Yearly, millions of people of every gender and age are kidnapped and used for either some sort of sexual act or to get a type of labor. This act of human trafficking involves the use of both force and fraud, which they even use on little children. No community or country is safe from this heinous act, so special measures must be taken to protect people.

Traffickers use tactics like violence, manipulation, or even romantic scams to lure people into unexpected situations, after which a gang of criminals takes them away.  Unfortunately, victims often fail to seek help due to fear of either the traffickers who threaten their families or law enforcement.

Human Trafficking from a Historical Point of View

This heinous act has been going on for centuries, and even with correct measures, it might never stop. People in power are usually involved in these crimes, which is why taking legal action can sometimes be overlooked.

Going back in time. Portugal was the first to visit Africa to capture people and take them back to Europe to enslave them. Quite precisely, 1525 was the year when slaves were first trafficked from Africa to America, and for the next 350 years, this slave trafficking continued, and this period was named the ‘Transatlantic Slave Trade.’ Almost 12.5 million people were enslaved and trafficked from Africa to every corner of the earth.

From this number, 10.7 million were sent to the Caribbean, North America, and South America, where North America received a number between 300,00 to 400,00 thousand.

However, as time progressed, slavery was looked down upon, and in the early 19th century, the British banned slavery, and Americans followed this ban. Nevertheless, mankind suffered as the last reported Transatlantic Slave voyage occurred in 1866.

The Page Act of 1875

The mid-1800s faced major immigration of Chinese people who were made several promises of profitable jobs by Americans. Over time, a great number of Chinese came to the USA, which led to racism and hatred as well as ‘coolie’ labor.

This required legal action, which is why The Page Act of 1875 was adopted. This act outlawed the immigration of unwilling people and prostitutes and declared that people who did so would be charged fines and imprisoned.

The ban on white slave trafficking

After the Page Act of 1875, African slavery was abolished, drawing people’s attention toward ‘White Slavery.’ White women were used to enslave and then sell for prostitution either by using force or drugs. Governments started looking at European women being used for immoral acts.

A bunch of conferences took place against white slavery. However, the Mann Act in 1904 was a historic moment and is also called the International Agreement for the Suppression of ‘White Slave Traffic.’ To officially put an end to the white slave trade, 13 countries signed this agreement in 1910.

What Tactics Traffickers Use To Lure People

Human trafficking comes in all forms, which is why there is not just a single type of trafficker. These people can even be family members or a friend; in some cases, they can be romantic partners who use emotionally vulnerable humans to lure them. The victims are offered high-paying jobs and fast ways to make money to bring them to a certain location from where they are kidnapped.

Sometimes, close friends are involved in scamming the victims. 25% of people are trafficked through peers. Now, the sad part is that these friends are always victims of human trafficking, which is why they are often presented with the offer to recruit someone to replace themselves.

When talking to survivors, they typically mention words like sweet, charming, and smart to describe the traffickers. Mostly, these culprits are their boyfriends who start out by faking a romantic relationship. They also promise luxury when luring the victims to certain locations.

Traffickers always target emotionally vulnerable people and then offer them a helping hand. They use psychological manipulation to seduce and lure victims. Sometimes, they are offered financial help, like paying off their debts.

Types of Human Trafficking

Human beings are exploited in several ways. These types of trafficking usually include a certain group of people, so for sexual exploitation, women are heavily targeted.

Labour without consent

This is also called forced labor, where people are asked to work relentlessly for big companies without any payment. Through the use of force, coercion, and fraud, victims are forced to work in poor conditions. In this particular case, traffickers do not discriminate and take whomever they want. All that they look for is emotional vulnerability that makes people miserable, and they become an easy target.

Globally, 24.9 people from every race, age, and gender are serving in forced labor.  The more a person is vulnerable, the more easily he/she gets targeted.

The most used forced labor belongs to five categories. They can be related to agriculture, where victims feed animals and harvest crops, or they can become domestic workers, where they do house chores like cleaning. Factories and nightclubs also use victims. In some instances, victims will be used for hospitalities in casinos or illegal hotels.

Debt Bondage

This takes place when a person acquires loans from someone, and as repayment, he/she offers themselves as a slave or servant. Eventually, the victims are unable to pay back and find themselves permanently enslaved. Immigrants often end up in this situation while searching for better economic opportunities. This is also termed as bonded labor.

Removing organs

A rather lesser-known form of human trafficking involves removing one or more organs from the victims and leaving them to die afterward. This act is universally condemned, but the black market has a high value for organs. Over 7000 kidneys are obtained yearly through illegal manners by criminals. Sometimes, people in need of desperate cash might willingly sell their organs in the black market.

Domestic services

This act of human trafficking occurs in private residencies where domestic servants are unable to leave their place of employment. These servants are not even allowed to meet their families. Sometimes, they are paid in cash, and mostly, they are just given a  space to line under poor circumstances. Due to the private residencies, it becomes difficult to investigate and free the victims.

Sexual trafficking

The most notorious form of human trafficking, sexual exploitation, mostly targets females or children. The victims are often used for prostitution or pornography. This specific category preys on millions of people globally.

Forced marriage

What was considered a form of slavery is now officially considered a form of human trafficking.  Due to threats or some sort of deal between two parties, forced marriage can occur, which uses helpless women to marry off to pay debts. Sometimes, these women are only teenagers; sometimes, they can be younger than 10 years.

Bottom Line on Human Trafficking

Exploiting people for any reason is a criminal act; still, it has no end. It seems all the efforts to reduce human trafficking go to waste as people behind this act just change their locations and hire more recruiters.

No matter what, this problem needs to be solved as soon as possible,  millions of victims get targeted without being linked to criminals. The desperate voices of victims need to be heard, and government officials should try to work in conjunction with survivors to strategize a plan and end all of this for good.