Human Trafficking and how the Global Community can Mitigate the Practice Essay

Human trafficking is a type of illicit trade in humans which is carried out globally for the purpose of sexual slavery or exploitation and forced labor. It is one of the most booming business and fastest growing criminal enterprise around the world. The most affected population is women and children and the global community is charged with the responsibility of responding urgently to issues related to human trafficking. A number of approaches can be utilized by the international community to curb the problem of human trafficking. The most important approaches include the human rights approach, enhanced research into the problem of human trafficking, encouraging international judicial and the police cooperation as well as the community integration in the fight against human trafficking and providing support and assistance to victims of human trafficking (International Organization for Migration, 2008). One of the approaches that can help mitigate human trafficking is the human rights approach where the root causes of human trafficking such as patriarchal structures and gender based violence need to be brought into the limelight. These elements have been shown to favor several incidents of human trafficking particularly among the women. Policies and legislation on equal opportunities can help strengthen and protect the social and legal position of children and women and address gender and age discrimination. Support programs should be stepped up to strengthen efforts of fighting poverty and marginalization among vulnerable populations such as the girl child and women (Morrison, 2010). The global community should be keen not to confuse the fight against human trafficking with the fight against illicit immigration as there is need to scrutinize ways of increasing gainful, non-exploitative and legal migration of labor for the purpose of globalization. Education provision to vulnerable groups and creation of campaigns among the targeting clients can help reduce human trafficking (Morrison, 2010). The global community can combat human trafficking by encouraging research which will provide sufficient data and form a starting point of tackling the problem. Extensive research will indicate the scale of human trafficking and the mechanisms of exploitations. Information on human trafficking should be made available and this information should be shared bilaterally and multilaterally in order to facilitate good research on the problem (UNGIFT, 2009). Research on counter-trafficking responses will form a crucial component of combating human trafficking. This research will examine the reasons why clients of trafficked humans prefer the trade and check ways on solving the clients’ requirements. There should also be an extensive research that will focus on the needs of the vulnerable groups who mainly include women and children (UNGIFT, 2009). Another approach that can be used by the global community to combat human trafficking is the judicial and police cooperation which include the fight of corruption, checking on the investigative methods, exchange and specialization measures and legislative recommendations. The law should always ensure that there is protection of the witnesses and the victims, prohibit prostitute exploitation, ban illegal work and regulate national territory residence so as to combat such trafficking. There should be an introduction of adequate penalties into international and national legislation for such crimes that involve trafficking and other related offenses. Confidential and parallel investigation of the suspected traffickers’ financial affairs should be followed when identifying, sequestrating and confiscating the assets and proceeds of the human traffickers (UNGIFT, 2009). These should be legal provisions which may include the financial institution taking the legal duty to disclose any suspected transaction of money laundering to the agencies of law enforcement. However, the financial institution should not disclose any police enquires into the affairs of the suspect’s finances. The international community should ensure that states have legislations to assure the victims the right to secure and seek compensations for the harm and injuries they suffer during trafficking. Additionally, there should be direct contact between the judicial authorities and effective service of law enforcement for the purpose of speeding up information exchange in investigation process and having mutual legal support (UNGIFT, 2009). The approach of victim assistance and protection can help combat human trafficking. There should be an establishment of sufficient study and research to identify the trafficked victim and the traffickers’ profiles. This may include the design of key indicators of trafficking design matrix which can be used by the border personnel and the front-line police to assist them in distinguishing between the irregular migrant and the trafficked victims. The victims have to be provided with access to the support measures of all ranges such as shelter, sexual, psychological and physical health support and care. There should also be legal, social and independent health counseling to equip them with skills which will ensure that they avoid any future human trafficking predisposing factors (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2007). The global community can play a major role in combating incidents of human trafficking. This can be done by setting up rules and proving enabling environment that will discourage such crimes in the society. The approaches which look into the needs of both the traffickers and the trafficked individuals tend to strike a balance between caring both the offended and the offender as both are members of the community. Several organizations such as the United Nations have so far invested efforts to fight human trafficking although the cases of the illegal trade continue to be reported. This calls for more integrated approach which will involve the community, the victims and even the criminals of human trafficking.