Human trafficking: stolen innocence and damaged future
Different studies reveal that human trafficking is currently among the world’s most lucrative illicit activities, probably only behind weapons smuggling and drug trafficking. Altogether, these leading illegal ‘business’ activities contribute to revealing the shocking reality that several societies around the world are more concerned with destruction rather than with building better living conditions for their citizens and mutual understanding amongst nations.
Weapons smuggling can destroy families, destroy communities and strip out people’s hope (sometimes with the convenient excuse of granting protection to individuals). Illicit drugs are not that different regarding their pernicious outcomes. Some of them may lead towards nonsense shootings, whereas others might slowly deteriorate people’s lives in the long run, whilst also undermining family ties and community progress along the way.
Unfortunately, it is possible to notice that many governments and several large corporations are more inclined, for instance, towards investing huge sums of money in weaponry and building lethal arsenals than in financing research to tackle diseases and plagues, on supporting primary and secondary education, or reducing poverty, malnutrition and famine around the world. Again, the logic is that it seems much easier, and maybe more profitable, to spread destruction than building fairer societies.
On what concerns human trafficking, I find it particularly devastating. According to a 2013 UNICEF report, 5.5 million children were trafficked around the world, while Freedom United estimates that 40.3 million people are currently in slavery.
This phenomenon and these figures are devastating not because their effect might potentially be more or less damaging than weapons or illicit drugs. Human trafficking is impressively devastating firstly because it is based on the same colonial-like practice of forcefully selling human beings as if they were mere disposable merchandise.
Secondly, this pernicious activity plays with people’s genuine dreams, children’s legitimate innocence and individuals’ hopes or expectations of a better future. These elements feed the enticers’ greed and trigger their skilful deceiving discourse that, ultimately, will lead the ‘preys’ towards their endless Calvary (i.e.: prostitution, forced unpaid or underpaid labour, pornography, paedophilia, sex tourism, forced marriages and all sorts of abuses).
Within that, a large number of children are sometimes sold by their own family members for a handful of banknotes of any currency. They might do that either out of complete honest naivety easily deceived by skilful enticers, or as an illusory desperate measure to escaping extreme poverty or famine.
Teenage girls, in the freshness of their youth, and with so many amazing possibilities ahead of them, are deceived by false promises of successful careers, fame, generous payments, international travels and so forth. As with adult women, although it would be expected that they would be better prepared to dodge such mousetraps, they are also caught in the same evil net. Consequently, these three social groups (children, teenage girls and adult women) encompass the most vulnerable individuals targeted by traffickers worldwide.
By the way, do not be fooled into thinking that vulnerable groups are restricted to citizens from developing countries. It is certain that the intersectionality of dimensions such as gender, age, class, educational level, and place of origin, comprise an appealing picture for the enticers to recite their deceiving discourse and hook them. However, these vulnerable social groups are also found in wealthy countries.
In effect, the enticers are just one of the nodes of this vile web. The others are usually pimps (both male and female adult individuals running brothels), corrupt businesspeople profiting from people in situations of slavery, high-profile traffickers financing this activity and profiting tremendously from it, and the individuals who demand this sort of ‘service’, to name just a few nodes.
Combined, they steal women’s innocence (regardless of their age), damage their future life prospects by enslaving them and completely disregarding their dignity. The ones who are fortunate enough to escape or to be rescued from this Calvary by the police or a non-governmental organisation might eventually carry deep wounds in their soul (when not also on their flesh) for life, which may be difficult and painful to heal. What about the ones who are not so fortunate? May the Lord be with them! That is what I can say and wish.
I understand that rather than fostering and naturalising destruction, mass killings and different types of addictions, we need to take edifying measures to tackle modern-day slavery and human trafficking. Substantial, serious and committed investment in quality public education is an important measure towards preparing better, respectful and responsible adult citizens that will understand that engaging in such degrading and despicable activities, and enticing others to follow this destructive path is not normal, acceptable or justifiable by any means whatsoever.
Besides, formal education also contributes towards providing individuals with better tools to succeed in life and achieve upward social mobility, reducing poverty and, hence, avoiding selling young children. It is not acceptable that in the 21st century we still have to witness colonial-like social practices and pretend that they are not happening or, even worse, that they are somewhat natural.
Finally, I am aware that for many people who may have the opportunity to read this reflection, it might eventually, sound quite poetic, and unrealistic, or that it is a battle that cannot be won because that is the way things are. Nevertheless, I am confident that several others will fully comprehend what I am talking about and the seriousness of the issue.
We, as civil society and human beings, have a moral duty and responsibility to protect vulnerable people (especially children), rather than witnessing impassively their merciless exploitation by others as if they were disposable and worthless merchandise devoid of humanity.
As the famous quote says, “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. Although the authorship of the quote is unknown, its meaning remains relevant and valid. Therefore, if you are also unhappy with this despicable picture, I kindly invite you to join the ranks of those who wish to wipe this human trafficking sore out from our societies. Certainly, that is not the sort of legacy we need to leave for future generations and neither do they deserve such colonial-like inhuman practice.
