
irregular migration. When this illegal smuggling of human beings
across borders is connected to their sale into sexual servitude, the
activity becomes significantly more profitable. Trafficking in persons
constitutes the third most lucrative international criminal activity after
drugs and arms trafficking.
Current government policies around the world only encourage
or facilitate trafficking and further victimize trafficked persons. While
the underground nature of trafficking makes prosecution of those
responsible for the trade almost impossible without the cooperation of
the trafficked individual, most victims have no incentive to collaborate
with governments in identifying those who have exploited them.
In turning to authorities, they risk detention, their own prosecution for
prostitution and other crimes, involuntary deportation or repatriation,
and reprisals from traffickers. They rarely receive or have access to
legal assistance, medical attention, and other support. This policy of
criminalizing women in sexual servitude not only re-victimizes them, it
often forces them to remain under the control of their exploiters.
Because of the high profitability of this activity, it has become
part of small and large criminal organizations in many countries.
Smaller organizations limit themselves to cross border illegal
smuggling of persons or combine that activity with the sale of women
and children to other organizations. Larger organizations that directly
exploit trafficked persons may also involve themselves in the crossborder
smuggling activity.
Regional distinctions in form, incidence and manifestations
exist. The patterns of trafficking from Africa to Europe differ from
those within Latin America, Southeast Asia or the Indian Sub
Continent. Invariably, however, the end result is that women and
children become hopelessly trapped in sexual slavery without much
chance to extricate themselves from it.