Week 3: Final Paper 1

Week 3: Final Paper 1

Txxxxx Mxxxxxxx

Instructor: DxxxxxNxxxxx

SOC120: Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility

AxxxxxUniversity

August 29, 2016

Human trafficking

Introduction

Every human has the freedom to choose what he wants to do and what not, and while such things should border on the positive side, yet we find violations on both aspects. While many do not have the freedom to choose what they want, there are many who are misusing their freedom by making others do things that are wrong. Human trafficking is one such domain that is discussed openly and yet the scenario doesn’t seem to improve much. The United Nations states the practice as the “recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons by improper means (such as force, abduction, fraud, or coercion) for an improper purpose including forced labor or sexual exploitation” ("Human Trafficking | National Institute of Justice", 2007). Since people involved in this trade get a lump sum of money in exchange of human beings for various purposes, the practice has become widely established and the network has spread over many sectors and regions. Under developed and developing countries suffer the most, as lack of resources and money often force parents to sell off their children in lure of few green bundles of notes. They can be trafficked for sex, labor, or even terrorist activities that are becoming trend these days.

Called as “slave trade’ by some, human trafficking is becoming an unstoppable evil and from an emotivism perspective, it is already too late to find a cure. It is time that it is eradicated form the root and the culprits involved are punished for being an enemy to mankind. Considering virtue ethics, it is completely unethical to traffic human beings, specially belonging to the same set of species. Man should help man rather than creating trouble and adding pain to the already troubled soul. Judging from the utilitarian point of view, the best moral action maximizes utility and the best moral action in this case would be to rescue all those who are trafficked and prevent further trade so that its results in the best utility of saving mankind. Human trafficking is a serious offence that needs to be stopped before the number reaches impossible limits. Man is here to progress and create a haven for mankind, and thus instead of finding profit behind someone else’s existence, people, especially the ones involved in this business should focus on respecting one another.

Human Trafficking: Disgrace to Mankind

On this earth every human being has created in equal terms and deserves to be treated equally. Trafficking of human beings for various monetary purposes and even fulfilling human needs, is something that is completely unacceptable. Moreover there isn’t really any age bracket for humans getting trafficked, and thus it means a newborn child to a young girl to someone who has become legally adult can be trafficked depending on the need. Sometimes the victims escape, and sometimes they are rescued. There are thousands of others who have become a part of the system. Irrespective of what their status is, victims of human trafficking never completely heal. There are some who accept their trauma as their fate and silently consume in the pain, and there are some who fight against their tortures. Very few of them win, and even fewer come out alive.

Not always the illegal practice is restricted to the domain within a country, and thus often it gets difficult to trace them back. Often the trade is done between two countries, and as the people involved could be anyone from the neighborhood, getting suspicious can be normal, but catching the culprit can be difficult. Moreover the racket is so huge spread that by the time the real leader is found, thousands other get trafficked.

The Cruel Practice

Human trafficking has become a global problem and everyone is aware of the negative reality that has become so common. However, very few organizations are actually working against this inhuman practice. While forums and debates against the practice never fail to recede, actual action is seldom executed. Unemployment and poverty is one of the major causes behind such practices, and lack of education fuels the ignorance. Women and children are the worst victims of such crimes, and even before they get the chance to live their life, they are parceled to some place where they do what they even shudder to imagine.

Women and girls in Vietnam are trafficked through “Dong Tham, An Giang, and Kien Giang to Cambodia for sexual exploitation”(Wheaton, 2011). While prostitution is the biggest racket in this part of the world, there have been also instances when they have been sold off in lure of marriage and a happy life. Philippines is another country where men too along with women and girls are trafficked for sexual exploitation and cheap labor to counties like Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Japan, North America and Europe. On similar lines children and women are trafficked from China into countries like Canada, Malaysia, Italy, the United States, Australia and Europe (Wheaton, 2011).

Approach to the Problem

If one’s existence is to be morally judged, then what is important to realize is that, we as humans do not have the right to judge others when we ourselves are flawed. It is unethical that we treat our fellow humans as objects of slave and as someone whom we can control and dominate. Our virtues should prohibit us from practicing such behaviors. We are all God’s children and we must never forget that we all are created from the same mold, which makes us all equal. Our virtues reflect our beliefs and the culture we belong to, and being ethical human beings we must respect one another and trading human beings for money should be something that should be considered a sin. We all have our own set of troubles and we must focus in lessening the burden rather than creating more.

Our moral actions should be directed in the positive light. We all need to utilize maximum utility as long as we exist on this earth and being ethical beings we must protect one another from harm. We must exercise our utility to the utmost level by doing and practicing what is right morally. We must not only rescue all those who are affected but also prevent such practices. Alone it may seem an enormous task, but taking the right step forward will be needed and that has to be done alone. Once everyone takes that first step, the world will soon become a happy place to live in.

Our perspective should be that of genuine and full of emotion for people who have been victims of this cruel practice and against those who are the cause behind this misery, we must show no mercy. If man can trade another man, then we ought to bring back the victim into light and the victimizer back to his or her senses.

Global Initiatives against Trafficking

Various countries, their governments and other non-governmental organizations have taken up the initiative of working against human trafficking and combatting the menace through various means, including the utilization of the police and Special Forces. However the menace is so wide spread, that unless they are cut from the roots, the whole business of exchanging human against money and trading them off for various reasons won’t stop.

The European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime(UNODC) have together taken the combined initiative to fight against the issue and take up the matter and solve it more effectively by launching the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT). This initiative also has other member organizations working at the base to combat the issue and has been formed for the duration of 2015-2019. International Organization for Migration (IOM)and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will also be aiding towards fulfillment of the act ("GLO.ACT - The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants", 2016).

An extension of the act comes in the form of the Human Trafficking Knowledge Portal that helps get access to information related to anything about human trafficking with special focus on the implementation of the UN convention specified against the TransitionalOrganized Crime like human trafficking and look after victims of trafficking and help them re-establish their lives.

The Inevitable Truth

Many skeptics would claim that human trafficking is a profitable business, and it won’t be very easy getting the whole process under control, especially with the fact remaining that trafficking as a business has spread far across and identifying the traders is as difficult as finding a needle amidst hay. Many counter-trafficking initiatives have been taken in the past. The administration being corrupt in most of the developing countries where trafficking is practiced, the leaders have become very lenient towards the culprits, and the victims on the other hand are scared to come out in the open and start a normal life. While many get help and start afresh, with new confidence and courage, there are also thousands and hundreds who remain hidden or getlost in the mayhem. The laws too are not very strict against the culprits, and unfortunately there are many countries, where actions are taken after it is too late. The post rescue programs that are started as an initiative by local leaders often fail to completely empower the rescued women and children, and thus more than often, even after being rescued from their cruel tormentors, they become isolated and live a life of social boycott; it takes ages before life gets normal for them.

Conclusion

Even though most of the people belonging to the sophisticated world do not think twice before reacting negatively towards the inhuman practice of human trafficking, yet it is a real tragedy that no one even gives a single thought towards taking a step forward and executing or implementing any practice against it. Sadly very few people actually accept victims of trafficking as their own and treat them normally. The problem lies in the fact that we treat them with our sympathy rather than keeping in mind the fact that they are just one of us, who unfortunately have been trapped by their fate. Limited initiatives wouldn’t be enough to put an end, a united stand against the practice can work as an effective beginning.

References

Human Trafficking | National Institute of Justice. (2007).National Institute of Justice. Retrieved 15 August 2016, from

GLO.ACT - The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants. (2016).Unodc.org. Retrieved 29 August 2016, from

Wheaton, S. (2011). Fighting Human Trafficking, Country by Country.The New York Times. Retrieved from