The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

The official student news site of Athens Drive High School

ATHENS ORACLE

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Not enough light shed on human trafficking could cause more insurmountable problems

Selling the human body for benefits is the third most profitable world crime today. This includes forms of prostitution and human trafficking.  However, there is a significant difference between the two. Prostitution is voluntary whereas trafficking is involuntary. The individuals who are trafficked have very little ways of escaping the trade. With this being said, media should play a bigger role in exposing the harsh business and shed light for the trafficked victims.

According to the Global Slavery Index, there are 45.8 million slaves today across 167 countries and the numbers continue to grow. The business of trafficking is a shady and unpleasant one. People who are unfortunate enough to get stuck in the business typically do not see themselves as the victims. In countries where human trafficking is most prevalent such as India, China, Russia and Uzbekistan, they are likely to see the police as enemies. It is extremely rare for the victims to approach the police looking for help. Victims feel as if nobody can help them out of their seemingly hopeless situations.

The trafficking business has many different connections and ties. Slaves are forced to work worldwide, whether it is for the sex industry or labor. There are many websites that can map slavery and can give information on slavery in many specific places. Slaveryfootprint.org asks 10 basic questions that are specific to one’s life, including how many articles of clothing are in one’s closet and whether one is a renter or homeowner etc. They calculate the answers and then it gives a number of how many slaves works for one personally. For an average Athens student living in the Raleigh area, there are roughly 42 slaves working for him or her.

The subject of human trafficking is sensitive and typically not one for a light conversation at the dinner table. Nevertheless, it is still a very important issue that fails to receive the attention it needs. Gaining more knowledge about human trafficking is an important step to putting an end to the world’s fastest-growing criminal enterprise. Heather Poole, a flight attendant for American Airlines, wrote about a particular experience her mother had when working as a flight attendant before her retirement:

“When I asked the girl what she’d like to drink, he answered for her. I thought that was weird since they weren’t speaking to each other. If I’d known more about human trafficking, I might have engaged them in conversation to feel the situation out, but at that time we didn’t know anything about it,” said Mother of Heather Poole, flight attendant for American Airlines.

The media needs to bring greater attention to the horror of human trafficking so more can be aware of the impact it has and how to combat it. There is not enough information that illustrates just what trafficking consists of. If human trafficking was reported more through the media, more bystanders could step in when witnessing a trafficking situation. The media cannot continue to silence the matter anymore. It is unethical and against all morals to stand by and watch innocent people being used to benefit the selfish needs of others. We have seen tragic events, like the holocaust, World War I and II, that have occurred in the past that has shocked nations and left us begging the question “how could we let this happen?” Human trafficking is well on its way to becoming a tragic historic event, unless we can educate the world through the media and make a difference.

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