Human Trafficking 2

The Significance of Human Trafficking Counselor Awareness, the Challenges, and Response
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The Significance of Human Trafficking Counselor Awareness and Response
Following the dire consequences of human trafficking on the victims in the United States and the state of neglecting the topic, there is a vital need of awareness on the problem and how to handle the repercussions. Indeed, oppression among other forms of social injustices has harmful consequences on the clients who visit counselors every day. Since being put down by social injustices makes some people unable to fulfill some roles in the society, it is essential that counselors should have the ability to tell the symptoms, the causes and how to manage the social injustices. In any case, they have the obligation of protecting the society from the damages that result from these injustices. Apart from the treatment, the need for future studies in the same field needs proper description.
In definition, the trafficking of human beings is an advanced and a modern form of the ancient slavery. According to Stotts & Ramey (2009), the act indulges a considerable population that may add up to millions of people. Stanojoska, Tilovska-Kechegi, & Ristovska (2016) state that the ancient slavery has evolved over the years into the current human trafficking. Sadly, the violence in today’s human trafficking concentrates more on sexual harassment than physical haram compared to the slavery in the past.

Unfortunately, the most affected people are women, and over half of them are underaged. The victims are exposed to forceful submissions, may be coerced or exchanged for fraudulent acts. The three types of exposures they face deny them their fundamental rights and often end up depressed. If they fail to restore their inbuilt confidence, they end up unable to execute their social duties. The evil practice takes two primary forms. They include either labor trafficking or sex trafficking (Stotts & Ramey, 2009).
Sex Trafficking
The TVPA (trafficking victims and protection act) of the year 2000 defines sex trafficking as a fraudulent or a forceful or a coercive action that commercializes sex offenses on an underaged individual. The vice may take place in both public and private venues. The familiar public venues are clubs and spur whereas private sites are commonly in vehicles or rented out motels. The level of exploitation usually depicts a gradual increase over time. The victims may begin as innocent dancers, who end up exposed to all the incidences of pornography and violent sexual harassments. The most common stimulating factor is the high level of poverty among them. They are lured into the offenses with limitless promises of money among other gifts they treasure or think will advance their living standards. Tracking the victims in most of the cases proves difficult because they are ferried to different cities, or may be taken to a different country (Stotts & Ramey, 2009).
According to Heil & Nichols (2014), online networks are the most commonly used places for trafficking transactions today. However, the process of curbing sex trafficking faces many challenges. For instance, in the case of the November 2012 arrests that saw none people convicted, the other perpetrators made away unrecognized. Moreover, there are deeper roots which suggest that the offenders have changed tactics and are currently employing less identifiable online profiles when transacting their businesses. They further record that the police uncovered an approximated 27% of trafficking incidences through online searching, whereas over half of them involved minors (Heil & Nichols, 2014).
Another significant challenge in the findings of Farrell & Cronin (2015) is the changing of focus on the community’s perception of issues that concern prostitution and human trafficking. For instance, the study reveals that the process of prostitution often involves the use of force, act at times coercion. Contrarily, the overlapping definitions surrounding the acts of prostitution and human trafficking makes the police offer varied responses to the situation. Since the law includes adults as probable victims of trafficking, the use of force and coercion in prostitution would make the culprits liable to facing human trafficking charges (Farrell & Cronin, 2015).
Labor trafficking
On the other hand, labor trafficking focuses the goals of using fraud, force and coercion on achieving forced labor that may be involuntary. The involuntary acts may involve threats such as harming family members or being reported to the authorities due to the illegal habitation of the victims in a foreign country. The victims end in depression due to the lack of options, mistreatment, and lack of guidance. Similar to sex offense victims, they may be trafficked over long distances, making it extremely difficult to track them. In other cases, they are recruited from low-income family backgrounds with similar promises of money that may not be fulfilled (Stotts & Ramey, 2009).
According to Sarrica (2015), the victims of labor trafficking suffer from terrible violations of human rights. In his definition, he includes all the false means of acquiring people that employ the use of force, coercion, and fraud. The same study has mixed findings on the economic impact of labor. However, the most recent outcome states that an increase in slavery inhibits the economy due to limited cash flow and insufficient chances for the trained persons. The transfer of persons also leads to losses, because their economic value is moved to the community of destination.
Rijken (2013) found out that the worst form of human being exploitation takes place in forced labor, where the victimization could take any nature. The most common patterns include the most miserable living conditions, the lack of access to formal treatment and the denial of socialization. However, the victims are liable for physical injury, which is quite common in other situations. The article also notes that in forced labor, there are incidences of sex exploitations, where the victims are harassed in exchange for sexual favors. However, these incidences may end up never reported. It is in these conditions that unwanted pregnancies which may lead to abortion occur. Since the state is hidden, the childbearing victims are exposed to substantial health risks.
Causes, Consequences, and Risks
The use of force in the acts often involves battering, forceful confinement and rape in other cases. The three incidences lead to injury and mental harm on the individuals. Fraudulence consists of the use of false job offers only to end the liable persons in slavery or sexual harassments. Coercion involves the psychological manipulation of the individuals. They may be threatened with family harm or being reported to the local authorities since they are illegally detained in foreign countries. The combination of the tree acts leads to the detainment of a stressed individual who cannot express their concerns (Stotts & Ramey, 2009).
The scope of the vice in the United States roots from the low socio-economic status of the victims. However, various reports suggest that people interested in furthering their studies have a similar risk of involvement. The US economy records more than 90% of the incidences in the five major sections, which include 27% of the domestic locations, 10% in agricultural areas, 4% in restaurants, 5% in factories and approximately 46% in the prostitution and sex industry. Sadly, those that are trafficked outside the US are minors nearly fifteen years of age, who may never be traced back to their families. According to Siegfriedt (2016), the use of force, coercion, and fraud with the intention of commercializing sex or gaining labor from any person whether below or over eighteen years of age counts as human trafficking.
Most of the cases find the victims living in the most inhumane state, or working in environments with high risks of exposure to harm. The result is exposing them to both physical and psychological damages. They are often denied proper medical treatments. Their health conditions deteriorate over time, yet they are usually sent away when too sick to serve their duties. Psychologically, they are depressed, stressed and often develop phobias. They may end being confused and completely disoriented persons or in shock and denial. The children lack education and the essential socialization, which is fundamental to a growing child. They may result in social isolation, which increases the chances of depression. Depression is often a leading factor in most of the psychological disorders (Stotts & Ramey, 2009).
Sex trafficking victims are exposed to the risk of acquiring the most dangerous sexually transmitted infections. They may also be subject to violence leading to physical disabilities. The torture they may experience might include starvation, which leads to disorders of malnutrition. The outcome is unhealthy individuals, who are filled with fear and doubt. Labor trafficking exposes the casualties to overworking. They present with back pains, chronic respiratory infections, difficulty in hearing and cardiovascular complications. In other situations, they develop eye problems and stunted growth. At times, the delayed diagnosis of diseases such as diabetes and cancer lead to the progression, exposing them to higher health risks.
Expectations from Counselors
The counselors need to seek proper education concerning the topic since they are the core of quick recovery of the victims in most of the cases. In other cases, they are expected to provide the sufficient support to the anti-slavery organizations such as ‘Amnesty international’ and ‘Free the Slaves.’ Since it is completely possible for them to meet the victims’ family and possibly the perpetrators of the vice, they have a responsibility of contacting the responsible defense organizations through the available hotlines. However, some incidences may happen unknowingly. When offering their services, it is vital that they consider restoring all the dimensions of affect stability that is lost when the victims are separated from their families, cognitive mastery, and behavior rehabilitation. The most significant part in stopping the advancement of the detrimental effects is ending the trauma.
Response to the situation
According to Hodge (2014), the United States forms one of the largest markets for human traffickers. The criminal justice system of the state estimates the annual records to be as high as over 17,000 people. Aiding the victims out of the situation poses a demanding task on the social workers. They have to identify them in emergency rooms, clinics, or in the field when offering their daily services. The victims present with symptoms such as defense scars on the hands, injuries on the thighs, bite wounds, depressed persons and persons unable to express themselves due to fearing the unknown. However, these symptoms may not be pointing factors in other situations such as children plating, since they may cause scars of a similar appearance.
The government has expressed several efforts in fighting the vice. The establishment of the VPA (violence protection act) is one of the most successful steps in preventing harm to the victims. The victims are also liable for accessing the T-Visas that enable them to access the primary services from the government. The entire process of restoring wellness needs a lot of keenness by the social workers. They should identify all the physical, emotional spiritual and psychological needs. Finally, there is the need for community participation in the entire process to aid in curbing the modernized slavery (Hodge, 2014).
Siegfriedt (2016) notes that almost everyone forgets that trafficking offenses could take place within the United States without the involvement of foreigners, following the long history of the situation in the nation. His study further notes that curbing trafficking requires the expansion of safe harbors that includes the protection of the victims. Moreover, all the states should be called upon to enforce their laws since most victims are charged as illegal prostitutes, leaving the offenders to get away with the crime. He also notes the importance of training to both the citizens, the law enforcement agencies and the social workers.
The Challenges
The primary hurdles when securing human traffic victims and dealing with the crime as discussed by Johnson (2011) include the failure to identify the victims. The situation takes place in cases where the traffickers cannot be traced, and the victims are unreachable. He also notes that inadequate law enforcement in some states has led to the conviction of the traffic victims, instead of the offenders, leaving them a worse mental health risk. Another challenge from the same study is the misdirected law enforcement training that only focuses on the law enforcement agencies. In yet another challenge, the law enforcement is aligned with the tribal reservations whereby the American Indians lack access to sufficient resources. The base is the lack of sovereignty of the American Indians.
Conclusion
Since human trafficking is a global challenge, there needs to be a universal awareness on the topic. The counselors are at the center of the recovery of the victims and need to realize the significance especially in those who end in conviction. The entire process of identifying the victims leaves a massive burden to the social workers who should be keen when practicing. Furthermore, the principal symptoms of torture should not be ignored at any point. It is difficult to classify the symptoms from other social causes of similar cases, but keenness will help in proper evaluation. The justice system should also conduct sufficient investigations before convicting persons, since the crime involving the offenders of human trafficking is often sophisticated, with the victims unable to provide adequate information due to trauma (Hodge, 2014).
References
Anchan, C. (2016). Protecting the Imperfect Victim: Expanding Safe Harbors to Adult Victims of Sex Trafficking. Wm. & Mary J. Women & L., 23, 117.
Farrell, A., & Cronin, S. (2015). Policing prostitution in an era of human trafficking enforcement. Crime, Law and Social Change, 64(4-5), 211-228.
Heil, E., & Nichols, A. (2014). Hotspot trafficking: A theoretical discussion of the potential problems associated with targeted policing and the eradication of sex trafficking in the United States. Contemporary Justice Review, 17(4), 421-433.
Hodge, D. R. (2014). Assisting victims of human trafficking: Strategies to facilitate identification, exit from trafficking, and the restoration of wellness. Social work, 59(2), 111-118.
Johnson, A. L. (2011). A perfect storm: The US anti-trafficking regime’s failure to stop the sex trafficking of American Indian women and girls. Colum. Hum. Rts. L. Rev., 43, 617.
Rijken, C. (2013). Trafficking in human beings for labor exploitation: Cooperation in an integrated approach. Eur. J. Crime Crim. L. & Crim. Just., 21, 9.
Sarrica, F. (2015). Stealing Labour: An Economic Analysis of Forced Labour and Human Trafficking. In Forum on Crime & Society (Vol. 8).
Siegfriedt, J. (2016). When Sex Trafficking Victims Turn Eighteen: The Problematic Focus on Force, Fraud, and Coercion in US Human Trafficking Laws. Wm. & Mary J. Women & L., 23, 27.
Stanojoska, A., Tilovska-Kechegi, E., & Ristovska, M. (2016). In the Labyrinth of Pain, There Is No Such Thing as Selected Victims: The Evolution of Trafficking in Human Beings’ Definition. JE-Eur. Crim. L., 31.
Stotts, E. L., & Ramey, L. (2009). Human trafficking: A call for counselor awareness and action. The Journal of Humanistic Counseling, 48(1), 36-47.