Of human bondage. Trafficking in women and contemporary slavery in the UK
- Document number
- 2288
- Date
- 2009
- Title
- Of human bondage. Trafficking in women and contemporary slavery in the UK
- Author/publisher
- Eaves Housing for Women
- Availability
- View/save PDF version of this document
- Document type(s)
- Research/Study/Analysis,
- Keywords
- Trafficking process, Recruitment, Transportation, Transit, Transfer, Consent, Palermo protocol; Definition of (trafficking), Root Causes, Risk Groups, Vulnerability, Pull factors, Push factors, Sending/Receiving countries,
- Summary
- • The hesitancy of the governments in destination countries to address trafficking as a crime which violates the rights of vulnerable persons stems from the perception of nationals of foreign states that migration into their countries is always desirable to the migrants
• Persons trafficked for labour exploitation are deceived, coerced or forced into their situation, in the same way as those trafficked for sexual exploitation. The type of coercion or deception is particular to the life and circumstances of each person. Women trafficked for sexual or labour exploitation do report many of the same ‘push factors,' or reasons that may have compelled them to attempt to migrate, most with the promise of a ‘new opportunity' in the form of work or education.
• Domestic workers can become victims of trafficking if they are have been deceived about the nature of the work, have their wages withheld or their movements restricted, some in situations of debt bondage. Sexual abuse and rape of migrant domestic workers (MDWs) is common but underreported, and the disclosure of such abuse is used as a threat by employers who know what impact this would have on the workers (many would never be able to return to their families due to social and familial shame and stigma).
• Just as with trafficking for sexual exploitation, there is a continuum of harm and human rights violations committed against vulnerable individuals in situations of forced labour. Establishing that different types of violence are responses to particular social, economic and cultural realities is helpful in terms of creating appropriate responses, but also heightens the risk of creating a hierarchy of victims, in which vulnerable persons are categorised as more or less innocent, harmed or deserving of empathy and support - Related documents