HUMANTRAFFICKING

Human trafficking is the recruiting, transporting, receiving and harboring of people in exchange for money. People who are most vulnerable to human trafficking are women and children and they are subjected into forced labour, slavery, servitude and prostitution. The people who engaged in human trafficking business are called human traffickers.

Human trafficking is a violation of human rights and the traffickers use their wealth and power to deceive and force the poor, less privileged, ignorant and vulnerable people in the society into all kinds of human exploitation that violates the fundamental human rights of the people involved.

Human trafficking could be done domestically or at the international level. Most international trafficking activities are targeted towards taking young ladies abroad through illegal means for the purpose of forcing them into prostitution.

Domestic trafficking is targeted towards bringing young boys and girls into cities for force labour as house helps. It is important to know that human trafficking is both a domestic and international crime.

CAUSES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

POVERTY

Poverty is a state of being poor or lack of basic necessities of live. Poverty can make people vulnerable to human trafficking and child labour. Parents may give up their children to be taken to cities and work as house helps. Some parents may even sell their children totally into slavery while others go to cities or travel abroad to engage in prostitution in order to make money.

GREED

People who are not contented with what they have or those who want to accumulate fast wealth may find themselves engaged in human trafficking.

LOW SELF-ESTEEM

Some people due to low self-esteem or loss of sense of worth and self confidence may fall victim of human traffickers who will promise to help them but what they actually do is to exploit them.

CORRUPTION

Human traffickers bribe government officials with money and material things so that they can continue to carry out their business without being caught or hindered by government agencies.

IGNORANCE

Vulnerable members in the society can easily be deceived by human traffickers who will promise them greener pastures and better lifestyles in the cities or abroad and because everybody wants a better and improved life, they innocently follow these traffickers only to discover that their intention was to exploit and use them to make money. Some of these people may even be forced to take oaths not to disclose their secret or try to escape.

WAR

During prolonged war, children are forced to join the army and are trained to carry guns and ammunitions. Although this may not be done for money, it is also a form of human trafficking e.g during the second world war, some Africans were trafficked to Europe so as to fight in the war.

EVALUATION

Define human trafficking.
State the causes of human trafficking.

EFFECTS AND CONSEQUENCES OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING

PHYSICAL OR PSYCOLOGICAL ABUSE

People who are being trafficked are subjected to all form of physical abuse such as rape, beating and torture. Children used as house help are often time beaten and the female ones are raped and sometimes starved of food and other basic needs of life. This affects the psychological growth of such children.

ABUSE OF FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS

Human trafficking leads to abuse of fundamental human rights because they are often denied their right to free thought, conscience and decision.

DELAY IN THEIR EDUCATION AND HUMAN CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

Children who are trafficked and forced into child labour are usually denied their right to education in order to become useful to themselves in the future.

VULNERABILITY TO SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES

Girls who engage in prostitute are prone to being infected with sexually transmitted diseases such as syphyilis, gonorrhea and HIV/AIDS. These diseases are capable of cutting their lives short and can reduce their productive contribution to the society and increase medical expenses.

UNWANTED PREGNANCY

Victims of human trafficking are mostly faced with unprotected sex which could result into unwanted pregnancies. Some of these girls when they give birth will throw the child away or abandon the child with their parents without adequate care.

STIGMATIZATION

People who are trafficked are usually stigmatized especially when they are deported back to the country from abroad.

DEATH

Some children who are used as house helps are violently beaten to death while some die of ill health because they are not properly taken care of.

EVALUATION

What are the effects of human trafficking?

GENERAL EVALUATION

What is human trafficking?
Explain the causes of human trafficking
State the effects of human trafficking.
What is rule of law?
Who propounded the principle of rule of law?

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

A person who engages in trafficking business is called ______ (a) controller (b) business expert (c) trafficker
The following except _______ are causes of human trafficking (a) poverty (b) greed (c) high self- esteem
Which of these is not a challenge faced in Nigeria in an attempt to stop human trafficking? (a) Increase in prostitution (b) Porosity of our national borders (c) Adequate law on prohibition of human trafficking
All are consequences of human trafficking except (a) death (b) unsecured future (c) improved health
Those who are mostly victims of human trafficking are_______ and ______