Human Trafficking (Essay Sample)

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Human Trafficking
Trafficking in persons encompasses the recruitment, harboring, and exercising control over individual’s movement for the purposes of exploiting that person, usually through forced labor or sexual exploitation (Roth 66). Equally, trafficking of human beings falls among the most monstrous crimes imaginable, frequently defined as slavery of the modern-day. Similarly, trafficking in persons deprives individuals of their utmost fundamental rights and its currently happening all around the world. Many of the fatalities of human trafficking are children and women who are compelled to abandon their normal lives and forced to provide sexual services as a form of labor (Cullen-DuPont 11).
The perpetrators of human trafficking use various coercive methods to exploit their victims and their families through violence threats, sexual assault, force, and intimidation. Equally, victims of human trafficking are brutally abused to the extent that they lose their dignity, freedom, and they are potential as people (Cullen-DuPont 15). Similarly, the victims are abused emotionally and physically and frequently they work and live in horrific conditions to the extent that they don’t even think of escaping because of the fatal consequences (Roth 67). Hence, human trafficking is not only for sex and labor, but it also involves organs trafficking. Everyone must live in dignity and safety, and there must be justice in this life and that each must live with dignity because it is their right. As such, philosophers like Plato assert in his Rule of the Wise that Justice is essential for everyone in the community and justice extends far beyond a legal system. Rawls says in some of his theories that there must be equality in freedom and also in the economic and social status of every person.
Causes of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is an issue that is complex with a broad range of circumstances and victims; hence the trafficking involves labor exploitation and sexual exploitation. As such, it is estimated globally that trafficking of human beings is amongst the most profitable of criminal undertakings. Furthermore, it is only firearms and drugs trafficking, which rival the trafficking of persons and making billions of dollars every year for criminal organizations that are sophisticated. Equally, it is estimated that almost 2.45 million individuals globally are compelled to perform dangerous, dehumanizing, and degrading work in conditions that are similar to slavery (Cullen-DuPont 21). There are various factors that make human trafficking happen and they include; gender-based inequality, corruption, and insufficient social programs (Cullen-DuPont 23). Furthermore, lack of education, unemployment, extreme poverty, and conflict and war situations in countries of origin promote human trafficking. Similarly, there are various economic sectors that want to exploit cheap labor so as to get extra financial rewards in the name of profits. Equally, different individuals end up being victims of human trafficking because they have been promised a better life and earn enough money (Cullen-DuPont 25).
Human Rights Trafficking in Relation to Issues of Justice and Rights
According to Plato and Rawls, Justice entails giving individuals what they deserve. Plato extends this argument by saying that as a human virtue, justice bonds individuals in the society. Additionally, he argues that justice is not only for the influential persons in the society, rather to the society as a whole (Lycos 7). On the other hand, John Rawls, a Harvard philosopher, develops the concept of justice utilizing elements of utilitarian and Kantian philosophy. For this reason, he develops a moral model for assessing political and social institutions. Rawl’s in his theory of Justice as Fairness argues that every person should have equal right to accessing the most fundamental freedoms and rights (Rawls 3). Additionally, Rawls outlines two basic principles of justice. The first principle is that of social justice, and it addresses the issue of political institutions. According to this principle, each individual exhibit indefeasible and equal rights to fundamental liberties which are dispensable to all. Accordingly, individual’s rights to fundamental liberties need not be taken away from them. Some of these rights include freedom of speech, equal rights under the law, and freedom of travel (Rawls 3-4). However, Rawls argues that it is imperative to restrict some basic rights, especially those of intolerant groups that aim to interfere with the freedom of others.
The second principle primarily focuses on the economic and social institutions. Rawls contends that economic and social inequalities satisfy two conditions. To begin with, they are linked to positions and offices available to each and every person under fair and equal condition. Secondly, they should be of great benefit to the disadvantaged society members. Ideally, the Second principle focuses on equality. Regardless, Rawls contend that the society find it extremely challenging to shun inequality among its members. He points out that inequality stems from personal motivation, social class, and inherited attributes (Rawls 8). As per the analysis of Justice from Plato’s and Rawl’s viewpoint, it is obvious that human trafficking violates the principles of justice. For instance, human trafficking violates individual’s right to security and liberty and the right to equality under the law. Additionally, it undermines individuals’ freedom to move freely, right to favorable working conditions, and accessing health care (United Nations 6-7). These violations undermine Rawl’s second principle.
Instead of helping the society marginalized individuals, human trafficking suppresses them. For instance, trafficked individuals are subjected to degrading, inhuman, and cruel conditions such as severe psychological or physical violence as well as rape. Given these examples, it is clear that human trafficking infringes on the principles of justice and human rights. The breach is evident in various international documents including the OSCR Declaration on Trafficking in Human Beings. According to this declaration, human trafficking constitutes repugnant violation of rights and dignity of human beings, hence, the need to address human trafficking from human rights perspective (United Nations 7...