Nature of human trafficking

In the context of globalization, modern society comes to witness the fruits of human progress and faces the problems caused by it. The globalization triggers increased organized crime with criminal networks manipulating economic, political, cultural convergence and newly-established relations to achieve their own goals. They also make good use of new opportunities offered by information technologies. Human trafficking is one of the gravest concerns specific in the period of globalization.

In fact, human trafficking is considered to be the slavery of the 21^st century and is often referred to as “white” slavery. Today, multiple cases of labor and sexual exploitation of women, men and minors are known.

Along with other countries, Armenia faces the grave problem of trafficking. In our country, people identified as victims of trafficking are among those of our compatriots who wish to avoid at all costs their harsh living conditions and therefore show imprudence by agreeing to leave their home country and naively believing in empty promises of easy and quick income. Consequently, they often find themselves in perilous situations, as they may be exposed to ruthless physical and moral abuse and forced to do unpaid hard work above their capacity, as well as be subjected to humiliation, beatings and threats.

To provide effective anti-trafficking action, in 2000, the United Nations Supreme Committee declared the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime supplemented by two protocols signed in Palermo in 2003, namely Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea

and Air and Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

The latter provides definition of human trafficking and outlines key points of action against human trafficking.

(Silva Petrosyan, Heghine Khachatryan, Ruzanna Muradyan, Serob Khachatryan,

Koryun Nahapetyan “Human trafficking and exploitation” Manual for teachers)

How does the above protocol define human trafficking?

Article 3 of the protocol reads as follows:

(a) “Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt 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 of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or

other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;