GarciaandRusmisel1

FionaGarciaandRachelRusmisel
KelseyAgarandBethanySmith
EnglishIIHonors
1December2015
ModernDaySlavery
Thereisvirus,plaguingthenationofAfricathatisinstillingfearinthelivesofits
citizens.Thisvirusisanexpositionoftheevilofmankind.Ofwhathumansarecapableofdoing
fortheirowngreed.Everydaymen,women,andchildrenaretakenfromtheirhomesandforced
intoalivingnightmare.HumanTraffickingisaseriousissueinAfrica,butthelackofactions
takenbythelegislationsofthesecountriestopreventcrimeandaidrecoveryisevenmore
detrimental.
Traffickingcomesinvariousformsandareexploitedindifferentways,indifferent
countries.Thereareseveraldifferenttypesoftrafficking,includingthetraffickingofchildrenfor
farmlaboranddomesticwork,andthetraffickingofwomenandyoungpeopleforsexual
exploitation(Laczko).HumantraffickingoccursallthroughoutthevastcontinentofAfrica,but
SouthAfricaisoneofmanyhotspots.WhileSouthAfricaiscommonlyregardedasadestination
forhumantrafficking,Zimbabweisalsoanothermajorparticipant,asmanytraffickingroutes
oftencrossthroughZimbabweontheirwaytoSouthAfrica(Haerens).Despitemorethana
dozeninternationalconventionsbanningslaveryinthepast150years,therearemoreslaves
todaythanatanyotherpointinhumanhistory.Aidgroupsestimatethatsome38,000children
aretrappedinthesextradethere.(TheNewSlaveTrade)Traffickinginterconnectsand
travelsthroughoutalltheseAfricancountries,buildinganindustrythatmakesabout$1.6

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billion(US)annuallyandputsalmostallcitizensatrisk,mainlyyoungchildren,whoaretwiceas
likelytobetraffickedasadultwomen(Haerens).Thisvilebusinesshasbecomesopowerfulin
Africa,thatcontinenthasbecomeaproviderforothercountriesandcontinentsinsearchof
humanstotraffic.
TraffickingpeoplethroughouttheseAfricancountriesisverysimpleandmorecommon
thanpopularconception.Manyfamiliesvoluntarilygiveawaytheirchildreneitherforeconomic
orpersonalreasons,andthesechildrenoftenendupbeingtraffickedwithouttheirknowing.
Thesechildrenaregivenawayundertheimpressionthatitwillpayoffadebt,orwillbeoffered
employment.(CountryNarratives).TheeconomicstruggleinAfricamakesitmorelikelyfor
humanstotrafficothersasareliefforfinancialburden.Thisexchangeofpersonsisdifferentfor
eachcountry,forexample,UgandaimportshumansfromCongo,Rwanda,Burundi,Kenya,
Tanzania,andSouthSudan,whileexportingnativeUgandanstobetraffickedelsewhere.
However,theconceptofintraregionaltraffickingisshowninTogo,wheremostoftheir
traffickedpeoplearetakenandexploitedwithinthecountry(HumanMisery).Groupsarealso
formedinAfrica,liketheSomalitraffickers,whoareknownasMakhlis.TheseMakhlisuse
trucksthatareintendedtotransportgoodsfromKenyatoSomalia,totraffickyoungpeoplefor
sexualexploitation(TraffickinginPersons).Thisstructuredtradeofpeopleisgivenacommon
misconceptionofbeingasmallproblem,wheninfactithappensallplaces,whereitisleast
expected.
Sextraffickingisoneofthemostcommonanddamagingformsofhumantrafficking,
thatseesnogenderline.Bothboysandgirlsaresubjecttofallvictimofsextrafficking,by
forcedintoprostitution,orthesextrade.Therearenumerousaccountsofyounggirlswhoare

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forcedintoprostitutionwithfriends,withoutoutanabilitytoescape(TheNewSlaveTrade).
Traffickingissodetrimentalthatitisnearlyimpossibletoescapethisnewlifeonceithas
begun.Howevertraffickingisnotonlydefinedassextrade,asitisjustasoftendoneforforced
labor.InSomalia,piratetownsareaprimesitefortheseactivities.Whilesomemaybetrafficked
thereforsexualpurposes,manychildren,agedfrom15to17,areoftenforcedtocarryoutillegal
activitiesorstrenuouslabor(TraffickinginPersons).Therehaveevenbeenreportsofpeople
beingtraffickedforbodyparts.Thesevictimswerekidnappedandkilledfortheirorgans,to
providefortheuseintraditionalmedicalpracticesinSouthAfrica,andevenreligiousritual
killings.(HumanMisery).Whiletraffickingcomesinmanydifferentsmanifestations,theyare
allequallydestructivetosocietyandequallyprevalent.
HumanTraffickinghasbeenrecognizedasagravematteraffectingAfricanlives,yetthe
governmentsofthesecountriesonlygiveanillusionthatitisbeingresolved.Whilemany
internationalassociationsandnongovernmentalorganizationsaretryingtoidentifyandhelp
victimsofhumantrafficking,nothingisbeingdonetostopit(CountryNarratives).Itisa
necessitythatthesevictimshavethehelpoftheircountrytoputanendtothisevergrowing
industry.Somecountriesdomorethanothersinthisfight,forexampleSouthAfricahas
proposedahumantraffickinglawthatwouldmakeanytraffickingoffensepunishablebylifein
prison,whilealsopunishinganyoneinvolvedintraffickingactivities.Howeverothercountries
likeZimbabwehavepunishmentsandpenaltiesofonlyuptotwoyearsofimprisonment
(TraffickinginPersons).OthercountriessuchasSomaliadonotevenhaveenough
informationabouttraffickingoccurringintheircountrytodoanythingaboutit,sinceitisvery
difficulttoobtain,orverify.ThegovernmentsofTogoandUgandadonotfullycomplywiththe

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standardsfortheeliminationoftrafficking,despitemakingeffortstodoso,thegovernment
continuestofailtodemonstrateanytangibleeffortstoaddresstrafficking(Traffickingin
Persons).Despitealloftheproposalsorpunishmentsprovided,itisconfirmedthatthereare
actuallynopresentlawsintheentiretyofAfricathataredirectlyagainsttheactionofhuman
trafficking,leavingthisindustrytogrowandflourish,andputtingmillionsofpeopleoftheirown
countryatrisk.
Thebusinessofhumantraffickingisaworldwideindustry,andisdisplayedbythe
sufferingsinAfrica.Thistraffickingofpersonshastakenoverthecontinent,andthereseemsto
benoreliefcominganytimesoon.Thegovernmentfailstoprovidelawsorsupports,and
organizationscontinuetomakefalseclaimsforyieldingassistance.Thiscountryneedstoloseits
titlesthatreflectthegruesometrade.Withoutthefullcommitmentofthegovernmentand
populationsthatremainaware,thereisnohopeinfindingasolutiontothissickeningindustry.

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WorksCited
Aronowitz,AlexisA.
HumanTrafficking,HumanMisery:TheGlobalTradeinHumanBeings
.
GreenwoodPublishingGroup,2009.Web.17Nov.2015.
"Countrynarratives."
TraffickinginPersons
.Washington,DC:U.S.DepartmentofState,2014.
378+.
StudentEdition
.Web.16Nov.2015.
Fitzgibbon,Kathleen.
ModernDaySlavery?ThescopeoftraffickinginpersonsinAfrica
.
OfficetoMonitorandCombatTraffickinginPersons,Web.17Nov.2015.
Getu,Makonen.
HumanTraffickingandDevelopment:TheRoleofMicrofinance
.Strategic
Alliances,OpportunityInternational,2006.Web.17Nov.2015.
Haerens,Margaret."DefiningHumanTrafficking."
HumanTrafficking
.Detroit:Greenhaven,
2012.Print.
Laczko,Frank.
Dataandresearchonhumantrafficking:aglobalsurvey
.Geneva:International
OrganizationforMigration,Web.17Nov.2015.
Skinner,E.Benjamin.TheNewSlaveTrade.
Time
175.2(2010):54.
MiddleSearchPlus
.
Web.17Nov.2015.
"Stoppingtraffic."
Herizons
Summer2010:6.
StudentEdition
.Web.16Nov.2015.

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Outline

I.Intro
A. Hook.
B. Transition.
C. Thesis.

II.GeneralInformation
A. DifferentTypes.
B. Locations.
C. Statistics.

III.Howitcanhappen
A. Whysomepeoplegettrafficked.
B. Howaretheytaken.
C. Whotrafficksthem.

IV.TypesofTrafficking
A. SexTrafficking.
B. Labor.
C. BodyParts.

V.AfricanGovernment
A. SouthAfrica.
B. Zimbabwe.
C. SpecificCountrieswhosegovernmentisnotdoinganything.

VI.Conclusion
A. Summary.
B. MainPoint.
C. Foodforthought.