This Friday, October 18, 2013, a United Nations independent rights expert joined with two other key international anti-trafficking experts to call for global cooperation in the fight against transnational human trafficking. The experts jointly expressed the importance of partnership between each nation. Without a partnership there will be no justice for victims and no retribution for criminals. “Co-operation between origin, transit and destination countries, but also with regional and international mechanisms, as well as private stakeholders such as multinational corporations and civil society organizations, is essential for comprehensive responses to trafficking in persons,” stressed the human rights experts from the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the Organization for Co-operation and Security in Europe” (OSCE).
The Council of European Convention promulgated GRETA, to prevent and combat trafficking of human beings, while guaranteeing gender equality. GRETA was implemented to fight against this epidemic, but the fight must be universal, or else kidnappers will seek refuge in States that are oblivious to the problem. “Given the worrying proportions human trafficking has taken, there is a need to move from a national security model to a human rights-based approach in order to better identify and assist victims of trafficking who are often undocumented migrants,” said the President of GRETA (OSCE). The principal function of the human rights approach is to recognize the rights of victims, and seek more realistic and effective remedies to aid these persons, and to implement a collaborative global effort against human trafficking.
There can be no right more important than the right to live and be in control ones’ life. The twenty-one million women, children, and men that are kidnapped, transported and later sold into sex or slavery in nations near or far from their own, in this multi-billion dollar industry are deprived of rights and of their liberty, not to mention that what is left of their “life” is in danger on a daily basis. “The rights of victims should be the beating heart driving all efforts towards eradicating this phenomenon which leads thousands of women, girls, men and boys in situation of profound exploitation and violence,” UN Special Reporter Joy Ezeilo said. A global effort is necessary to decrease this atrocious crime, but will the human rights approach work? Will the different nations be able to come together to help put an end to human trafficking?
Sources: Jurist.org, COE.int, OSCE.org
Picture: RCMP.htm
Unfortunately, in our metaphorical American cocoon, many of us are ignorant to the disgraceful and vulgar factions of humanity that engage in human trafficking. There are few deeper violations of one’s right to be human than that of being sold as a commodity. Not to mention the destination is that of sex, slavery, or even death. I agree that a more effective approach to putting trafficking to a halt may be one of a human rights approach. Each victim’s rights need to be recognized in order to more deliberately put a stop to this epidemic and realize remedies for the victims. All nations need to cooperate in this battle against human trafficking. Unfortunately, it seems that the problem is most prevalent in areas of conflict, where governments are in flux and global cooperation is at a low. In areas like these, external task forces may be necessary in order to squash any type of operation violative of human rights.
Bigger nations will definitely have to get behind such atrocities and put a lot of effort into stopping this pandemic of human trafficking. Sadly, the bigger nations are the main perpetrators, and despite their objections to these allegations, the need to assert their control in the region and ensure that their allies and surrounding countries are not perpetrating human trafficking.
Prime example, as big as the drug trade in South and Central America is, the human trafficking trade is just a big and just as lucrative, many of the victims find their way into the United States, believing that they will find honest work and a wage to help support their family. Even in the United States, women and men that run away from home or are forced into the sexual slavery are subject to many human rights abuses and are not given the protection they deserve. This is happening right within our country, and even in our tri-state area, but it seems like little to nothing is being done about it. Governments need to be more proactive about this issue and focus on the bigger problems of our day and age.
Human trafficking has become an enigma all around the world, which must be stopped. In order for a solution to occur, the different nations must put aside whatever differences or troubles they have and come up with a unified decision as to how to handle this problem. I feel that it is worth at least trying to make an attempt and utilize the human rights approach since nothing else seems to be working. In implementing this type of approach, the nations would be telling offenders that this is a serious situation and that they mean business. Furthermore it would be showing wrongdoers, that it is not just one area which find these actions unacceptable, but the nation who has had enough. I feel that if the country tries, that they will be able to work out problems and come up with some type common grounds in which they can work with to end the pain.
Human trafficking is a very real and ongoing problem that I believe is only engaged in by those who truly have no remorse and respect for human life. The idea of selling or trading a human being as a commodity is absolutely repulsive. It’s even more depressing to think about where these people will end up. They might be sold for sex, slavery (forced labor), or for the extraction of organs and/or tissues. Unfortunately, trafficking is a lucrative industry that represents approximately $32 billion per year in international trade. This is the reason why so many people worldwide engage in it, making it more difficult to put an end to it. However, this makes it all the more reason why it must be stopped. It is just wrong. The different nations must come together to resolve this problem. I believe the human rights approach can be a start. However, more countries and their governments must become involved and be more proactive about this problem to result in any sort of resolution.