Why Does Human Trafficking Disproportionately Affect Women?

Review of "Human Rights and Trafficking in Persons: A Handbook" published by
the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women, 2001, 143 pages

In this handbook, the Global Alliance Against Trafficking in Women (GAATW)
presents the problem of trafficking and some strategies for responding to
it. The handbook approaches the subject from a human rights perspective and
quite effectively pinpoints the ways trafficking violates victim's human
rights, particularly those of women. It brings to light, therefore, the
seriousness of a problem which is not well understood.

The first section of the book outlines the various international human
rights
codes which relate to trafficking. The focus here is on the UN's various
conventions and protocols such as the Declaration on Violence Against Women
(1993) which included trafficking as a form of violence against women and
reaffirms the right of women not to be subjected to torture. It then goes
on
to define trafficking in women. The definition is as follows:

"...the recruitment, transportation within and across borders, purchase,
sale, transfer, receipt or harbouring of a person involving the use of
deception, coercion...or debt bondage for the purpose of placing or holding
such a person, whether for pay or not, in servitude, in forced or bonded
labour, or in slavery like conditions...."

Basically, this definition of trafficking involves holding someone against
his/her will through the use of some sort of coercive mechanism in a
community other than the one he/she comes from. The idea of deception is
important to include. The handbook notes that many women are originally
happy to migrate overseas to work since traffickers have promised them good
salaries and comfortable living conditions. However, once they arrive in
their new country/city, the traffickers are able to control and enslave them
by presenting them with a list of debts they now owe for transportation and
accommodation or by stealing their passports. Also, the book is careful to
exclude migrating voluntarily to work as sex workers from its definition.
The idea of coercion, then, is central. The handbook illustrates its
definition through a number of case studies involving the various features
of
trafficking. This is the best section of the handbook. It skillfully
clarifies what trafficking is by addressing the misconceptions people tend
to
hold about it. The case studies are particularly useful.

The next section examines the causes of trafficking, some of the
consequences
and various policy changes that governments should make. In regards to the
causes, it outlines why trafficking tends to be a phenomenon
disproportionately affecting women. The reasons include lower educational
and employment opportunities for women which make them more vulnerable to
traffickers offering jobs overseas. Also, restrictions on migration
(especially by developed countries) mean it is very difficult for women to
emigrate through legal channels and thus must turn to traffickers. The
consequences for trafficked people include rape, torture, detention and, in
some cases, murder. However, the handbook notes that government policies
often make the situation worse by imprisoning trafficked people for illegal
migration; failing to provide rehabilitation services such as counselling
and
health care; and prosecuting traffickers only for facilitating illegal
migration as opposed to the crimes they commit against their victims (such
as
torture). Thus, it indicates that many governments are complicit with and
responsible for human rights violations and outlines a number of policy
changes which must be enacted in order to protect the rights of trafficked
people.

The third section delves into different approaches to addressing
trafficking. These include the moralist approach, the crime control
approach, the migration approach and the labour approach. It also
identifies
ways in which these approaches can either enhance trafficked people's rights
or hinder them. For example, the moralist approach, which is mainly
concerned with prostitution, could either be repressive for trafficked
victims by enacting more anti-prostitution laws or can be empowering by
increasing the range of employment and educational opportunities available
to
women.

The final section looks at NGO strategies for taking a human rights approach
to trafficking at the local, regional and international levels. These
include service provision to victims, research and documentation on
trafficking cases, information and education campaigns and advocacy. At the
international level, it focuses on advocacy activities within the UN system
to strengthen conventions and protocols on trafficking. Unfortunately, it
does not address the question of how effective UN conventions might be in
stopping trafficking nor does it examine alternative activities at the
international level that might deliver better results.

This final section also includes a guide to building an advocacy strategy
and
a detailed list of strategies different actors could undertake at the
various
levels mentioned. Included in this detailed list are government welfare
departments which could offer income support to trafficked victims or health
care institutions which could offer treatment without involving the police.
While these recommendations are all relevant, they are all quite abstract
and
generic. It would be more useful to include examples of successful projects
that addressed trafficking and detail how they accomplished their goals.

Nevertheless, the book effectively communicates what trafficking is and why
it is an important human rights concern which people need to take action on.
Given that trafficking is often poorly understood, it is very useful in
drawing attention to the issue.

Source:

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