8 Causes Of Human Trafficking – You Need To Know This

Did you know that the root cause of human trafficking is the vulnerability of victims and the ruthlessness of human traffickers? This article details for you the 8 vulnerabilities of victims that give cause to human trafficking.

According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, it is estimated that over 40 million people are victims of this modern day slavery. Furthermore, woman account for 99% of the victims in the commercial sex industry and 58% in other sectors of trafficking such as force labor.

Traffickers and Vulnerability are the Root Causes of Human Trafficking.

There are many causes of human trafficking, but the root cause of human trafficking are the traffickers themselves and the vulnerable people they victimize.  Indeed, anywhere in the world where a child, woman, or man is vulnerable, human trafficking can and will exist. Also, vulnerability can come in many forms to include physical, economic and social. Unquestionably, all of these vulnerability conditions can make a person susceptibility to human trafficking. Lastly, traffickers are trained to identify these vulnerabilities and use expert manipulation tactics to persuade and control their victims. See Exodus Road’s Causes & Effects of Human Trafficking for more on traffickers and their vulnerable victims. 

The 8 Vulnerabilities that Cause Human Trafficking.

From a human trafficking perspective vulnerability is being  “capable of being physically or emotionally wounded“. Specifically, in today’s world these vulnerabilities occur due to systemic inequalities and disparities that make certain groups of people much more vulnerable to exploitation and human trafficking. To list, specific causes that set the stage for vulnerability and human trafficking are as follows:

1. Poverty.

When people are hungry and desperate most, if not all people, will do anything to escape poverty. Indeed, in the extreme this can include selling their children or becoming a trafficker.

2. Lack of Education.

Here people may neither know their rights or cannot make a living wage.

3. Demand for Cheap Labor / Demand for Sex.

Human traffickers can make huge profits from cheap labor, professional begging, removal of organs, and sex workers to include pornography. Further, human traffickers flourish where the laws are lax and society is indifferent.

4. Lack of Human Rights for Vulnerable Groups.

There are many countries, especially authoritative Governments, where select groups are marginalized and have limited rights. Unquestionably, these groups are vulnerable to human traffickers.

5. Lack of Legitimate Economic Opportunities.

Migrants without work permits are especially vulnerable to human traffickers.

6. Social Factors and Cultural Practices. 

In many countries there are cultural traditions that amount to human trafficking. Specifically, this includes the use of bonded labor to pay off debts and forced marriage. Or worse, poor families selling their children to traffickers.

7. Conflict and Natural Disaster.

Disasters of any sort create economic instability and lack of human rights. Hence, this creates a climate for human traffickers. Without a doubt, this include the use of child soldiers and sex slaves.

8. Lack of Safe Migration Options. 

Many migrants escaping from poverty or persecution become vulnerable to human traffickers. Here traffickers may use illegal smuggling as a way to trick people into forced labor or sex trafficking.

See HumanRightsCareers.com’s 10 Causes of Human Trafficking for more details.

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For more information from Unvarnished Facts on human rights.