Intervention for victims of human trafficking
In human history, there are examples of societies and cultures which were found on slavery and exploitation of those deemed as inferior by the societal structure. However, after a series of revolutions, the slave trade came to an end. While slavery and slave trade was abolished a long time ago, new and subtler form of slavery-like practices are alarmingly increasing in may modern societies; among this practices included forced labour, forced prostitution, debt bondage, sex slavery, early and forced marriages and trafficking in persons (Scarpa, 2008:4). Human trafficking is a serious crime and considered to be a grave violation of human rights. Human rights are universal and inherent to in all groups of people irrespective of their sex, colour, ancestry, gender, social status or ethnic origin (Piotrowicz et al., 2018: 13). There have been many recent efforts by the international community to curb human trafficking. However, the phenomenon is highly complex, and notwithstanding the many efforts to fight, prevent and to protect the victims, the activity continued to flourish. This essay looks at the Impacts of human trafficking on the victim and a theoretical approach to the understanding of the phenomenon. The essay further discusses how the victims of human trafficking can be better assisted.
Impacts of human trafficking on the victim
The consequences of human trafficking on the affected individuals are diverse. Once trafficked, exploited, tortured and harmed the future life opportunities of the victims often become limited. For instance, trafficked children are often deprived of the opportunity to access education at a crucial age. Such victims also end up suffering psychological scars which may never heal and may also prevent them from functioning as expected in the society as they mature (Shelley, 2010: 62). Teenagers and women who fall victims to be trafficked for labour and sexual exploitation are, in most cases, deprived the opportunity of getting married, having children and raising families. On the other hand, men who are trafficked for labour are exposed to many years without the family presence and may suffer pain and body injuries from the work they do. The trafficked males who are not in a position of sending remittances home also make their families vulnerable and ripe for further exploitation.
Many trafficked individuals become subject to victimization and ridicule in their societies. For instance, many victims of sexual trafficking and repatriation find it very difficult to settle back to the societies. As they return, they are seen to be enormous burdens to their communities. For instance, in Egypt, the former wives to the rich Middle East visitors can neither remarry nor be supported by society when they are returned to their villages. Many of them end up being re-trafficked (Shelley, 2010: 62). Most of them also return home with severe psychological trauma and serious health problems which their home communities cannot handle. In Asia, such returning girls and women often come back as drug and alcohol addicts after years of exposure to the fast-paced urban lives. Many women and girls that fall victim to sex trafficking suffer a wide range of suffering and victimization. Many who resist the advances of their traffickers end up dying. Before being sold to the clients, they are beaten and tortured by their traffickers to break their will. In some circumstances, the girls who refuse to serve the sexual desires of their clients are badly tortured, even if they might be ill to induce compliance.
Application of the Lifestyle exposure model of personal victimization
Human trafficking and its consequences can be better explained and understood within the context of victimization theories. The most significant theories in this subject are the Lifestyle exposure model of personal victimization. Developed by Hindeland, Garofalo and Gottfredson in 1978, the theory puts forward that there are differential patterns of personal victimization which exist across different demographic groups. According to the theory, the likelihood of personal victimization, which can be measured as personal larceny, rape, assault and robbery differ across different people depending on their age, sex, race, marital status and levels of income (Madero-Hernandez, 2019: 1). Young males are more likely to be trafficked for labour purposes, while young girls are more likely to be trafficked for sexual purposes. The core of this theory lies in a set of lifestyle activities which one is most likely to engage in/ such activities include daily activities like going to school and working. Lifestyles affect the risk of criminal victimization of a person by determining how often they go out and when and where and with whom they go out. Lifestyles can either increase or decrease the degree of exposure of a person to high-risk situations, which might cause victimization. For instance, Girls who walk to school unaccompanied every day have a higher exposure to possible offenders. They become highly vulnerable to victimization and trafficking than those who go to school via public or private transport.
Intervention for victims of human trafficking
Victims of trafficking need a lot of psychosocial support. As discussed in the essay, most of the victims record traumatic or abusive experiences in the hands of the traffickers even before being trafficked. The pre trafficking events, combined with the trafficking experience, affects their mental wellbeing. Memories of the rape ordeals, verbal abuses and beatings will forever linger in their memories if they are not assisted to go through the healing process. The victims should, therefore, be assisted to recover while trying to re-establish their normal lives fully. The victims should also be provided with proper nutrition and medical care. Because of the ill-treatment and poor diets during the trafficking period, some of them might have developed health conditions which require urgent treatment. Such conditions might include contraction of HIV/AIDS and STDs, which must be ascertained through initial medical checkups for early interventions.