A Gender Human Rights Issue - Essay Assignment Help

Introduction

Human trafficking is a growing area of concern for human rights activists and organisations that engage in the protection of human rights. According to a report by the United Nations Human Rights office of the high commissioner, human trafficking is the process of placing or maintaining an individual in an exploitative situation for economic gain (OHCHR, 2019). Although human trafficking is considered to occur in international boundaries, it occurs even within countries and regions targeting both men and women, young and old. The major factors perpetrating trafficking include labour reasons, sexual exploitation, and forced marriages. In the recent past, a new reason for trafficking has emerged where individuals are targeted for organ removal. The United Nations through the office of the High commissioner state that there is no accurate data on the number of individuals trafficked (OHCHR, 2019). However, a report by the Walk Free Foundation and ILO Global estimates that 25 million people were trafficked in 2016 (OHCHR, 2019). A 2016 report by the UNODC shows that 51% of the trafficking victims were women, 21% were men, 20% girls, and 8% boys. This shows that the number of females trafficked is very high at 71% making women a recurring target of victimization in the trafficking business. In particular, this data is crucial given that 45% of trafficked victims are traded for sexual exploitation (OHCHR, 2019). With a majority of the trafficked individuals being women and girls, this essay explores the prevalence of the human right issue in a gender perspective and examines the effectiveness of international organisations in addressing the issues as well as the input of state governments around the world.

Prevalence of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is a gender issue given that the majority of the victims are women and girls. Besides, the factors that influence trafficking are gender-based as illustrated by the UN (2019) report. According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner, factors that make individual or groups vulnerable to trafficking include discrimination related to denial of economic and social rights, poverty, economic deprivation and inequalities, and gender-based discriminations. Some cultural beliefs and gender issues that discriminate against women increase their exploitation. Culture is a major factor that denies women the right to enjoy human rights and propagates their victimization and sexual exploitation.

The link between human rights and trafficking is clear as the act is a violation of various human rights as provided by the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights of 1948. According to Article 2 of the UNDHR, victims of trafficking are entitled to a range of human rights. Trafficking denies the victims the right to enjoy the privileges provided in Articles 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 13, 15, 22, 23, and 25 among others (UN., n.d.). In a report by Napoliton (2018) following a campaign by the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking, the organisation noted that “Violations of human rights are both a cause and a consequence of trafficking in persons.” The report highlights some of the human rights that are relevant to human trafficking (Appendix 1). The origin of human trafficking in places where there is an increased deprivation of human rights with major causes being poverty, structural and interpersonal violence, gender identity, economic inequality, homelessness, and conflicts.