Pre-service Emerging Issues 2nd Year

Unit 98: Human TraffickingHuman RightsObjectives: By the end of this unit you will:• Be able to define human trafficking and identify examples of it• Discuss the causes and effects of human trafficking.Introduction: Human trafficking is considered one of the most serious human rightsviolations. Governments, Human Rights organisations and the international communityare all concerned about the increasing amount of trafficking and Sierra Leone is part ofthis problem. While there is no accurate data on the number of persons traffickedthrough Sierra Leone, the government, NGO’s and other international institutions areworking to minimise the problem.Activity 1: What do we mean by human trafficking? The UN defines trafficking as“the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons by means ofthe threat or use of force or other forms of coercions, of abduction, of fraud, ofdeception, of the abuse of power or the position or vulnerability or to the given orreceiving of payment or benefits, to achieve the consent, of a person having control overanother person for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum,the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual, forced labour orservices, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs”.The Sierra Leone Anti-Human Trafficking Act of 2005 states: “a person is engaged in thetrafficking in persons if he undertakes the recruitment transportation, transfer, harbouringor receipts of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion,of abduction, of fraud, of deception of the abuse of power or position of vulnerability, orof giving or receiving of payment or benefit to deny the consent of a person havingcontrol over another person for the purpose of exploitation”.So in both the UN definition and the Sierra Leonean definition there are essentially threeparts to human trafficking:• Lying, threatening, using force, using power or the powerlessness of the other, givingor receiving money to get the person to agree• Getting the people: recruiting, transferring, holding• Exploiting the person including forced labour and sexual exploitation, slavery,Activity 2: What is trafficking? Look at the stories and answer the questions thatfollow before deciding the elements of trafficking.Then read the case study and answer the questions.Idriss was the youngest child and only son of very poor parents. He understood hisresponsibilities well and wanted to help and support his family. His father encouragedhim to ‘act like a man’ and help the family. One day some men visited the village andexplained to everybody that there was good work to be had in Kono and it paid well.Idriss wanted to go but his mother said that he was too young at twelve years old to beleaving home to work. She said he should be on school. Idriss felt bad, he reallywanted to bring the money home to his family and to have them feel proud of him.46