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

PART TWO.—IMPACT
physical attributes leaves them with eye damage, lung disease, stunted growth and a susceptibility
<strong>to</strong> arthritis as they grow older. Small children making silk thread dip their hands
in<strong>to</strong> boiling water that burns and blisters them, breath smoke and fumes from machinery,
handle dead worms that cause infections and guide twisting threads that cut their fingers. 7
However, in terms of global documentation, most is known about the impact of trafficking
upon women and children for purposes of sexual exploitation. Detailed research on
the physical consequences of trafficking upon women is relatively new. In 2006, a major
study gathered statistical evidence on the health needs of women who had recently escaped
from a trafficking situation, most of whom had been trafficked for commercial sexual
exploitation. The findings indicate that more than half of the 207 respondents, from 14
different countries, reported some form of violence prior <strong>to</strong> being trafficked. Nearly all
respondents (95 per cent) reported physical or sexual violence, with three quarters of
respondents having been physically hurt, and 90 per cent reporting having been sexually
assaulted, all of which occurred while being trafficked. Most respondents had been threatened
with violence and forced in<strong>to</strong> performing sexual acts. Physical symp<strong>to</strong>ms of these
trafficked women included headaches, fatigue and weight loss, s<strong>to</strong>mach, chest, back, pelvic
and vaginal pain, as well as dental and eye, ear and skin problems. A majority consistently
reported vaginal discharge and gynaecological infections, which usually remained
untreated. This is consistent with earlier work and estimates on the extent of health problems
expected <strong>to</strong> be experienced by women trafficked for sexual exploitation. 8
B.—HIV/AIDS
Increased likelihood of HIV infection is often cited as a risk among women trafficked for
sexual exploitation owing notably <strong>to</strong> a lack of bargaining power concerning condom use
and other potentially dangerous sexual practices. Trafficked women are also less likely <strong>to</strong>
be beneficiaries of medical or educational services made available <strong>to</strong> non-trafficked women
working in prostitution. 9 Lack of information about HIV/AIDS, as well as prevalent popular
misconceptions, including that sexual intercourse with a virgin will cure the disease
and that younger girls are disease-free, has increased the demand for younger victims and
increased the vulnerability of children <strong>to</strong> infection. 10
A recent study focusing on the prevalence and predic<strong>to</strong>rs of HIV infection among trafficked
women and girls rescued from brothels in a South Asian country found that 22.9
per cent of trafficked individuals tested positive for HIV. Those trafficked at younger ages
and having spent a longer time in brothels were slightly more likely <strong>to</strong> become infected
7
“Child labor”, article available on the website of <strong>Human</strong> Rights Watch at http://hrw.org/children/labor.htm.
8
Cathy Zimmerman and others, S<strong>to</strong>len Smiles: a Summary Report on the Physical and Psychological Health
Consequences of Women and Adolescents Trafficked in Europe (London, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,
2006), pp. 9-15 (see www.lshtm.ac.uk/genderviolence/).
9
“Youth against HIV/AIDS and trafficking: sensitisation of National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers in
Mahrashtra: inter-linkages and vulnerability of trafficking and HIV/AIDS”, project available on the website of Save the
Children India at www.karmayog.com/ngos/stci.htm.
10
<strong>United</strong> <strong>Nations</strong> Development Programme, From Challenges <strong>to</strong> Opportunities: Response <strong>to</strong> <strong>Trafficking</strong> and
HIV/AIDS in South Asia (UNDP, 2003), p. 7 (see http://www.youandaids.org/UNDP_REACH_publications).
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