Ten solutions to stop human trafficking

ByIon Ilasco

Ten solutions to stop human trafficking

Human trafficking is a widespread yet hidden phenomenon that affects millions of children, women, and men of all ages. For some, this cruel practice brings billions of dollars in income while for others it brings pain, humiliation, and slavery. Being a woman or a child from a dysfunctional environment greatly increases the risk of becoming a victim of traffickers. For decades, humanity has fought human trafficking and, while reducing poverty is crucial to eradicate this practice, in modern societies it is becoming more and more challenging to fight the “demand”. What are some of the solutions that could bring an end to human trafficking?

This article defines human trafficking, presents the latest statistics related to this problem, and offers 10 solutions that could stop this crime.

What is human trafficking?

Human trafficking refers to the unlawful recruitment, transportation, and harboring of people by using force, fraud, or coercion practices to carry out further labor or sexual exploitation. While human trafficking has no boundaries in terms of community wealth and social strata, the majority of those exploited come from poor or dysfunctional environments, such as least developed countries. The targeted individuals often show some signs of vulnerability, weakness, or naivety, and these are used by traffickers to lure victims into trafficking situations.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is one of the main international bodies addressing the issue of human trafficking. According to its latest report, for every 10 victims of trafficking, five are women, three are boys and girls and two are men.

In its 2020 Report, the UN body also lifts the veil on some of characteristics of the trafficking underworld:

  • In over 50% of cases, traffickers took advantage of the economic needs of their victims. Dysfunctional families, romantic relationships, and mental disorders were among the primary pre-existing factors that led to trafficking
  • Migration status is seen as an extra layer of vulnerability. Thus, victims with illegal or undocumented status risk falling victims to traffickers
  • About 65% of the victims detected in Western and Southern Europe were migrants.

See also: Human trafficking statistics and facts

How can human trafficking be resolved?

A number of governments and international (non-governmental) organizations have proposed various solutions to minimize human trafficking. These attempts range from social interventions to policy reforms with the suggested solutions to stop human trafficking being:

  1. Raise awareness: Human trafficking flourishes when it happens in the ‘dark’ and therefore informing people of this serious crime can be the first and most important step in preventing it
  2. Work on preventive measures: Taking early preventive steps to combat the spread of human trafficking is of paramount importance. Governmental agencies, NGOs, and volunteers should work on the ground, warning every vulnerable group, building strategies that can eliminate the factors that contribute to vulnerability, and creating healthy environments where such social groups can flourish
  3. Reduce demand at the source: This involves stakeholders taking effective measures to eliminate the demand that fosters all forms of human exploitation
  4. Roll out dedicated media campaigns: These can be used to highlight the problem of human trafficking for the majority of social groups. By reaching out to multiple groups, the effect of awareness-raising is not only greater but it also makes it more difficult for traffickers to achieve their objectives
  5. Become a mentor: Each one of us can identify a person or a group of people who are at risk of being trafficked and guide them to avoid risky situations
  6. Improve law enforcement: Such efforts are necessary to strengthen the quality and timeliness of responses to crimes associated with human trafficking. Furthermore, encouraging communication and information exchange between national, regional, and international agencies can lead to the identification and conviction of traffickers
  7. Volunteer: Assisting local and international non-governmental organizations in their mission to eradicate human trafficking is an effective and moral approach to contribute to fighting this crime
  8. Form partnerships: This relates specifically to NGOs, the private sector, and governmental agencies that are encouraged to merge resources to increase their impact on fighting human trafficking
  9. Create support programs: All victims who are subject to human trafficking require urgent and meticulous medical, psychological and material assistance. In some situations, protection from the aggressors may also be necessary
  10. Better knowledge: Continuous research into the scope and nature of human trafficking is necessary to develop and disseminate improved measures and policies to combat this issue.

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