Abstract
The emergence of the internet as an international technological communication tool is one of the most significant developments in the 21st-century digital landscape. But behind this achievement is the question of ethics, values, and norms that transcends borders, creating a variety of challenges in today's interconnected society. This explains why internet technology has broadened the geographical scope of human trafficking and traffickers´ operations. Today, the internet helps traffickers to operate across borders and in multiple locations, while physically exploiting the victims. Internet technologies also play a critical role in the exploitation, illusion, and deception, as well as trafficking under false pretenses. Against this backdrop, traffickers have learned to adapt their strategies to effectively target specific victims, by actively ‘hunting' those who are vulnerable to falling victim to trafficking. The study demonstrates that patterns of exploitation have been transformed by digital platforms, such as webcams and livestreams, to create new forms of exploitation.
TopUnderstanding Trafficking In Persons
According to a trainer’s manual on investigating human trafficking, “trafficking in persons is a crime under international law and many national and regional legal systems (Lusthaus, & Varese, 2017). Trafficking in persons has become frequently discussed because of its prevalence in the human society. Many persons and organizations have attempted to offer definitions to better explain the term “trafficking in persons”. According to Lusthaus, & Varese, Trafficking in Persons Protocol puts forth the following as the definition of “trafficking in persons”:
Key Terms in this Chapter
Smuggling: According to the UN Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, “Smuggling of migrants” means the procurement, in order to obtain, directly or indirectly, a financial or other material benefit, of the illegal entry of a person into a State Party of which the person is not a national or a permanent resident. An individual may voluntarily engage the services of a smuggler, but increasingly be drawn into a web of exploitative relationships in order to pay off the debts they incurred in the process. If the individual falls into a situation of debt bondage, it can become a case of human trafficking.
Migration: Migration is where a person moves from one country to another. It can be by legal or illegal means and it can be either voluntary (with the consent of the person migrating) or forced (without their consent), but usually it is voluntary. Displacement of persons and trafficking are examples of forced migration. A migrant is someone who leaves her/his community or country of origin to live, and possibly work and/or marry in another place. “Migrant” is an overarching term that covers many categories of migrants, including refugees, trafficked and undocumented persons and migrants who are in a smuggling situation.
Child Trafficking: Child trafficking is defined as the movement of a person (18 years and younger), into a situation of exploitative work such as forced labour or slavery-like practices. This definition is significantly different from the Trafficking in Persons, which is comprised of three core elements: the movement of a person (inside a country or across borders), with deception or coercion, into a situation of forced labour, servitude, or slavery-like practices. The definition for child trafficking reflects the vulnerability of children and the special rights set out by international conventions for their protection. Like adults, children are trafficked for many reasons including begging, work on construction sites, agricultural work, sexual exploitation and for domestic work.
Slavery: Slavery-like practices are prohibited by the 1956 UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade and Practices similar to Slavery. The Convention does not contain a definition of slavery, but does list a number of practices and institutions that constitute slavery-like practices such as debt bondage, serfdom, forced and early marriage, and the exploitation of children and adolescents. Two common criteria can be derived from the listed examples: (a) the infringement of the formal or de-facto legal status of a person, resulting in a serious and far-reaching deprivation of fundamental rights, in combination with, and (b) the one-sided economic exploitation of the person through the abuse of long-term relations of dependency.
Trafficking in Persons: Trafficking in persons, or human trafficking, was re-defined by the international community in 2001 to incorporate a broader definition that recognises it as a human rights problem involving forced labour, servitude or slavery among other issues. Trafficking in persons involves three core elements: (1) the movement of a person (inside a country or across borders); (2) with deception or coercion; and (3) into a situation of forced labour, servitude or slavery-like practices. Trafficking also begins through recruitment, forced migration, purchase, sale or receipt of people. Following movement (whether forced or voluntary), through deception or coercion - including force, the threat of force or debt bondage - a person is then forced into an exploitative situation such as servitude, forced or bonded labour.