What is Human Trafficking?
Legal Definition
The recruitment, harboring, transporting, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, slavery or forced commercial sex acts.
SEC. 103 (8) Trafficking Victims Protection Act 2000
1. Trafficking in humans is SLAVERY
2. As many as 20,000 persons are believed to be trafficked each year within the US borders. (Department of Justice)
3. Trafficking victims are men, women and children from all over the world.
4. Human trafficking is the 2nd most prevalent organized crime activity in the world just after drugs and tied with illegal arms trafficking.
Human Trafficking vs. Smuggling
The difference between human trafficking and smuggling may be simplified by categorizing human trafficking as a crime against a person, while smuggling is a crime about borders. Human trafficking is about forced labor or service. Smuggling is about illegally transporting a foreigner over country borders. Smuggling may be a part of a trafficking case. For example, someone may willingly pay to be smuggled into the United States. If, after arrival, that person was coerced into involuntary servitude, the case would then be considered human trafficking.
How are Victims Trafficked?
Human trafficking can occur through many avenues of force, fraud or coercion:
- Persons may be recruited from their home country (although they do not have to be foreign to be trafficked) to fill falsely advertised job or apprenticeship positions.
- They may pay a smuggler to bring them into the country and then be sold unknowingly into prostitution or labor. (See human trafficking vs. smuggling.)
- Persons may be kidnapped from their country and brought into the US to be used in any number of servitude positions.