Human trafficking refers to the involuntary exploitation of individuals and can involve sexual exploitation, debt bondage, and forced labor. Although many may not think so, it occurs in every region. Human traffickers attempt to target marginalized communities and vulnerable individuals. Sexual exploitation, in specific, is a growing issue in refugee camps and among migrating groups. Refugees and migrants often lose their community support networks as they are forced to leave their homes and familiar surroundings. Depending on where they flee to, they may or not be citizenship status. Other resources, such as medical support, livelihood opportunities, and legal support, may not be provided. As a result of these conditions, forcibly displaced people are often easy targets for traffickers.
Many people who seek to flee often resort to smugglers in hopes to receive a method of transportation to a safer area or camp. During this process, refugees are particularly in danger of being trafficked or becoming victims of major crimes or human rights violations. UNHCR has been working to help victims of human trafficking. They are also implementing measures to dismantle human trafficking networks. In order to alert UNHCR, it is imperative that people are:
aware of the trafficking phenomenon
understand the vulnerabilities that can place people at risk of becoming victims
recognize where trafficking can occur in a regional or country setting.
United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime uncovered the exploitation of men, women, and children at a refugee camp in Malawi, the Dzaleka Refugee Camp. In the camp, over 90 victims of human trafficking have been identified and rescued. Most of the victims that were rescued are girls, women, and men aged between 12 and 30 fleeing from Ethiopia, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Two young victims of human trafficking, who were rescued from the Dzaleka Refugee Camp, are receiving support at a shelter in Malawi.
A sixteen-year-old refugee girl that was rescued from DRC was trafficked at the age of ten. She talks about her experience and states that one day she had been, “beaten by one of my clients for refusing to have sex due to a cut that was bleeding. I was in pain and it was visible,” (Ngunde, 2022). Many young refugees have had to endure similar experiences where they were, “repeatedly raped or forced to prostitute themselves in near slavery condition” in order to pay back their “debts” (Zenko, 2017). They face forced separation from the only family they may have left to be transported to for sexual exploitation in other countries in Southern Africa. To start progressing toward change, government actions need to take place; refugee testification in court is necessary in most cases. However, most displaced individuals do not agree to testify in court for fear of being in the spotlight, which may lead to greater discrimination or even deportation.
There has been a rise in human trafficking issues in Bangladesh over the past few years. Thousands of Rohingyan people were forcefully displaced due to the genocide in Myanmar in August 2017. The refugee camps in Bangladesh are now home to 723,000 Rohingyan refugees. Since August 2017, human trafficking in the camps has been a constant problem. There are similar trafficking situations in Sudan, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey. To combat the rising issue, there are a few signs that can be recognized in an individual that may be experiencing human trafficking:
signs of controlled movement
own false identity or travel documents
are not aware of their home or work address
have no access to their earnings
unable to negotiate working conditions
work excessively long hours over long periods
have limited or no social interaction
have limited contact with their families or with people outside of their immediate environment
feel indebted for a safer living environment
Most refugees and migrant populations don’t have access to the internet, communication services, and/or proper support services. As a result, it is very difficult to stay updated about human trafficking conditions as well as safety concerns, in general. Working situations also often dictate how safe or protected an individual will be from human trafficking. There are children, teens, and mothers among others who experience very traumatizing and destructive situations due to human trafficking. As a community, helpful resources should be provided to migrant groups and refugees as a way to combat the current human trafficking situation as well as to raise awareness for refugee rights globally.
Works Cited
Ngunde, Patience. “Refugees at risk: UN uncovers human trafficking at camp in Malawi.” UN News, 12 June 2022, https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/06/1119612. Accessed 21 December 2022.
Shishir, Nazmun Naher. “Human traffickers prey on Rohingya refugees.” The Third Pole, 2 February 2021, https://www.thethirdpole.net/en/livelihoods/human-traffickers-prey-on-rohingya-refugees/. Accessed 21 December 2022.
“Trafficking in persons.” UNHCR, https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/human-trafficking.html. Accessed 21 December 2022.
“What is Human Trafficking?” Human Rights Commission, https://sf-hrc.org/what-human-trafficking. Accessed 21 December 2022.
Zenko, Micah. “Sex Trafficking and the Refugee Crisis: Exploiting the Vulnerable.” Council on Foreign Relations, 8 May 2017, https://www.cfr.org/blog/sex-trafficking-and-refugee-crisis-exploiting-vulnerable. Accessed 21 December 2022.