Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective

Abstract

This paper will discuss the issue of human trafficking in a cursory manner where the definition of human trafficking and elements of human trafficking will be looked at, Secondly, this paper will explore landscape of trafficking in Malaysia, in particular the trafficking of women and children where important issues relating to domestic servitude and forced labour of women and children will be discussed. This paper will also analyse the legal standards that are applicable by taking a closer look at the domestic law and international law and guidelines. The final section of this paper will focus on how this issue can be curbed in order to create a society that is free from trafficking and to ensure that lives of humans are no

Victims are made to work long hours for a meager wage or no wages at all.[ 1 Shelley, L. (2006). Human trafficking: A global perspective. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.] This allows the employers using trafficked workers to maximise their income. Further employers of trafficked workers do not have the hassle of contributing to their medical or accident insurance scheme, retirement or pension fund or any other benefits.

Since trafficked workers are usually undocumented, they rarely retaliate and comply to all demands of the employers and this is advantageous to the employers.

Prostitution also fuels human trafficking as the demand for sexual service is always on the rise and and trafficked workers have high rates of profitability as they trafficked workers are brought in with no cost or at an extremely nominal cost. According to the UN International Labour Office the financial gain derived from sex trafficking is approximately six times more than other types of forced labour i.e domestic work. [ Kolodny, C. (2014, May 22). Slavery is still thriving and is more profitable than oil. Available at the Huffington Post:

(2014). Examining violence against women in situations of human trafficking in South-East Asia. Available at The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD): http://www.afppd.org/en/resources/news-2-2/asia-pacific-mps-working-end-aids-epidemic-2-4/] and are further subjected to abuse which makes them more susceptible to becoming victims of trafficking. These workers are subjected to abuse, assault, st

Labor trafficking can be said to be a form of modern day slavery where individuals are compelled to perform labor or provide services via the use of force, deception and compulsion.

Debt bondage, coercive labor and involuntary child labor are some forms of labor trafficking and traffickers predominantly exercise the usage of violence, threats, lies and other types of force to coerce individuals to work against their will in various sectors.

These forced labor are compelled to work as domestic workers, farmworkers where they are forced using violence to harvest crops or factor workers where there are subjected to harsh living conditions with minimum wages or without any