Human Trafficking Within the European Union Essay Example

alone, over one hundred thousand people are victimized every year. UNICEF studies show that two-thirds of EU countries serve as both sources and destinations for human trafficking. Common targets are Germany, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy and Spain while origins include Colombia,the Philippines,Ecuador,the Dominican Republic,Thailand,Balkan nations,Eastern Europe ,Guinea,Nigeria,Sierra Leone,Cape Verdeand South Asia.

Despite these alarming statistics regarding infringement on basic human rights,labor laws,and safety regulations in Europe due to human trafficking ,the European Union is taking steps to combat this issue. This essay will explore those initiatives as well offer suggestions towards eliminating human trafficking altogether.

Europe has the highest number of migrants seeking a better life, with 56.1 million out of the global total of 175 million, which is more than North America's 40.8 million and Asia's 49.7 million.

In recent years, instances of human trafficking have nearly doubled since 1965. However, there is hope for a decrease of roughly 30% by the year 2050 when it is estimated to affect approximately 230 million individuals. Criminal organizations and mafias take advantage of increasing unemployment rates in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as widespread poverty across African, East Asian, and Latin American nations to exploit vulnerable people for financial gain within the service sector. Profit-maximization remains their top priority and these networks operate with extreme sophistication that goes beyond simple criminal or police intervention. Their practices involve violent means, powerful tactics, corruption of law enforcement systems - including police and judiciary - while maintaining professionalism through hierarchical structures. Furthermore, these criminal networks engage not only in human trafficking but also drug and weapons trading.

The proliferation of human trafficking is facilitated by several factors. These include the presence of

individuals available for exploitation, an increasing demand in the sex market, inadequate legal regulations, and the involvement of international criminal organizations. Prostitution has become a primary means of trafficking and generates between $5-7 billion yearly with over 4 million victims living in semi-slavery conditions. Transnational gangs control these victims through extortion and threats while heavily relying on their exploiters. Fearful of retribution for themselves and their families, victims do not often report these crimes. The worldwide levels of prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation have reached alarming heights with an estimated number sold each year for purposes such as slavery, marriage, and prostitution according to a 2009 UN report. In East Asia particularly, more than 90% of women involved in prostitution have been trafficked from other regions.

Women across various regions worldwide are being trafficked into forced marriages or prostitution. In China alone, 50,000 cases of women being sold into marriage have been reported while South Korea and Kazakhstan also report similar instances. After the fall of the Soviet Union, West Asia saw 50,000 people migrate to the United Arab Emirates with an additional 2,000-3,000 women brought annually to Israel for sexual transactions. Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina in Eastern Europe have reported 30,000 cases of women being trafficked and forced into prostitution on European streets. Poland has observed 15,000 foreign women working as prostitutes while Ukraine,Bulgaria and Moldova have had 60,000 women crossing borders using false documents for prostitution.

Every year, women and children from various regions of the world are trafficked in Western Europe. Central Europe alone receives approximately 120,000 victims. Many women who become trafficking victims come from African countries such as Algeria,

Benin, Ghana, Morocco, Nigeria and Tunisia. Africa records over 500,000 cases of human trafficking. If this trend persists for ten years, the number of trafficked women could reach ten million.

The issue of sexual exploitation affects women and children from different countries, with Nigerian women being the most affected. In New Guinea, a former Spanish colony, around 18,000 children aged between 10 and 14 are coerced into sexual slavery. The United States and Canada have also witnessed an increasing prevalence of this problem, with the CIA estimating that between 50,000 to 110,000 women and children are illegally brought into these countries annually for sexual exploitation. Comparable figures have been reported in Canada.

Latin American experts estimate that annually between 200,000 and 500,000 women are trafficked to Europe and the USA. The sex industry in the Dominican Republic employs around 50,000 mostly underage women for sex tourism. In Colombia, ten girls and children fall victim to human trafficking every day while over 40,000 minors work as prostitutes in Venezuela. It is crucial to note that slavery includes forms beyond prostitution and pornography; "wage slavery" also exists. Job offers for maids from developing countries often turn out to be exploitative with threats of deportation.

In recent years, there has been a surge in cases of human trafficking, particularly involving wage slavery. Some people enter a country legally and secure employment, only to have their documents stolen and earnings withheld. The internet plays a significant role in this phenomenon as many women are lured to Europe by fake agencies offering better living conditions but ultimately falling prey to criminal organizations. These fraudulent offers are widespread and identifying those who exploit legal

channels for illegal purposes is difficult. Furthermore, there is an alarming trend of human traffickers using victims to extract and sell organs within Europe where the demand for transplants is high.

Human trafficking is a major global concern, especially regarding women and children, who are often subjected to sexual exploitation and forced labor. Since the mid-1990s, the European Union (EU) has taken action to address this issue by developing a comprehensive approach that covers countries of origin, transit, and destination. The EU's policy centers around three principles: preventing trafficking activities, protecting and supporting victims, and effectively prosecuting traffickers. This policy aligns with substantive criminal law while also prioritizing robust measures for victim protection without punishing minor crimes or denying assistance. Recently introduced legislation mandates that all member states create a National Reporters mechanism or something equivalent to guarantee nationwide implementation of anti-trafficking policies.

The EU Anti-Trafficking Day is observed every year on October 18. In 2009, the Swedish Presidency organized a conference on this day to address all aspects of anti-trafficking policies with third countries, including prevention, prosecution, and victim protection. The conference's results were incorporated into an Action Oriented Paper about human trafficking. Additionally, the European Commission has established an anti-trafficking policy website that serves as a one-stop-shop for practitioners and the public interested in addressing this issue. Since October 2007, a Group of Experts from various parts of Europe has been formed, chaired by B??rbel Uhl from Germany. This group has played an essential role in discussing new anti-trafficking legislation.

Despite the EU Action Plan implemented in December 2005 to combat human trafficking, a working document released by the Commission in October 2008 revealed that this

remains a challenging task. In support of this effort, EU members have ratified the "Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children," adopted by the United Nations in Palermo, Italy in 2000. This Protocol was effective on December 25, 2003 and is under UNODC's responsibility for implementation. UNODC provides practical assistance with creating anti-trafficking legislation and strategies as well as resources for their implementation. The adoption of this Protocol is an important milestone in international efforts to prevent human trafficking.

Despite being signed and ratified by over 110 States, the Protocol's implementation remains a challenge. The majority of offenders go unpunished, while countless victims of trafficking remain unidentified and without help. The European Union's legislation on human trafficking was heavily influenced by the United Nations' involvement in the matter, as well as recommendations and strategies proposed by various States. Effective combat against trafficking requires cooperation between Member States and international organizations such as Europol, Eurojust, Frontex, UNICEF and NGOs. A standardized definition of the crime and method for identifying victims would lead to better understanding of its global impact. Despite multiple initiatives made by entities including the United Nations, Council of Europe, European Union, and International Criminal Court; preventing human trafficking is still a complex task.

Governments must take action to increase the risk and decrease the profitability of human trafficking, which is currently a lucrative activity for organized crime. This can be achieved through the utilization of all available resources and enforcement of laws that prohibit human trafficking, including confiscating any financial gains. Specialized techniques should be used to dismantle organized crime networks involved in this practice, with priority given to

investigations on human trafficking. Europol initiatives should also promote international police cooperation among special agencies in member states and coordination between national units combating human trafficking.

Improving judicial coordination and establishing universal standards for witnesses are also important steps towards tackling this issue. Collaboration between countries at origin, transit, and destination is essential in fighting human trafficking; hence it's necessary for Member States and the Commission to engage third countries in political dialogues regarding control policies.

Preventing human trafficking effectively requires strategies aimed at addressing its root causes such as reducing demand. Therefore advocating against participation in any form of trafficking at every stage while ensuring legal action and penalties regardless of level or degree of involvement is critical.

Efforts should be made by states to detect and eliminate any involvement or complicity of public officials in trafficking. If there is suspicion of public officials involved in trafficking, investigation and prosecution should take place with the strictest penalties imposed upon conviction. Judicial solutions alone are inadequate as the root causes of forced migration must also be addressed. Despite poverty and marginalization factors, millions are forced to flee their countries due to the increasing demand for human trafficking and its profitability. To tackle this issue, a group of experts and national reporters has been established within the European Union to identify different forms of trafficking while developing reliable data for analysis and dissemination. It is a priority to avoid punishment for victims who stay illegally due to exploitation while providing physical and psychological assistance necessary for reintegrating them into society. Sources on human trafficking include information from two sites: http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/what-is-human-trafficking.html explains what human trafficking is, while http://www.unodc.org/documents/Global_Report_on_TIP.pdf

contains a global report on the issue.The third source, found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_to_Prevent,_Suppress_and_Punish_Trafficking_in_Persons,_especially_Women_and_Children, offers data concerning the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.