I wish I could stop human trafficking, and end modern day slavery. Only, I dont think I can, but I have a few ideas which may prove helpful. Read on to see what they are…

The issue of Human Trafficking seems to be all the buzz lately…A while back people used to focus on poverty, then the focus moved to being “green,” and now eliminating modern day slavery and its associated forms are all the rage (and rightfully so). In these past few months, organizations have popped all over the globe intending to combat and put a stop to the evils of the trade…This issue has resonated with me as well, and from the looks of it, its also resonated with quite a number of others.

Ive come across many different organizations, many different pleas for help, and many different solutions  proposed on how to get rid of this evil, but what I do not see for the layperson, is an easy to use framework for understanding the issue of human trafficking. In my own experience, the step from caring about the issue to appropriate action has been impeded by a lack of knowledge, guidance, and the direction on how one can get involved (in a manner which one might be most beneficial). If youve ever felt like you had to do something about the issue, but just didnt know what TO do, or even where to start, you know what I mean. The problem just seems so immense and abstract to fully grasp, and if one did get involved, it seems negligible that it would even make a difference.

 

The barriers to entry for this issue caused me much grief, but it also forced me to really think about the issue and to understand it systemically, and it was only after somewhat understanding the scope of the issue did specific solutions make sense…So I suppose this blog post is my meager attempt to formalize a concept of how the issue of Human Trafficking may be tackled, handled, and perceived, which would then allow a layperson (like me) to understand and begin to take the necessary steps to get involved.

This is a framework which will be continually developed as I learn more from interacting with others involved in the field, and with those who have far greater experience in dealing with the issue of human trafficking and modern day slavery…So bear with me!

Part I – Super Fast Overview of the issue

Slavery is not a new concept. It has been happening ever since the start of this country, and has been in existence since the egyptians built the pyramids. Its easy to forget that the same principles that motivated owning slaves in the past are still currently operating in our “modern” world. Yet, it was only recently where weve decided to legally define it.

In the The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA), severe forms of trafficking means —

(A) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or

(B) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

So there you have the modern day definition of human trafficking, and ultimately where you get the term ‘modern day slavery.’ I wont go into detail about Human Trafficking and how it manifests itself because that is readily availble on the internet and can be found in any “awareness” video, publication, or media (callandresponse, notforsalecampaign, etc.) . Human Trafficking/Modern Day Slavery takes many forms, debt bondage, sex slavery, and forced labor, to name a few. But just know that it happens everywhere and probably no further than a few blocks away from your home.

Part II – The Scope

Upon first learning of the issue and seeing the atrocities that have been commited through video, images, or whatever expose’ they’ve watched, it seems that most individuals feel angry….Or maybe disgusted is a better term. They then wonder what there is to do to stop this from happening before they even know what causes it (I can relate, I was the same way). Their main motive is stopping it from taking place.

When human trafficking takes place, it usually involves treating the victim as an object, something to be owned, traded, sold, used, abused, and otherwise kept like a piece of property or good. It is mostly if not completely dehumanizing, and essentially pulls at our core values of how we ourselves want and expect to be treated…as human beings with certain unalienable rights and liberties. And because the victim is not, we become outraged and angry; we wouldnt want that for ourselves or anyone we care about. There is also a tinge of internal conflict with this dilemma…Its “Un-American,” immoral, and inhumane, yet it still coincides with our other core values of capitalism, and the “American-Dream.” And this tends to further complicate and fuel the consternation we feel.

One must understand that Human Trafficking and Modern Day slavery revolves around one key issue. Economics. And when I mean economics, I mean the values, principalities, and dynamics of it all. This means everything from market competition guiding the supply and demand for a good or service, and it also means the standard of living (values, expectations, etc.) one is accustomed to experiencing (big screen tv, hummer, and all). It is this principle of being able to improve a perceived standard of living or even existing for that matter, which motivates the entire system of human trafficking.

Therefore, if the victim is treated and perceived as a good or service to be bought and sold, we must also look at the issue of human trafficking and modern day slavery through an economic lens in order to understand its dynamics.

Lets take for instance that you are out shopping for a new toy for your 4 year old daughter. You happen to be at a toy store in your local mall and notice a shiny new stainless steel slinky. Its even slightly multicolored and not plastic like the ones youve played with in the days of old. Being a conscientious buyer, you then pick up the box and look at where its made (thank heavens it was made in the U.S.of A since you only support U.S. made products!). After confirming the manufacturing origin as the U.S.A. you pay for the item and are happy that you have made such a fine purchase.

Lets begin by breaking down the simple act of buying this toy slinky. For the slinky to be purchased, several things had to happened beforehand, raw material had to be acquired (steel), manufacturing had to form the raw material into the slinky (toy company), there then had to be a market/marketplace for the slinky to be sold (the store), and finally, the slinky had to be sold to an end user (you) who created the demand for the slinky in the first place. Without one of the four steps listed above, the transaction would never have taken place.

• Without raw material, there would be no slinky manufactured.
• Without a means for production/manufacturing, the raw material would just sit there.
• Without a market/marketplace there would be no opportunity for the transaction of goods and services.
• Without the end user, there would be no demand for the slinky and it would not be sold.

Likewise, there are FOUR distinct stages of development involved with human trafficking.

1. Raw Material – The exploited
2. Manufacturing – The exploiters
3. The Market/Marketplace - Place of transaction between end users and manufacturing (ig. brothels and johns).
4. The End User – The Johns or users of the good or service offered.

It is important to note that each stage of human trafficking has its own seperate core of operating values and must be looked at as a unique set of motivating principles (for each particular stage) in order for the entire scope to be understood. Personally, I feel it is only until one breaks down the entire issue into these stages does the scope of the issue move from huge and intangible, to manageable and understandable.

III. Lets break it down

It is important to note that much like a crime, these stages need two things to operate, motive and opportunity. Within each stage are unique core operating values (motive), and within each stage, there is the environmental, social, and political context (opportunity) which allows the activity to take place.

So lets break the stages down in terms of human trafficking.

Raw Material:
Who we are dealing with –  The exploited (typically those who have little education, money, opportunity, and social status).

The motivating core value is personal gain. However “personal gain” in this section tends to be the economics of living, or namely trying to seek out a basic living or better standard of living. Many people who are exploited/trafficked come from impoverished families, lands, and from an “undersireable” social status or caste. These individuals typically have little opportunity to support themselves let alone a family, and are forced to sort through limited opportunities which will allow them to engage in the economic system in order to sustain their lives (ig. buy food). It is this limited scope of opportunity and “desire” for a better life (or basic subsistence) which allows those in the Manufacturing  Stage to exploit them.

Manufacturing:
Who we are dealing with: The exploiters, the recruiters, traffickers.

The motivating value is personal gain (somewhat similar to the raw material motive, possibly even the same). Although “personal gain” may rely less on eeking out an mere existence, and more so on sustaining or obtaining  a “desireable” standard of living. The recruiters and people who begin to exploit the raw material are essentially making economic decisions to exploit the raw material as they seek to gain (money, livelihood) off of the exploitation (sale, transportation, procurement) of another.

These individuals are the “hunter-gatherers” of the raw material, and harvest, trick, train them, using any means available to ready their victims to meet the demand in the market/marketplace. Interesting to note,  the same motive for seeking a livelihood in the raw material stage is essentially the same principle for the manufacturing stage, yet may differ in necessity and degree of choice (some trafficked individuals turn around and traffick others to make a living).

Market/Market Place:
Who we are dealing with: The market can be virtual or physical. The internet can be used as a vehicle for the exchange of goods and services, as well as local brothels and farms.

The motive for this stage is supply and demand. Business transactions take place in a context where the exchange of goods and services take place. This can be a brothel, finances exchanged over the internet, street corner, or parked car.

End User:
Who we are dealing with: Anyone who desires a return on investment for a particular good or service. People who want sex for money, people who want labor for cheap, people who want a feeling of control over another, etc. Johns, Factory Employer, etc.

The motive for this stage is personal gain. The end user is a person or entity who is ultimately exchanging a good for a service, or a good for a good; money for sex, money for a human to be used as a slave. The End user and manufacturing stages lines may blur at this level as manufacturing may end up being end users as well, while still providing goods/services to another end user. Ig, pimps and brothel owners may make their sex slave not only prostitute and earn them income, but do their personal bidding as well.

In the above illustration, the top descriptions (words above the boxes) represent the WHO that is involved in the stage, the words within the boxes represent the core operating values within that stage, and the bottom words (underneath the box) identify the stage within the issue of Human Trafficking. Here, I substituted the motives of “personal gain” with more tangible and specific motives.

IIII. How does this apply?

When applied to human trafficking/modern day slavery, the above framework allows an interested party the ability to separate the overwhelming issue into several manageable sections. Once separated, one can then anticipate how activity in a certain field will address the issue as a whole. When one asks “how can I help stop human trafficking with the skills that I have?” the framework provides an understanding how their skill set may address certain aspects of the trade, and uncovers the aspects which are left unaddressed.

For example, say I have a strong technical background and have knowledge in computerized networking and internet surveillance tracking systems which identify possible terrorists or criminals. I would then look at the stages of human trafficking and discern where those special skills may prove most useful. Here, these skills might best be utilized in the stages of Manufacturing and End User, but less so in the raw material or marketplace stages.

Lets take another example. Say that I have a heart for those who are victimized by the trade, I would then look at my skill set, passion, and knowledge of a particular area and apply it to the stages where it may provide itself most useful. It may be that my passion for victims and their plight, combined with my advanced nursing degree may lead me to an organization which specializes in working with those who have been victimized. In this case, it would apply to the first stage of the issue…the exploited.

This can be useful when evaluating social services and its offerings and placing them within the issue. A service which seeks to support victims in aftercare will certainly address the raw material stage, but might not address the manufacturing, market, or end user stages. Law enforcement which aims to crack down on brothels will address the marketplace stage, but not necessarily the raw material, manufacturing, or end user stages.

Another working principle of this framework is the idea that each stage is motivated by values. One must realize that when one addresses the operating values of the different stages, one essentially changes the shape and function of the system itself.

Say for example you work for an advertising firm which invests millions of dollars into changing the social consciousness of factory employers, and now those employers look upon hiring and using forced labor with disdain. It has effectively “put a bullet” into the end user (the factory employer), which creates less demand for forced labor, which in turn forces manufacturing to find other means of earning a living. The numbers exploited by manufacturing is lessened (for it is less in demand), and thus slows the process. Granted, this example is highly simplistic and ideal, and more bullets would have to be put into the issue…but you get the idea.

Although economic principles and the laws of supply and demand are the tangible operating forces of human trafficking, values (held or not held) cannot be overlooked and are really the reason why things are the way they are. One must address the external factors of the the system (poverty, lack of police, prosecution, etc.), but one must also address the motivating values of the issue as well. Healing a symptom is not curing the disease.

IV. What now?

So there you have it, a framework for understanding the scope of human trafficking. It is by no means comprehensive, as it does not take into account law enforcement, NGO’s, and other social services which seek to address this problem. It is meant to be a tool which helps one take the next step from anger and disgust, to informed and intentional action (specifically, seeking out organizations, task forces, other law enforcement and related social services which address the four different stages).

 

In short, find what interests you. Evaluate your skillset and seek out opportunities where those skills can be utilized. Be political, be vocal, be administrative, be whatever youre good at. Do what it takes to be proactive in finding your own specific way to help stop human trafficking and end modern day slavery.