In what ways might sex-trafficking and other forms of
domestic slavery be addressed in poorer as well as rich nations among Europe,
South America or Asia.
Although slavery has been outlawed in
the world for over 150 years, there are thousands of persons that are still
held as slaves in Europe and are treated as objects. They are humiliated and
abused and just like the old age slaves, the modern slaves that are
predominantly domestic slaves are forced to work through the use of mental and
or physical threats (Pearson, 2002). They are overworked with no or little
rewards and in most cases are constrained or face restrictions on their freedom
of movement and are treated in degrading and inhumane manner. In Europe, the
modern domestic slaves are predominantly female and usually work in private
households. They majorly start as migrant domestic workers, and that fast
changes to even sex slavery as the sex trafficking business is also a boom in
the contemporary society. The women who innocently go to Europe voluntarily as
they seek to improve themselves while others are escaping poverty and hardship
in their mother countries. However, there are a rising number of others that
are lured by the promise of employments majorly by the agencies and other
intermediaries being left debt bounded and even trafficked (Shelley, 2010). Sex
trafficking has further been the fastest growing criminal enterprise in the
global economy and the increased organized crime not just in Europe but also in
other continents calls for collective initiative and commitment to combat the
slavery. Therefore, sex trafficking and the other forms of domestic slavery can
only be addressed in Europe and beyond through the collective engagement of the
international community to combat the organized crime.
The economic hardship and the promises
of prosperity that the criminals employed leaving many women in the region
vulnerable to trafficking within their countries to sections in Europe and
other parts of the world. Sex trafficking and other forms of domestic slavery
have become an important issue of concern all over the world but more so in
Europe in the Balkan part of southern Europe since the fall of the communist
era in the region (Shelley, 2010). In 1997, there were over 175,000 young women
from Russia and Eastern Europe sold as commodities in the sex markets of the
developed countries in Europe and the Americas. The United Nations reports that
0pver 4 million people every year are traded against their will to serve in
servitude around the world. It is, therefore, imperative that the nations in
Europe, in general, come up with methods of providing employment and also
coming up with programs to warn and curb the luring of girls to the trade.
Having developing or growing economies that provide and offer more
opportunities to the individuals will ensure that there is a reduction in the
vulnerability of the girls in the regions thus being a major way to curb the
sex trafficking trade that makes domestic slavery a reality in the continent
(Shelley, 2010).
The European Union, respective
countries, and the international community should actively participate in
trying to avoid the militarization of nations and regions since it is a major
factor that contributes to the domestic slavery and sex trafficking (Pearson,
2002). Areas such as the Balkans have faced war and militarization that
resulted in the increased presence of foreign men in the Balkans after the war
in Yugoslavia. It is this that led to the smuggling of thousands of women and
girls for commercial sex exploitation since war polarizes a region and also
makes the structures in place to support and protect the citizens from such
atrocities difficult. There is a real connection between military bases and sex
trafficking and soldiers have played a significant role to drive the demand for
brothels around Europe. It is this that makes it imperative that respective
countries as well as the EU to find mechanisms to avert the possibility of wars
and militarization of regions leaving room for other modes of conflict
resolution. They should also actively engage in protecting the girls and women
in case there is war in a region against the advancement of such a trade (Sage
& Kasten, 2008).
It is also important that nations and
the EU in general institute mechanism to control the sectors that encourage
trafficking especially those that are labor-intensive. It is the demand for
labor in some of the sectors that result to shrewd business people deciding to
traffic people for cheap or even servitude in their farms or industries
(Shelley, 2010). Such industries include the textile, fishery, construction,
agriculture, and manufacturing. The movement of immigrants and other
internationals to work in such industries is what has left the loophole for
human trafficking and also left the option of servitude, domestic slavery as
well as the sex trade as an added business to the majority of the shrewd
business people. It is, therefore, a key that there be some controls and
regulations on the importation and globalization of labor in such industries.
The EU should institute some mechanisms that protect such laborers from ant
form of exploitation and servitude (Shelley, 2010).
There is also the need for the Council
of Europe to have a zero tolerance for slavery and trafficking of any form
through the development of systems, laws, and mechanisms to eradicate the evil.
As an international organization that is very vocal in defending the
fundamental human rights, the Council should take the responsibility to stand
in the forefront of the fights against any and all forms of slavery and
trafficking of people despite the background that they came from. The council
should also take the side of the victims to ensure that any perpetrator of
domestic slavery is brought to justice so as to discourage the crime in Europe
(Bales, 2007).
The EU should also work in close
collaboration with the member states to criminalize and adopt stiff laws that
prohibit the domestic slavery as well as sex trade (Pearson, 2002). EU should
be on the forefront at encouraging and also offering support to the member
states to combat domestic slavery in all its forms as a matter of urgency. It
can be done by ensuring that every country in Europe actively participates and
also criminalizes any slavery. If the trade is criminalized in all the
countries and also offers justice mechanisms that are strict and thorough
against all the perpetrators, it will make it difficult for the continued
existence of the criminals within their borders and also to the other
countries. There is also the need for the European Union to work in close
liaison with the other international bodies to ensure an intercontinental and
global agreement on the criminalization of the trade since if there are no
available persons to traffic, then the business would lose its strength (Bales,
2007). If there is cooperation between African states and the European
countries to combat the trade within their borders, then it would be difficult
for the perpetrators to operate. Therefore, it calls for Europe to be at the
forefront at championing against the agencies and the bodies existent on
African, Asian and even North American states making it possible for the
recruitment and shipping of such girls and women later subjected to the
inhumane atrocities.
The European Union and the countries
should be at the forefront at reviewing the immigration and deportation
policies and also granting the domestic slavery victims some form of support to
recollect their lives (Bales, 2007). Moreover, there are some girls and women that
are trafficked into Europe as they are promised the work permits and
citizenships due to the difficulty of the legal mechanisms to attain the
documents. There are others that also end up being lured into sex trafficking
as they are de[ported by the legal systems when found as illegal immigrants and
as a result, the poor way of handling deportation is what has resulted in
leaving the opening for luring of individuals into the sex trade. the
immigration laws have also made it difficult for the individuals that are sold
into slavery or even sex trade once they have immigrated into the European
countries to make any form of complaint since they usually have no rights as
aliens (Bridget,1993). Some of the girls and women also prefer remaining as
domestic slaves in the safety and comfort of the European countries other than
reporting such cases and end up being deported back to the countries that they
ran from hardships such a war, disease, and terror. It is this that encourages
and even makes the slave masters treat the girls and women with further
impunity since they are aware that such individuals are not legally in the
country and therefore suppress them with the threats of reporting them and
arranging their deportation (Bridget,1993). The global community and the
European Union should therefore; institute better immigration and deportation
laws that have a place for humane treatment of the victims and also offer a
lifeline of support and protection of their human rights. There is also the
need for the international cooperation in the endeavor so that those deported
back to their countries are assured of their safety even on returning home
(Bridget,1993).
The majority of the women and girls
that are trafficked or even lured into the sex trade and domestic servitude are
usually running away from poverty, disease and at times famine in their mother
countries. It is more so the case in Asia and Africa and some countries in East
Europe where the populace live below the poverty line (Sage & Kasten,
2008). As a result, such individuals are more gullible to the promise and
luring that comes with the human traffickers in the promise of a better life.
As a result, such trafficked individuals are the ones that flood Europe and
lead to the furthering of the Sex trafficking and domestic slavery in the
continent. As a result, European countries cannot address the matter in their
background without collaborating with the countries and regions n that such
immigrants come from to address the pressing issues and root causes of the
problem. Trying to combat the crime in Europe without solving the problems
facing the developing countries is unsustainable approach since the
availability of women and girls easily lured is what makes the business thrive
in the continent (Sage & Kasten, 2008). European countries and the EU
should, therefore, actively engage in poverty eradication and support of such
nations and regions that the sex slaves come from to ensure that there are
sufficient opportunities available in such areas and therefore, discourage the
immigration in search of a better life. It can do so through offering aid and
even grants to address uprising issues and also support the government in
building the necessary structures and infrastructure to build their economies
so as to help their citizens.
To sufficiently address the sex
trafficking menace countries should ensure that the health care providers and
organizations involved with trafficked persons increase their capacity to
identify and refer individuals in trafficking situations. They should also be
capacitated to provide sensitive and safe services to the individuals in
post-trafficking interventions (Surtees, 2008). They could ensure that such
victims receive sufficient caring, guidance from the health providers. The
governments should also mandate acute and long-term provision of healthcare to
the trafficked persons. The achievement of such a move can only be done through
granting of such individuals their immediate rights to state-supported health
services regardless of their ability tom pay or willingness to engage in
criminal action against the traffickers. They should also commit the necessary
financial and human resources to make it possible.
The United national protocol to
prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons assets that the health at
the international stage has a significant role to play in the prevention of
trafficking, care, and referral of victims of trafficking which is fundamental
at fighting the sex trade and domestic slavery. The sexual health outreach
workers and other practitioners that assist the migrant populations are in a
good position to address trafficking of persons and therefore, eradicate
domestic slavery (United Nations General Assembly, 2000). They may have the
opportunities to alert individuals to the risk of human trafficking and sex
trade and also to identify and refer people who may be in exploitative
circumstances. They may further provide care as part of a post-trafficking
referral system in Europe and other regions of the world.
The policy makers and other decision
makers in Europe and the world as a whole have the responsibility of
instituting some regulatory steps to increase the level of awareness of the
risks posed by human and sex trafficking in particular among individuals
intending to migrate (Surtees, 2008). The migrant workers in various
destinations should have the same protection and legal redress mechanisms as
those of the domestic workforce. It can only be made possible through the
collaborative efforts between the states internationally and not just in
Europe. There are some recent developments such as the 2011 adoption of the
Convention on Domestic Workers that includes the extraordinary measures to
protect vulnerable members of the employment groups (Surtees, 2008). There
should also be provision of guides from all countries to the companies on
responsible recruitment and employment of migrant workers and the countries
that majorly have the migrant workers should educate and inform their own
citizens on the dangers a well as the right channels to migrate in search of
labor and other benefits in other countries.
The researchers and funders in Europe
and across the globe also have mandate to addressing the sex trafficking and
domestic slavery menace in the world. At present there is limited empirical
research on human trafficking (United Nations General Assembly, 2000).
Particularly, there is the lack of studies on larger even more potentially
representative sample of trafficked people as well as longer-term studies aimed
at providing better understanding of post-trafficking health changes. The
empirical data on the trafficking of men, their health needs and service access
is also especially scarce. Moreover, there is need for more data on trafficking
across the full range of labor sectors that are involved. There is the need for
rigorous evaluation studies of the major policies and programs to identify the
most efficient counter-0traffickingf strategies and the most appropriate care
for the affected people (United Nations General Assembly, 2000).
In conclusion, sex trafficking, and
domestic slavery were banned centuries ago. However, due to the lack of proper
structures and support to the eradication of the menace, the trade is one the
rise in the recent past not only in Europe but also in other parts of the
world. The growth in the trade may be attributed to the high immigration rates,
poverty, lack of sound policies to address the issue, war and the rise of
organized crime in the sector. Therefore, it is a problem that is no longer
unique to Europe or any region and hence cannot be addressed by Europe on its
own but has to be a culmination of efforts to combat the menace. The domestic
slavery and sex trafficking is now an international menace that can only be
addressed by the world coming together to put an end to it through policy
change, provision of support and putting in place mechanisms to deal with the
issue not only within the local borders but also across the divide. The
developed countries in Europe should also be ready to support the less
fortunate countries in addressing the local issues so as to discourage the high
immigration rates in search of a better life that ultimately culminates to the
encouragement of the sex trade and domestic slavery. Therefore, sex trafficking
and the other forms of domestic slavery can only be addressed in Europe and
beyond through the collective commitment of the international community to
combat the organized crime.
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