An Introduction to Human Trafficking - United Nations Office on ...

AN INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING: VULNERABILITY, IMPACT AND ACTION
While these impacts are described separately below, in reality they cannot be so readily
compartmentalized or discussed in isolation. There are significant and complex interrelationships,
influences and overlapping fac<strong>to</strong>rs within each area. Impacts may both contribute
<strong>to</strong> and/or influence each other in many ways and they are frequently closely
interwoven. Recognition of the complex nature of trafficking in persons and how it has
an impact upon us is pivotal <strong>to</strong> informing action taken in response and, ultimately, <strong>to</strong> sustaining
success in countering human trafficking.
II.—The consequences of trafficking upon individuals
Violent crime can have a significant impact upon the health and well-being of its victims.
The effects of victimization strike particularly hard at the poor, the powerless, the disabled
and the socially isolated. Those already affected by prior victimization are particularly susceptible
<strong>to</strong> subsequent victimization.
The effects of trafficking have an impact on individuals in all areas of their lives. Victims
of trafficking often experience abuse, exploitation, poverty and poor health prior <strong>to</strong> being
trafficked. These conditions are only exacerbated by their experiences as victims of crime. 3
Each stage of the trafficking process can involve physical, sexual and psychological abuse
and violence, deprivation and <strong>to</strong>rture, the forced use of substances, manipulation, economic
exploitation and abusive working and living conditions. 4 What differentiates the
consequences of trafficking from the effects of singular traumatic events is that trafficking
usually involves prolonged and repeated trauma. 5
A.—The physical impact of trafficking
All forms of trafficking, because of the abusive and exploitative nature of the crime, produce
harmful effects on trafficked individuals. For example, the National <strong>Human</strong> Rights
Commission of Thailand reported in 2003 the impact of trafficking on a group of approximately
100 male fishermen. After three years of exploitation, 39 had died, while those
who returned home were seriously ill—emaciated, emotionally disturbed and unable <strong>to</strong> see,
hear or walk properly. 6
Trafficked victims may be deliberately selected for their specific physical attributes, which
are then exploited in specific labour conditions. For example, the small size and dexterity
of children makes them desirable for work at rug looms where the exploitation of these
3
<strong>United</strong> <strong>Nations</strong> <strong>Office</strong> for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, Handbook on Justice for Victims: On the Use and
Application of the Declaration of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power
(New York, 1999), p. 7.
4
<strong>United</strong> <strong>Nations</strong> <strong>Office</strong> on Drugs and Crime, Toolkit <strong>to</strong> Combat <strong>Trafficking</strong> in Persons (<strong>United</strong> <strong>Nations</strong>
publication, Sales No. E.06.V.11), p. 154.
5
Cathy Zimmerman and others, The Health Risks and Consequences of <strong>Trafficking</strong> in Women and Adolescents: Findings
from a European Study (London, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2003), p. 23
(see http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/hpu/docs/traffickingfinal.pdf).
6
Subhatra Bhumiprabhas, “The misery of male slavery”, The Nation (Thailand), 14 May 2007
(see www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/05/14/headlines/headlines_30034148.php).
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