Introduction
Labor trafficking is a significant issue in the modern world because it refers to people who are forced to engage in labor through the use of coercion, fraud, and force. Even though all the developed nations abolished slavery, labor trafficking denotes that some individuals are still involved in such illegal activities. This essay will describe labor trafficking facilitators, comment on the H visa program and the Bracero Program, explain trafficking responding theories, consider the use of child soldiers, overview organ trafficking, and justify marrying off daughters.
Three Ways to Facilitate Labor Trafficking
To begin with, one should present three ways of how historical and institutionalized racism and classism facilitate labor trafficking. Firstly, it is necessary to mention that labor trafficking is not a new phenomenon, and the Atlantic slave trade in the 16th-19th centuries proves this claim. Thus, this manifestation of racism is a leading facilitator of labor trafficking in the modern world (Stickle et al., 2020). Since it was permissible for three centuries that wealthy Americans used to bring African people to the United States and subject them to labor, it is not surprising that such an attitude is present now.
Secondly, institutionalized classism also contributes to the spread of labor trafficking across the globe. It relates to debt bondage, meaning that employers place their workers in financial debt to force such individuals to work “until the debt is repaid” (Stickle et al., 2020, p. 212). This example denotes that wealthy people can use their financial status to coerce economically disadvantaged persons to engage in labor trafficking.
Thirdly, the fact that children are weaker than adults also facilitates labor trafficking. It denotes that it is easier for people to use force, fraud, or coercion concerning a minor. Consequently, these three examples demonstrate that labor trafficking implies some economic benefits for people who initiate this illegal behavior. This fact reveals the most significant barrier to all the anti-trafficking efforts that multiple governments take.
H Visa Program and the Bracero Program
The US tries to combat the issue under analysis and offers the H visa program to foreign workers who enter the country. However, this program implies significant problems that make it resemble the Bracero Program. The two are similar because workers were not provided with an adequate salary under them. On the one hand, the Bracero Program allowed employers to “steal the 10% of employee wages” (Stickle et al., 2020, p. 221). On the other hand, the H visa program provides employers with the same opportunity because workers are legally bound to finish the contract with a specific employer. These characteristics can be considered essential facilitators of labor trafficking.
Furthermore, it is necessary to mention that the United States has had various approaches to foreign workers in the past. In the beginning, such individuals were welcomed to stimulate economic growth from 1790 to 1882. In 1924, however, the US Border Patrol appeared to decide who was authorized to enter the country (Stickle et al., 2020). The Great Depression resulted in the fact that Mexican workers were considered illegal, while World War II made the US reopen its border to such individuals. This information denotes those national events directly influence whether the United States approaches foreign workers positively or negatively.
Trafficking Responding Theories
Since labor trafficking is a significant issue, governments and organizations try to respond to it through an appropriate theory, and the 3P paradigm is among them. Being a human rights approach, this model is victim-centered and includes prevention, prosecution, and protection (Stickle et al., 2020). This theory focuses on the idea that individualized prosecution efforts can be successful by removing a single trafficker and being a signal for other traffickers to stop their activity. However, this theory faces criticism because such an approach is broad and diminishes the importance of the problem, supposing that labor trafficking can be solved on a person-by-person basis.
The information above suggests that an alternative theory is needed, and the 4R framework can be a useful option. This approach consists of research, recovery, resources, and restoration to ensure that the problem is addressed from both the industry and individual levels (Stickle et al., 2020). Essential steps include finding the priority population, implementing interventions that do not harm the people, making the offered services available to the whole population, and others. The leading challenge refers to the fact that governments and organizations should make many efforts to achieve successful results with the 4R framework.
The Use of Child Soldiers
The issue of human trafficking is also severe because it includes other less prevalent but adverse phenomena, and child soldiering is among them. This phenomenon is not new because such soldiers participated in the American Civil War, World War II, and others. That is why it is reasonable to comment on how and whether the child recruitment practices have changed. On the one hand, it is necessary to admit that the current state of affairs is similar to the historical context. It is so because propaganda, manipulation, and brainwashing are still used today, while the Nazis also relied on them to recruit child soldiers (Stickle et al., 2020). On the other hand, one should state that abduction is the leading means of recruitment in the modern world, while armies did not rely on it in the past. This information denotes that both force and mental effects are necessary to engage children in wars, meaning that minors become violent because of external factors.
Organ Trafficking
Organ trafficking is another dangerous manifestation of human trafficking that affects numerous people. Multilevel factors cause this issue, meaning that it is not easy to address the problem. Firstly, individual features play a significant role in determining the involvement of individuals in this behavior. It refers to the fact that poverty and low education levels lead to increased organ trafficking (Stickle et al., 2020). Secondly, few employment opportunities and marginalization of specific population groups represent a community level. Thirdly, the global framework also promotes organ trafficking since some diseases can cause organ failures. This information denotes that developing nations (India) and countries with significant social inequality (China) are more subject to the problem. The factors above negatively impact these and other states with similar problems since they make people desperate. As a result, individuals are ready to engage in dangerous and illegal activities to earn money. These data demonstrate that there is no single intervention that could manage the problem and mitigate its adverse influence on the population.
Three Social Factors to Marry Off Daughters
Finally, child marriage is also a kind of human trafficking because minors are typically forced to enter marriage against their will. That is why it is reasonable to comment on factors that make families marry off their daughters. Firstly, poverty is the leading issue since it is common in developing nations when men can buy their wives. Secondly, religion and culture can explain child marriage because this practice means that families follow local traditions. It is also true that people marry off their daughters to establish close contact with wealthy individuals. Thirdly, child marriage can serve as a settlement of disputes between families or a way to manage financial issues between people (Stickle et al., 2020). Even though citizens of the developed nations are shocked by these factors, the families easily rationalize and justify this behavior. When it comes to underdeveloped countries, people are unwilling to change their social structure, meaning that they take the current state of affairs for granted. In other words, they believe that marrying off their daughters is the only way to overcome challenges.
Conclusion
The modern world significantly suffers from human trafficking since this phenomenon implies many manifestations that lead to adverse consequences. Labor trafficking is widespread today because racism and classism issues support and facilitate it. The United States tries to address the problem, but H visa programs fail to cope with the task since they promoted trafficking similar to the Bracero Program. However, various theories, including the 3P paradigm and 4R framework, have the potential to mitigate the problem. Furthermore, the essay has demonstrated that child soldiering, organ trafficking, and child marriage are also widespread throughout the world since multiple factors justify these phenomena. This information denotes that international organizations should draw sufficient attention to eradicate or at least minimize the effect of these issues.
Reference
Stickle, W., Hickman, S., & White, C. (2020). A comprehensive exploration of modern day slavery. Sage Publications.