I am sure I am not alone when I wonder how people could be so cruel as to traffic and exploit a human being. We naturally are somewhat subject to other people’s feelings, we cry, we celebrate, we get angry. So how could someone cause so much harm to another? What can be so important that it drives people to sell other people?
The answer to these questions—like too many other questions in our world today—is money.
Human trafficking is a High Reward and Low Risk industry. This means that traffickers can make a huge profit with little chance of being prosecuted for their actions. The trafficking industry is second only to the illegal trade of drugs, but human trafficking has one crucial difference: people can be sold over and over and over again, while drugs can only be traded once. Clearly, it is all about the money, which blinds these traders from the horrors they put these people through.
Human Trafficking in Africa is a $13.1 billion industry. Global earnings are roughly $150 billion every year. This industry is bigger than we think, and it is often hidden from our view as citizens of a first-world country.
The good news is that we can help make a difference for some of these people by donating to nonprofits such as SARA, being informed voters, and watching for signs. Even being aware of the problem is one step towards the solution.
“If we never address these basic human rights violations, we will never see the day when trafficking no longer exists.”
-UNICEF USA
“What Fuels Human Trafficking?” UNICEF USA, 13 Jan. 2017, ww.unicefusa.org/stories/what-fuels-human-trafficking/31692.