How to Stop Human Trafficking at the Source

Getting rid of human trafficking is a bit of a long shot at this point. There’s a lot of talk about what is being done, but at the end of the day, the question remains, is it enough?

Getting rid of human trafficking is a bit of a long shot at this point. There’s a lot of talk about what is being done, but at the end of the day, the question remains, is it enough? This is a huge problem, and there is no quick fix here; child trafficking requires high level partnerships with governments, international mobilization based portfolios, the private sector, civil societies, the list is endless. The only problem is getting all these players to sit at the same table for the common good.

It is an unfortunate fact that many elements of law enforcement are benefitting substantially from this racket in its entirety; case in point, many pimps have local cops under the seam of their back pockets, hence it is close to impossible for these officers to effectively combat this menace. Kids need protection, and as far as the demand exceeds the supply, as long as there is poverty, war and famine, then children will be sold to the highest bidder.

What is being done?

The U.N has been very instrumental in taking this menace by the scruff of the neck. There is the Federal task force that has been up and running for up to 5 years now, with relative success. What is unfortunate though, is the fact that most of the countries that women and children are trafficked from have rather ineffective law enforcement, which is a serious bump on the road. The U.N is still working on individual countries to develop an action plan that seeks to help these countries effectively deal with human trafficking.

There is also the Polaris project set up quite recently that provides a real time, round the clock trafficking hotline that is also involved in public education and advocacy. But, despite all this, there is only so much the U.N can do. Without the support of world governments, the fight against trafficking is as good as lost.

How to get rid of it at the source

The main enabler for human trafficking is poverty. A look across statistics shows that up to 90% of people are smuggled from 3rd world countries that are affected by famine, disease, civil war and large scale poverty. Women go to the extent of selling their unborn babies at even the slightest hint of a better life. What this does to create a supply chain that cartels can exploit. Once you get rid of the supply, then the demand will dwindle, and Bob’s your uncle!

Conclusion

Human trafficking is a product of organized crime in many countries, making it among the most difficult trails to follow. The only way to effectively battle it is to improve the quality of life in poor countries, and to get them to a point of self sustenance. Once this is done, the need for greener pastures, or the quest for a better life will no longer be an incentive for the poor, and hopefully this will create a ripple effect, and make it harder for traffickers to exploit these people.

Human trafficking is a heinous crime that needs to be stopped. Freedom Culture is a fashion brand that has pledged a part of every sale they make to charities that work towards the cause of ending human trafficking. Click here to view fashion products up for sale by Freedom Culture.

License: You have permission to republish this article in any format, even commercially, but you must keep all links intact. Attribution required.