Human trafficking according to the official UN definition means:

The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation as known from AffordablePapers.com review.

Exploitation may include sexual abuse, forced labor, slavery and removal of organs.

Taking into account the illicit nature of these activities, it is difficult to estimate the full scale of human trafficking. It is, however, obvious that the yearly number of victims is in the millions. In 2002, the International Labor Organization has estimated that each year only 1.2 million of children were trafficked.

Human trafficking has multi-faceted negative effects on all aspects of life in the countries involved.

Health Effect

The human trafficking has a great impact on public health.

First of all, the conditions of transportation and harboring of trafficked people are completely inappropriate. They are deprived of normal food, water, personal hygiene items, medicines and medical services. Trafficked people are often victims of physical, sexual, and moral violence. In many cases, they are maltreated or even killed. Businesses using forced labor are most unlikely to provide their workers with adequate health protection. Therefore, labor trafficking causes numerous physical and mental health problems.

The unsanitary conditions of transportation and life at places of destination contribute to the spreading of various contagious diseases, in particular, HIV and other sexually transmitted ones.

One of the most terrifying forms of human trafficking is the use of people, often children, for the purpose of organ removal. In such cases, the victims remain mutilated or are killed. A joint study conducted by the UN and the Council of Europe cites the figure of up to 6,800 kidneys is transplanted annually in the result of trafficking. It is to be noted that such illegal operations are often made with the consent of donors. However, abuse, fraud and coercion are common in this business.

Societal Effect

Human trafficking exists in all parts of the world including the wealthiest and most advanced economies. The situation in Southeast Asia is especially difficult: the region accounts for about 56% of the estimated number of people being in forced labor around the globe.

The profit of criminals dealing with illegal human trade is estimated at over 30 billion dollars. Such level of profitability naturally attracts people to organize crime groups, which are gradually taking over this flourishing underground sector. While in Southeast Asia human trafficking still appears to be business of individuals, in some other regions, e.g. in Europe, this activity is prevalently performed by well-structured vertically integrated criminal organizations. The strengthening of organized criminal structures leads to the spreading of corruption and undermines traditional moral values.

Trafficking causes the breakdown of millions of families. Former victims of trafficking are often involved in criminal activities. Children experiencing labor or sexual exploitation have serious problems with personal development.

Economic Effect

Human trafficking has a negative impact on the economic development of countries and regions. First, it affects the countries that supply voluntary or forced illegal migrants. The trade in persons tends to destroy communities and deprive the poorest countries of human capital. The developing countries also suffer from a significant loss of remittances because trafficked people are often pressed into paying off fictitious debts to traffickers.

As for the places of destination, the existence of underground employment market controlled by criminal organizations decreases the investment attractiveness of the relevant countries.

As a global problem, to be properly addressed, human trafficking requires an international effort. The UN launched a number of initiatives aimed at counteracting this illegal activity. However, much has still to be done at the regional level. The necessary work should include adopting more rigorous legislation, better border protection, and closer cooperation with UN bodies, other international organizations and neighboring countries in order to find the best ways of addressing the root causes of the issue.