Global Human Trafficking Roundup

Government and culture, not poverty, cause human trafficking

Earlier this week, one organization made a bold statement that poverty causes human trafficking. The theory is based on the strong correlation between a country's GDP and human trafficking. According to the report, "every $1000 increase in a country's GDP makes the country nearly 10 percent more likely to be a destination for international human trafficking victims." Is poverty the root cause of human trafficking? Or, is it a byproduct of the third factor that also causes human trafficking?

OTHER CASE STUDIES SHOW OTHERWISE

A number of studies on different countries' case suggests that poverty is more than likely a co-existing factor to human trafficking, not the root cause of human trafficking.

Case #1: Myanmar

Take a look at this impoverished country of source, which pushes out many human trafficking victims to its South Asian neighbors. On the surface level, one can argue that poverty pushes many migrant workers to leave Myanmar while traffickers are waiting to prey them on in anyway on the other side of the country's borderline. According to no where else to go, an in-depth report by a nonprofit, the military regime's economic mismanagement and high tax are two driving factors for the Burmese victims to flee the country. The research also states that the victims are hesitant to report cases against police corruption involving human trafficking because the close connection between the military regime and the many NGO representatives would only bring the victims themselves under the accusation of taking part in the human trafficking ring. Therefore, many victims' reports remain unreported. The Burmese military regime, according to the report, is also in charge of a large percentage of aids and social welfare programs. Therefore, government is the reason for any traffickers to flee the country as well as a hindrance to their victim assistance.

Case #2: Kenya

The human trafficking in Kenya, in particular, those of Maasai girls, is another example that caused by government corruption and mismanagement. While some analyst even attempted to blame climate changes in the past, the fact is clear that the draught and climate change has been fact of life for Maasai people. Regardless of the draught and poverty, however, history shows that Maasai found their way of self-sustaining life-style. And, they had good life within the community until the British government stepped in with economic mismanagement and corruption. According to a research, corruption involving blood relationship and personal ambition played significant factors behind mismanagement of the subdivision of the land introduced by the British. Only a few rich people have benefited from the system at the expense of exploiting the rest of the poor Maasai people. In addition, according toone report by Heritage Organization, a policy think thank based in D.C., corruption is highly pervasive in Kenya as the country ranks 147th out of 179 countries in Transparency International's Corruption Index in 2008. Further, the lax property rights and extensive corruption limits the country's overall economic freedom. ( For further information on history of Maasai community in regards to human trafficking click here).

Case #3: South Korea & China

South Korea and China are members of OECD countries. South Korea's GDP, according to World Bank, reached $832.5 billion and China's GDP was 4.985 trillion in 2009. Both countries' GDPs in 2009 were conspicuously higher than that of Switzerland ($491.92) and Demark in the same year. In case of China, its GDP is much higher than Italy ($2.1 trillion), UK($2.18), and even France ($2.65) and even Germany($3.33). Yet, both China and South Korea have been the main sources of sex trafficking victims in the U.S. In particular, according to the Attorney General's office in 2006 report, South Korean women made up 23.5% of human trafficking victims in the U.S., which was the highest percentage of victims among the reported cases followed by Thailand (11.7%) and Mexico (9.6%). Likewise, according to the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women, 5000 Chinese women were prostituted in Los Angles in 2007. In the same year, BBC news reported that Chinese women were being trafficked into the United States in New York and North Carolina. BBC also stated that these women were held in $40,000 debt bondage.

If the analysis that poverty causes human trafficking based on the correlation between a country's GDP and human trafficking data is true, neither Chinese women nor South Korean women would not be enslaved in the US. Rather, one will witness more number of sex trafficking victims from UK, Switzerland, Demark, Italy, and France than those from China in the U.S.

One thing is clear that regardless of their high GDP, both China and South Korea do not have policies supporting women's rights as much as many western countries with the similar economic development status. For instance, in South Korea, it is much more difficult for a woman to take out bank loan than it is for her male counterpart. What's more, today's report on a South Korean celebrity who committed suicide after being forced into prostitution and others for her successful career shows the glimpse of the reality for South Korean women.

CONCLUDING THOUGHT

Above examples show that poverty is a co-existing factor to human trafficking, not a root cause. It is true that many migrants from poor countries flee their countries in order to escape poverty for better job opportunities abroad. It is also true that they often are preyed by human trafficking in one way or the other. However, this does not mean that poverty itself is causing victims to be trafficked. Rather, government's economic mismanagement, corruption, lack of policies on women's rights, and the culture that embraces and even promotes sexual and labor exploitation are to blame the ongoing atrocity of human trafficking around the world. 

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