Yiquiara E. Moreta Diaz
Professor Mangini
College Composition II
24 April 2015
The furtive Flesh Market in South Asia
Sex trafficking is a politic-social issue that affects the life of a countless amount of people throughout the world and accounts for the rapid spread of many sexually- transmitted diseases. Asia is labeled as the most vulnerable region for human trafficking due to its overpopulation and constant poverty state. The victims’ demographics are typically women and children from disfavored backgrounds. (THESIS STATEMENT)
Most researchers have dismiss the idea of sex trafficking having a socioeconomic root, instead they focus on catching the traffickers based on the idea that sex trafficking consist of a series of actions. This phenomenon has being sustained by the deprivation of basic economic, social and cultural rights. Therefore, diving into the culture of South Asia is essential in order to understand why this criminal act is so popular in that particular location. In India there is a visible conflict between providing basic human rights to women and respecting their cultural values. The conflict makes women easy prey for sex traffickers to take hold of them.
Cultural values besides from depriving women off their rights also offer justifications for unjust acts such as physical abuse and restriction from education. Hence, women are not free beings since their life could be snatched away any moment they commit a deviant action. The Indian society holds females to a high standard as far as sexuality. Women are expected to remain pure (virgin) until marriage otherwise the citizens will chastise them in the most brutal and unhuman way like stoning them to death as mentioned in chapter 5 of Half the Sky.
In order to maintain their costumes society turns a blind eye on the modern form of slavery: sex trafficking. As a consequence, women from unfavorable backgrounds are held captive with ends of being sexually exploited. The disfavored girls are trafficked in efforts to keep the purity of the wealthy girls.
* Besides the fact that this is degrading for those poor children whose innocence is being snatch away by self-driving individuals, this is also spreading many lethal diseases in the community.
Globalization in theory removes barriers of free trade and brings closer integration of the national economy, people become more able (physically, legally, and culturally) to engage with each other. Furthermore, in globalization the rich expand their wealth while the poor become poorer.
Globalization has encouraged free mobility of capital, technology, experts and sex tourism. Illiteracy, dependency, violence, social stigma, cultural stereotypes, gender disparity and endemic poverty, among other factors, place women and children in powerless, non-negotiable situations that have contributed to the emergence and breeding of the cavernous problem of sex trafficking in the entire region. (Sex trafficking in South Asia, 2006)
Based on the source above, globalization brings about global clients which is one of the primary reasons why sex trafficking has not yet being stopped.
The lack of laws that guard human rights against exploitation is considered another key factor for the existence of sex trafficking in South Asia. As Roomana Hukil insightfully states in her article “South Asia: Anti-Trafficking, Flesh Trade and Human Rights”, India has minimum laws for trafficking related crimes. There is vagueness in the definition of trafficking in Bhutan’s penal code, consequently, the enforcement of the law.
The process of captivation is very grisly. The victims of sex trafficking are broken in spirit through a series of brutalities such as humiliation, rape and violent threats. Half the Sky accurately recounts the experiences of some of the victims of sex trafficking like the case bellow.
We met a fifteen-year-old Thai girl whose initiation consisted of being forced to eat dog droppings so as to shatter her self-esteem. Once a girl is broken and terrified, all hope of escape squeezed out of her, force may no longer be necessary to control her. (Nicholas D. Kristof, 2010)
The victim’s testimony reveals how the things these poor girls are submitted to are so deplorable that at some point girls lose all hope and strength to scape. Given that hope and will are two of the most powerful tools human can use to reverse negative situations, the fact that they lose these in the process is very unfortunate. Beings that once were full of hope and aspirations are turned into objects that involuntarily cease men carnal desires.
In order to prevent sex trafficking from happening one must bring awareness of what this phenomenon implies. The brutality in this criminal and human right issue makes an environment where public safety is at stake. The victims are exposed to sexually transmissible diseases such as HIV/AIDS. To demonstrate, “There are an estimated 2,000,000 prostitutes in India and 60% of these women in prostitution in Mumbai are HIV positive…” This data is very alarming since the clients of the brothels could possible carry the disease or eventually get it and contaminate their wives.
Contrary to what the public may think, the government involvement may slow down the process of stopping trafficking. Since the government’s political agenda is very extensive, the government prioritizes some issues over others and this can hinder the achievement of any progress. In most cases the government is the least interest in bringing an end to sex trafficking. Governmental officials and public agents are sometimes involved in corruption which may lead them to hurt the process of prevention since they engage in it. In the worst of the cases, the government is unstable and so the policies protecting people are not being reinforced. As a result, having a stable strong government is indispensable in order to see some change in the battle against trafficking.
In addition, Non-governmental organizations have an incredible potential to assist in the protection of human rights. These organizations could also use publicity without censor to bring awareness about human rights violations. Their detachment from the government prevents them from being bias and or fearing the government when addressing the issue. Funding these groups and organizations will help bring an end to sex trafficking by allowing these organizations to grow in proportion and possibly motivate others to join in the cause.
Another possible solution for this problem could be the use of reports by the media to bring about awareness of the issue so that this awareness can motivate new humanitarian interventions. In an Introduction to political science course I took last semester, the book outlined that “a strengthening of political, economic, judicial and military sanctions ...” could be established in order to protect human rights. (****)
Furthermore, the people living in these communities are the biggest contributors to this issue. Changing the laws will not assure that women will be given their corresponding rights; actually this effort will have a minimum effect without a change in the mind-frame of the people. These traditions impair the non-victim women’s ability to identify this type of abuse as cruel, or even an issue. For the most part they think this is a way of growing their economy and maintain their cultural believes alive. Consequently, both women and men need to receive proper education.
(CONCLUSION + CALL TO ACTION)
Professor Mangini
College Composition II
24 April 2015
The furtive Flesh Market in South Asia
Sex trafficking is a politic-social issue that affects the life of a countless amount of people throughout the world and accounts for the rapid spread of many sexually- transmitted diseases. Asia is labeled as the most vulnerable region for human trafficking due to its overpopulation and constant poverty state. The victims’ demographics are typically women and children from disfavored backgrounds. (THESIS STATEMENT)
Most researchers have dismiss the idea of sex trafficking having a socioeconomic root, instead they focus on catching the traffickers based on the idea that sex trafficking consist of a series of actions. This phenomenon has being sustained by the deprivation of basic economic, social and cultural rights. Therefore, diving into the culture of South Asia is essential in order to understand why this criminal act is so popular in that particular location. In India there is a visible conflict between providing basic human rights to women and respecting their cultural values. The conflict makes women easy prey for sex traffickers to take hold of them.
Cultural values besides from depriving women off their rights also offer justifications for unjust acts such as physical abuse and restriction from education. Hence, women are not free beings since their life could be snatched away any moment they commit a deviant action. The Indian society holds females to a high standard as far as sexuality. Women are expected to remain pure (virgin) until marriage otherwise the citizens will chastise them in the most brutal and unhuman way like stoning them to death as mentioned in chapter 5 of Half the Sky.
In order to maintain their costumes society turns a blind eye on the modern form of slavery: sex trafficking. As a consequence, women from unfavorable backgrounds are held captive with ends of being sexually exploited. The disfavored girls are trafficked in efforts to keep the purity of the wealthy girls.
* Besides the fact that this is degrading for those poor children whose innocence is being snatch away by self-driving individuals, this is also spreading many lethal diseases in the community.
Globalization in theory removes barriers of free trade and brings closer integration of the national economy, people become more able (physically, legally, and culturally) to engage with each other. Furthermore, in globalization the rich expand their wealth while the poor become poorer.
Globalization has encouraged free mobility of capital, technology, experts and sex tourism. Illiteracy, dependency, violence, social stigma, cultural stereotypes, gender disparity and endemic poverty, among other factors, place women and children in powerless, non-negotiable situations that have contributed to the emergence and breeding of the cavernous problem of sex trafficking in the entire region. (Sex trafficking in South Asia, 2006)
Based on the source above, globalization brings about global clients which is one of the primary reasons why sex trafficking has not yet being stopped.
The lack of laws that guard human rights against exploitation is considered another key factor for the existence of sex trafficking in South Asia. As Roomana Hukil insightfully states in her article “South Asia: Anti-Trafficking, Flesh Trade and Human Rights”, India has minimum laws for trafficking related crimes. There is vagueness in the definition of trafficking in Bhutan’s penal code, consequently, the enforcement of the law.
The process of captivation is very grisly. The victims of sex trafficking are broken in spirit through a series of brutalities such as humiliation, rape and violent threats. Half the Sky accurately recounts the experiences of some of the victims of sex trafficking like the case bellow.
We met a fifteen-year-old Thai girl whose initiation consisted of being forced to eat dog droppings so as to shatter her self-esteem. Once a girl is broken and terrified, all hope of escape squeezed out of her, force may no longer be necessary to control her. (Nicholas D. Kristof, 2010)
The victim’s testimony reveals how the things these poor girls are submitted to are so deplorable that at some point girls lose all hope and strength to scape. Given that hope and will are two of the most powerful tools human can use to reverse negative situations, the fact that they lose these in the process is very unfortunate. Beings that once were full of hope and aspirations are turned into objects that involuntarily cease men carnal desires.
In order to prevent sex trafficking from happening one must bring awareness of what this phenomenon implies. The brutality in this criminal and human right issue makes an environment where public safety is at stake. The victims are exposed to sexually transmissible diseases such as HIV/AIDS. To demonstrate, “There are an estimated 2,000,000 prostitutes in India and 60% of these women in prostitution in Mumbai are HIV positive…” This data is very alarming since the clients of the brothels could possible carry the disease or eventually get it and contaminate their wives.
Contrary to what the public may think, the government involvement may slow down the process of stopping trafficking. Since the government’s political agenda is very extensive, the government prioritizes some issues over others and this can hinder the achievement of any progress. In most cases the government is the least interest in bringing an end to sex trafficking. Governmental officials and public agents are sometimes involved in corruption which may lead them to hurt the process of prevention since they engage in it. In the worst of the cases, the government is unstable and so the policies protecting people are not being reinforced. As a result, having a stable strong government is indispensable in order to see some change in the battle against trafficking.
In addition, Non-governmental organizations have an incredible potential to assist in the protection of human rights. These organizations could also use publicity without censor to bring awareness about human rights violations. Their detachment from the government prevents them from being bias and or fearing the government when addressing the issue. Funding these groups and organizations will help bring an end to sex trafficking by allowing these organizations to grow in proportion and possibly motivate others to join in the cause.
Another possible solution for this problem could be the use of reports by the media to bring about awareness of the issue so that this awareness can motivate new humanitarian interventions. In an Introduction to political science course I took last semester, the book outlined that “a strengthening of political, economic, judicial and military sanctions ...” could be established in order to protect human rights. (****)
Furthermore, the people living in these communities are the biggest contributors to this issue. Changing the laws will not assure that women will be given their corresponding rights; actually this effort will have a minimum effect without a change in the mind-frame of the people. These traditions impair the non-victim women’s ability to identify this type of abuse as cruel, or even an issue. For the most part they think this is a way of growing their economy and maintain their cultural believes alive. Consequently, both women and men need to receive proper education.
(CONCLUSION + CALL TO ACTION)