NISSMUN 2009 Conference

NISSMUN 2009 Conference

‘‘Human Trafficking and Illegal Migration’’

Trafficking in persons is considered to be the third largest and fastest growing criminal activity after drugs and firearms trade. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that more than 2 million people are trafficked across international borders every year, the majority being women and children. Human trafficking is a fundamental violation of human rights of men, women and children in their deepest being. From recruitment to exploitation, trafficked persons lose their identity and desperately struggle against a situation that reduces them into slavery.

The common trend of human trafficking is that people from poor economic backgrounds and poor education are allured by false promises of job opportunities. The hope of having a better quality of life drives them to take the risk of leaving their family and going abroad.  In many cases the traffickers are relatives or close friends of the victims, and the victims hardly think that they would be deceived by people whom they have known for years.  The traffickers normally arrange the transportation for the victims from their country of origin to the destination of exploitation. Once the victims arrive at the destination, they realize that they have been deceived.

They are forced to follow the trafficker’s demands, which they are not willing to do. Their freedom is limited. Victims of human trafficking suffer emotional, psychological, and physical abuse and mistreatment. They are particularly exposed to sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, and continually experience fear and threats to themselves, their families and relatives or friends. The pathetic story is that many of these victims are bought and sold many times over thereby increasing the forms of violence they suffer from one instance to another.  Trafficking and slavery are never"stand alone crimes." They are linked to money laundering, drug trafficking, document forgery, human smuggling, rape, and torture.

Human smuggling refers to the facilitation of entry into a third country in violation of the immigration regulations, against payment. Illegal migration involves taking risks and incurring costs. Tens of thousands of Africans try migrating to Europe illegally every year by embarking on boats to Spain's Canary Islands from the west coast of Africa. Others travel by road through the Sahara with fake documents and are smuggled by makeshift boats to Europe. In this process, many have died while others are stranded in North Africa in their unsuccessful attempts to reach their destination.

Human trafficking and Illegal migration have become issues of concern to the international community. There is an urgent need to address the root causes – poverty, underdevelopment, armed conflict, political instability and hopelessness – propelling the emigrant flow of Africans, through hazardous routes, to developed countries for greener pastures. We also need to rise to the challenge of fighting the cause of the voiceless and unfortunate victims whose lives are tragically scarred or destroyed by the cruelty and inhumanity of the traffickers. Together we can end slavery in our lifetime.