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| >> RESEARCH Trafficking for Sex Slavery: implications for Britain and Europe 1. CAMBODIA There are estimated to be about 20,000 sex workers in Cambodia, about 20 percent of whom are Vietnamese. These girls are the victims of trafficking but they are also the product of poverty. Most of these girls are handed over to the traffickers by their mothers. Their virginity is sold in a separate deal and then they are taken to work in Cambodian brothels where the income from their work is equally divided between the brothel keeper and the family of the girl. The girl's family is paid a lump sum when she begins work and she has to work until the loan is repaid. This usually takes between two and five years. Many girls do not complete five years due to the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections or other forms of health breakdown. The girls are supposed to have a monthly HIV and STI check but this is not always practicable as health clinics are not available in every area. It is the duty of the Cambodian police to inspect the brothels to ensure that health regulations are obeyed, but this practice is open to corruption. Payments are made to the police by the brothel keeper and the girls are regularly raped by the police. Human trafficking for various forms of slavery is rapidly becoming a global trade. The gangs operating in the Far East have networks extending around the world. Many girls from poor families in the Philippines are now being brought to Europe and other Western nations. 2. THE SITUATION IN BRITAIN AND WESTERN EUROPE A) Europe There is a growing body of evidence indicating that a similar situation to that described above in Cambodia is already in existence in Britain and Western Europe. The growing numbers of illegal migrants from Eastern European nations as well as from the Far East is exacerbating this. Illegal immigrants are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous employers and may be used either in sweatshop factory conditions, or for sexual gratification when engaged as domestic workers, or as sex workers. In some ways the European situation is worse than that of S E Asia where it may be assumed that Vietnamese girls are told by their parents that they are to be sold into slavery for a limited period in order to support their family. But in Europe the victims of trafficking are deceived into accompanying their agents in the belief that they are to be offered employment in a Western country. Once there they lose all contact with their family and home community. In the case of girls who enter as illegal immigrants, they are simply lost in the country to which they are taken and nobody knows of their existence. They are effectively enslaved for as long as their exploiters wish to keep them, or until they are no longer useful. B) Britain There is growing evidence of criminal activity by agents who promise these girls employment as waitresses, nannies, or other forms of legitimate employment. Albanian gangs are prominent in the trafficking of girls from Eastern Europe. The girls are either smuggled illegally into the country, or they have visas or other documentation (e.g. for marriage). Girls have been found by the police in London, Nottingham and Glasgow. On arrival at their port of entry, those who have visas have their papers confiscated by a member of the gang and they are then at the mercy of their handlers. As they do not speak English and they have no understanding of the local culture, or of English law, they are either unable to escape or they are too fearful to go to the authorities. 3. FARTHER AFIELD A) The United States Experience In the USA a Federal law was passed by Congress in 2000 in an attempt to cut down illegal trafficking and to offer some protection to the victims of trafficking. The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act 2000 is intended to protect victims of this trade in human beings who have sufficient courage to go to the authorities and report the crime. In the USA trafficking is regarded as 'a hideous crime' and the Act is designed to offer assistance in the investigation and prosecution of offenders. The Act allows for the issue of special visas to victims of human trafficking by way of compensation and seeks the cooperation of victims to enable the government vigorously to prosecute traffickers. The US government estimates that 50,000 people, mostly women and children, are brought into the USA each year as victims of trafficking. They are then subjected to physical or mental abuse and a wide range of criminal activity including domestic abuse. B) Globalisation The globalisation of communication and transport has resulted in the worldwide escalation of modern forms of slavery. Globalisation has been defined as 'a process through which finance, investment, production and marketing are increasingly dominated by agents whose vision and actions are not confined by national borders or national interests. Global corporate actors are forming complex networks around a hierarchy of technological capabilities, comparative advantage and production practices leading to an increase in cross-border flows of trade, capital and information'. C) Human Trafficking Human trafficking is defined as, 'the movement of people, often through violence, deception or coercion, for the purpose of forced labour, servitude or slavery-like practices. Traffickers use violence, threats, and other forms of coercion to force their victims to work against their will. This includes controlling their freedom of movement, where and when they will work and what pay, if any, they will receive. D) How Many People are Trafficked? It is impossible to give accurate statistics of the extent of modern slavery. A UN report estimates that some four million people every year become the victims of trafficking. Another UN estimate is that at least 6.6 million migrants are involved in forced labour in countries other than that of their citizenship in East and Southeast Asia alone. 4. ACTION REQUIRED A) Research So far, there are no reliable estimates of the extent of trafficking in Europe. There is a great need for research into this humanitarian issue. As a first step, public recognition of the existence of this problem needs to be encouraged. A further step is for European governments to take action to protect the victims of coercion. The British government could take the lead by passing a law similar to that of the US Congress, The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act, 2000. The issue is urgent due to the rapid advance of globalisation and the increasing numbers of migrants seeking to enter Britain. |
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