Where is human trafficking taking place

When I landed in Brussels, I was waiting at the information desk to ask about a shuttle bus to my hotel, when I saw them: a woman, blonde, and the male companion next to her. Visibly shaken, she tried to make a call but he immediately snatched the phone from her. For the first time, the thought of human trafficking crossed my mind while travelling. I wanted to approach them but was scared. My instinct was right, since this is not advised. Instead, I should have reported my observation to someone but found myself second-guessing my gut feeling.

I will never know if the woman was being trafficked. But I will also never forget her fear, his dominance, and my inability to act.

And I know, because my life was saved. Currently, many international borders are closed and most commercial flights are still grounded. However, it is only a matter of time before they reopen and the aviation industry will get back in business.

Human trafficking perpetrators and victims will be there too. If there is an airport you visit frequently, an important action point would be to research the specific ways it fights human trafficking, and know where to report suspicious behaviour. Your email address will not be published.

By Zofia Swiatek. Posted in Travel. I will never know if the woman was being trafficked but I will also never forget her fear and my inability to act This is not an easy thing to do.

People may encounter a victim in the domestic sex trafficking industry at any of the locations below: Traffickers often advertise their victims on social media and illicit and sometimes not-so-illicit websites.

The best way to assist law enforcement is: 1 Observe: What are the indicators? How are they acting? What do they look like? Where are they? Who are they with?

Note what time of day it is. Record the address where the encounter occurred. Call if you are witnessing an emergency situation. Join the Fight to End Human Trafficking with DeliverFund Your donation today can bring human traffickers to justice and rescue their victims. Facebook Linkedin Instagram Youtube Twitter. DeliverFund Maple Ave. Some countries, such as Mauritania, still practice antiquated slavery, where families are held for generations by slave-masters.

There are also instances, like in Uzbekistan, where forced labor is institutionalized. During the cotton harvest, all adults and children are expected to work in the cotton fields until the crops are harvested.

Cultural and social factors can also lead victims not to speak up about being trafficked or who their traffickers are, especially if they come from groups who lack human rights protections.

Conflict and natural disaster can lead to economic instability and lack of human rights, giving traffickers an advantage and making people more vulnerable to human trafficking situations. In conflict zones and wars, some rebel or military groups will use child soldiers and keep sex slaves.

Additionally, both conflict and natural disaster can lead people to migrate out of their hometowns and home countries, making them more vulnerable to traffickers, especially if they are looking for work or paying smugglers to get where they want to go.

And with increased economic instability, traffickers have opportunities to offer false job offers to people, leading them into trafficking situations. One major cause of human trafficking is the large profit that traffickers gain.

This is an incentive for them to continue trafficking people in both forced labor and sex trafficking. For traffickers using forced laborers and bonded laborers, they get cheap labor and can sell their product or service at a much higher cost.

For those using sex trafficking, they can easily take all of the profit, forcing women to make a certain amount each night, and keeping them in the situation through drugs, violent force, threats, and more. For those looking to migrate out of their home countries due to safety concerns or economic opportunities, they are especially vulnerable to traffickers.

Traffickers can use illegal smuggling as a way to trick people into forced labor or sex trafficking. And for migrants looking for jobs in other countries, traffickers typically offer them job opportunities that seem legitimate, only to force them into a trafficking situation.

For instance, when Russia was preparing for the Sochi Olympics, several men from Serbia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and other nearby countries were promised construction jobs, only to be paid very little and be treated poorly. And many women from countries like Nigeria, Ukraine, and other Eastern European and African countries are offered nannying or restaurant jobs in Western Europe, only to trapped in sex trafficking.

Above many other factors that cause human trafficking are the traffickers themselves.