What are Officials Doing to Fight Human Trafficking Since it is a Violation of Human Rights?

Officials are working to make more effective laws and anti-trafficking methods to help stop this enormous issue. The Trafficking of Victims Protection Act is one example of the legislation being passed to help with the impediment of human trafficking. This act enabled law enforcement with new tactics to use for arresting and actually prosecuting human traffickers. It also increased the human trafficking penalties and began a program to help victims around the globe. Another program was created because of this act that economically helped the women in danger of human trafficking.    

The government was also requires to evaluate other countries efforts to stop human trafficking by taking note of how many people were allowed into their borders that were being trafficked. Human trafficking could be portrayed as the definition of a violation of human rights.

For instance one of the most significant bill that was passed at an international level was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was established by the United Nation’s General Assembly in 1948 after the second Word War. Word leaders came together to create the Universal Declaration of Human Rights because they did not want history to keep repeating itself. This bill bounds countries that signed it to combat human trafficking and respect the people’s basic human rights. Article four of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the save trade shall be prohibited in all their forms” (United Nations). Word leaders around the world that are part of the United Nations must uphold this law.

Throughout the years officials have passed countless laws, policies, bills, and even initiated programs to help combat human trafficking as well as to aid the survivors. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2003 was established to limit any governments’ affiliations with organizations that could be using human trafficking. This helped funding go to the right organizations that helped actual human trafficking survivors. The PROTECT Act of 2003 (Prosecutorial Remedies and Other Tools to End the Exploitation of Children Today) which started The Amber Alert System along with other similar alerting programs for missing, abducted, and exploited children. This act also gives grants to programs that provide housing for children victims. The PROJECT ACT also increases the punishments for human traffickers. A much older act such as the Mann Act of 1910 (amended in 1978 and 1986) one of the most significant ones because it criminalizes the act of transporting minors and forcing adults to travel anywhere for commercial sex. The punishment includes twenty years in prison with an increase if a minor was involved. Another act that was passed specifically targeting the economical side of human trafficking was the Customs and Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act that prohibited any imported goods to be from any kinds of forced labor. This in essence could reduce demand for laborers therefore less victims.

 Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, established human trafficking and any similar crimes as a federal crime with severe punishments. It also helped with prosecuting methods, prevention and protection of survivors and victims. The act also required that victims were paid for what they were forced into. The office to monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons was establish to monitor other countries and report annually what they all have done to combat human trafficking. Victims and families were given temporary resident status and were eligible to become United States Citizens through the Inter-agency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking program created by this act.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003 enabled victims to sue their traffickers. The act also added human trafficking to the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations list. Victims and their families were also protected from deportation.  The Attorney General under this act is obligated to report to congress what the United States has been doing to combat human trafficking annually.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization act of 2005 helped initiate programs that helped minor who are survivors of human trafficking with shelter. This act also helped expand the officials’ international reach and funded more local law enforcement to combat human trafficking and sex tourism. Five million dollars were put to fund a pilot program that helped treat victims abroad and fortified governments’ contracts to make sure the organizations they were not affiliated with human trafficking.

The TVPRA was ratified in 2008 where it now brought awareness of worker’s rights and Visas it also enabled screening foreign children to be screened for being potential human trafficking victims. The act also broaden the definition of human trafficking and increased punishment this helped facilitate prosecution.

The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2013 is parallel to the Violence Against Women Act which created and elaborated programs that make sure all goods are forced labor free and also prevent child marriages. This act also made more local help and emergency response available for victims (Polaris Project).

 Human Trafficking is an issue that as a society we have been facing for hundreds of years in various forms one of which is slavery. Human trafficking now can be viewed as modern day slavery but perhaps worse. This time slavery is much more complex; it is about control rather than owning. Traffickers go to great extent to control their victims and make them do as they please. The problem in my opinion is within the demand, if there was no demand then there would not be any need to capture young girls and force them into commercial sex. The use of technology aids traffickers in a variety of ways such as reaching victims and potential buyers. Technology however, can also help law enforcement catch criminals and rescue victims. Officials have been trying to combat human trafficking for years, but it seems to just worsen as the years go by. 

Works Cited: 

"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Declaration, Human Rights Charter, The Un and Human Rights." UN News Center. UN. Web. 21 July 2015.

"Current Federal Laws | Polaris | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery." Current Federal Laws | Polaris | Combating Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery. Web. 26 July 2015.