Trafficking is a complex issue that intersects and diverges at each branch opportunity. For example, domestic servitude can also be debt bondage and can also become sex trafficking. Come along for today’s episode to learn more about some of the most common types of trafficking around the world.

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Hey y'all! My name is Meredith Carle and this is A Life More Conscious.  A podcast for individuals wanting to build a conscious lifestyle by diving into the unseen social issues in our everyday lives and living in alignment with our core values.

This week on the podcast, I’m going to be sharing about the unseen world around us named human trafficking, or in some cases more accurately - modern day slavery—as part of my participation in the month-long fashion challenge Dressember.

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Dressember is a social campaign to raise awareness and funds for anti-human trafficking efforts. If after listening to this episode, or before, you feel a call to donate to support the fifteen organizations that have partnered with Dressember, please do so via the links to my campaign page found in the episode show notes and on my Instagram account.

This year, I have a goal of raising $1000 for Dressember and its partner organizations to support programs that aid in the prevention of trafficking, as well as the rescue of victims and the holistic aftercare programs for survivors of trafficking.

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Today, I want to give you an overview of the many faces and forms of trafficking in our world today.

But, before we get going, I want to make a few notes about the show today:

1) that any scenarios or situations given throughout this episode are hypothetical, unless otherwise stated.

2) I will be uploading a transcription of the episode on my website alifemoreconscious dot com soon after each episode is released where I will be linking to all resources used and referenced in the episode.

And 3) in the episode, we will be discussing some difficult topics involving forced labor and commercial sex operations-I am not going into detail on these topics in this episode, but may in future episodes. So please learn with caution and push your comfort zone, but don’t jump out of it. Feel free to stop listening to the episode or reading the blog posts at anytime and don’t feel bad about it. By showing up for this opportunity, you have already opened your mind to the issue—this is simply an opportunity to learn more about human trafficking.

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Now that that’s said, let’s get on with the show.

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In a world with an estimated 40.3 million victims of trafficking, there are two main forms of trafficking and many subtypes that range from the typical eye-catcher of sex trafficking with pimps and prostitutes to the more accepted forced or child marriage, to the more clandestine form of domestic servitude.

But what are they and who are the victims?

Anyone and everyone could be a victim - female or male. youth or adults. rich or poor. Though the specific types of trafficking they could be involved in change, any individual could be a victim of trafficking - in the US and beyond.

A teenage girl or boy could be recruited for a modeling job away from home and after accepting find themselves being forced by their bosses to create pornography or to perform sex for pay.

A mother could be recruited to work in a factory to make clothing for markets abroad but find that the actual pay is much less than she was expecting or told and that the working hours are significantly greater and leave her with little time to take care of her family while trying to make money to support them.

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Here are a few numbers for you based on values from Polaris Project's The Facts page:

- 75% of trafficked populations are women and girls - meaning an estimated 30.2 million female victims.

- And 25% of the total are children - meaning an estimated 10.1 million child victims of trafficking.

- 81% of the total are involved in forced labor - meaning an estimated 32.6 million victims of labor trafficking.

With numbers like that it is crucial to understand the ways and reasons that people are trafficked in the ways that they are.

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Like I said, the most common type of trafficking is labor trafficking at a whopping 81% of all trafficking.

It's not necessarily the most common type in the US, but it is the type that most people will interact with most frequently.

Let's talk about the sub-types:

Forced labor includes any time an individual is unwillingly forced to perform work. Forced labor is used in many industries including manufacturing, agriculture, sales, and service industries.

This can include forms of trafficking almost identical to the traditional understanding of slavery, as well as sweatshop labor & low-income labor in which individuals are paid, but only to a level significantly below the necessary living wage of the country while being placed in significant health risk and having little opportunity to change their situation based on any of the means of trafficking - force, fraud, or coercion.

Bonded labor or debt bondage involves an individual being confined to work they are unwillingly due because they owe money to their boss who may have paid for any transportation, plus room and board. This form of trafficking is not exclusive to labor trafficking, it can also be seen in sex trafficking and elsewhere.

Domestic servitude is when a person is forced to work in a home, doing housekeeping or nanny services, potentially without getting breaks and/or while getting minimal or no wages. The victims have often been willingly recruited to the position, but find themselves in worse conditions than they were told to expect when they arrive.

Child labor trafficking is defined by the International Labour Organization as any "employment below the minimum age as established in national legislation," including any of the previously mentioned forms of labor trafficking and more such as forced military service, child marriage, or child pornography (which can also be classified as child sex trafficking). These types of work can also be deemed as child labor if they are harmful to the health, safety, or morals of a child.

The United States government defines it as "the employment of a child under the age of 16 by anyone other than the child's parents or guardians, with some employment in non-manufacturing and mining industries permitted for children 14-16 as long as the child's health, well-being, and education are not negatively affected." [paraphrased]

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Sex trafficking is the type that most people think of first when asked about trafficking. But what is it really?

One of the main questions that come up is whether prostitution is trafficking - and the answer is yes, and no.

It isn't trafficking when an individual voluntarily chooses to prostitute themselves to make money to support themselves and their families. Except in the situation of a minor.

It is trafficking when an individual is being forced through force, fraud, or coercion to perform the sexual acts for pay by another individual. Or the individual is a minor who is performing any sexual acts for pay - this is because minors are not considered to be able to give proper consent in agreeing to the acts.

One of the lesser-known, but more disputed forms of sex trafficking involves forced marriage in which an individual, typically a minor, is sold (as if they were a piece of property) into marriage without their consent or knowledge. This is a form of trafficking that is more readily socially-accepted because it has been around for so long and is often viewed as just being part of capital-T Tradition.

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There are many more forms of trafficking including the much more hidden - organ trafficking in which people voluntarily sell or involuntarily have an organ removed for less than 5% of the final rate it will sell for on the black market, child trafficking for adoption, forced military service, begging ring operations, and more.

Trafficking is a complex issue that intersects and diverges at each branch opportunity. For example, domestic servitude can also be debt bondage and can also become sex trafficking.

But I've tried to lay out some of the most common forms of trafficking in this episode. If you have more questions, message me on Instagram or send me an email and I can connect you with more information and resources to learn more.

And please if you’ve been gaining value from these episodes, consider donating to my Dressember campaign page linked in the show notes and on the transcript post available on alifemoreconscious.com. If this topic piques your interest, or you are excited to start learning more now--subscribe to this podcast. And follow along on Instagram where I will be sharing facts about sustainable and ethical issues, links to my newest podcast, and other random tidbits from my journey toward conscious living.

And lastly, check back on tomorrow, December 5th, when I will be diving into the ways we interact with human trafficking throughout our everyday lives.

Love y’all and hope this episode helps make your life a little more conscious.

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Resources:

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• Polaris Project
  
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  • The Facts | Polaris
    
  
  
  
• Is There a Difference Between Low-Wage Work and Labor Trafficking
  
• Child Trafficking
  
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  • Trafficking of children - Wikipedia
    
  • Child Labor, Forced Labor & Human Trafficking | U.S. Department of Labor
    
  • Child Labor | Enslavement of Children - End Slavery Now
    
  
  
  
• Forced Marriage
  
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  • Forced Marriage | Trafficked Through Marriage - End Slavery Now
    
  • Child marriage: when is it slavery? - Anti-Slavery International
    
  
  
  
• Other
  
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  • What is Organ Trafficking?