Sex Trafficking: Hidden Profits and Exploitation - Essay Sample

Introduction

Sex trafficking means the use of coercion, fraud or force to get sex acts, either commercial or labor. Estimates show that sex trafficking brings in millions of profits per Unum (Richards & Reid, 2015). It is a concealed crime as those who are trafficked rarely comes forward to report, due to fear of law enforcement and the traffickers. Traffickers use fraud and force to force people into sexual activities for personal gains (Richards & Reid, 2015). They look for emotionally or psychologically vulnerable people. Those people with political instability, inadequate social safety nets or economic hardships become easy targets. The Bahamas is known for endless sex trafficking for children, women, and men. The country was among the counties listed in 2013 in the trafficking of people(Richards & Reid, 2015). Many people who arrive in the Bahamas for work are often subjected to discrimination and trafficking. Children who are born to foreign parents in the Bahamas are not directly recognized as citizens, and they become more prone to sex trafficking and other forms of discrimination. Other groups that become a target to sex trafficking in the Bahamas include those foreign individuals in exotic dancing, prostitution or children under the age of eighteen, engaging in sexual practices with men.Sometimes, people from different parts of the world are deceived with promises of work opportunities and recruitment, but when they get to the Bahamas, they are used for sex trafficking.There have been reports over the years that US nationals who have previously worked in the Bahamas have had their passports taken and their movements restricted, activities that point towards trafficking (Lamb-Susca& Clements, 2018)

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Police Exploitation

Some police are involved in the exploitation of trafficked victims. They tend to participate in sex trafficking (Jonsson, 2019). Other reports showed this there were problems like discrimination and violence against women, children being sexually abused and discrimination due to the ethnic groups o the women being abused, their social status, sexual orientation, and their HIV status (Ferrell-Schweppenstedde et al., 2019).Often, when police identify trafficked victims, their first impression is arresting them as sex criminals. Some of the people detained are blackmailed by the police to give them sexual pleasure, and in turn, be released. The police officers will use their power to threaten them that if they dot give in to sex, they'll be subjected to more pain and trauma. The women will give in, in an attempt to avoid any more problems.

There are cases in which some of the police are criminals in disguise, in that women will put their trust in their authority status without any suspicion. The police later exploit them. Women arrested for prostitution are seen as sex objects by some police officers, and the moment they are arrested the police take advantage of them (Ferrell-Schweppenstedde,et al., 2019). The women will often feel intimidated by the fact that the police officers are the government, and it's the word of the victims over that of the police. They'll eventually give in.

Moreover, women are subjected to verbal abuse from the police, following their arrest. Some of the foreign women have everything to lose because the police, as the authority, can report them of many more crimes to show their power and influence. Women will avoid this and give in. They are physically beaten by the police when they try to resist.

Other times, police officers are working with sex offenders and traffickers. They give sex criminals government protection while getting financial gaining. Some of the police officers will hide evidence against the criminals, to get money favors from them. They will also fail to arrest them if they are bribed by the criminals to turn a blind eye to the trafficking.

Some police officers use their power to lure young woman and teenagers into having sex with them (Jonsson, 2019). Some police officers have admitted to paying teenagers to have sex with him. When foreigners are lied to about job opportunities in the Bahamas, they will take any chance to get money. That means that some, even teenagers, will take money from the police officers and have sex with them. The police may also use their power to offer the girl to protect them so that they can have sex with them.

How the Government is Dealing With Sex Trafficking

The Bahamas government is taking measures in trying to eliminate sex trafficking, though it does not agree with the minimum standards for doing so. When six cases of trafficking were first reported, the government convicted one trafficker. When anti-trafficking laws were made, the government made the second conviction. It also put efforts into identifying trafficked victims and tried offering assistance protocol. However, attempts to try and identify trafficking victims have remained low.

Moreover, the Bahamas government increased its efforts in anti-trafficking law enforcement. The person's prevention and suppression act of 2008 prohibits any trafficking of persons, and it states the penalties for those convicted for trafficking. The penalties range from life to three years imprisonment the government reported around fifteen sex and labor trafficking cases, a ten case increment from the previous reporting. The government later launched a second prosecution in which one of the alleged traffickers was placed in pretrial detention, but the other one was not caught. There was also an investigation following an allegation of a government official being involved in trafficking. The US embassy offered help to the Bahamas to convict, prosecute and arrest the offenders. It also helps in identification and protection of victims of sex trafficking.

The government also tries to protect victims of sex trafficking. It implemented a protocol which would guide responders to recognize trafficked victims, and then refer them to get the help they needed. The UN, however, noted that some victims might not have been identified. The Royal Bahamas Police Force and the Royal Bahamas Defense Force made sure that all recruits underwent training in trafficking in person's awareness. One sex victim was identified in 2013 and was referred for appropriate assistance and care. The government further identified sixty-four other victims who had been forced into sex and labor.

Reports show that the government spent over twenty-eight thousand dollars on human trafficking care, which included legal support, psychological support, medical and housing allowances (Kempadoo, 2016). Among those helped, there were three sex trafficked adults. The government provided safe shelter for the victims. It also provided financial support to some of the victims. Another victim was given a refugee certificate, which allowed the victim to remain in the Bahamas while following the prosecution. The certificate also allowed the victim to find legal work in the Bahamas. The government also advised trafficked victims to help the government in prosecuting sex offenders. The government funded one of the victims to return to the Bahamas to assist in the prosecution of the victim's trafficker. The act of anti-trafficking act of 2008 provided victims with immunity for any illegal activity they would have committed following the trafficking.

Moreover, the government increased its prevention strategies against sex trafficking. One of the strategies was allowing the UN special rapporteur on trafficking in persons to visit the Bahamas to survey the progress of the Bahamas and its challenges in stopping human trafficking(Kempadoo, 2016). The government further published pamphlets to advise the victims of human and sex trafficking on their rights. The government also used the media like radio to air public service across the country. Ministerial committee and the government's taskforce on trafficking met regularly to ensure that there was coordination in fighting with sex trafficking. During the first reporting, it also partnered with the NGO's to plan on the action to take against trafficking (Kempadoo, 2016). It, however, did not have any awareness campaign that targeted sex trade clients. The government also failed to report on anything about child sex trafficking, and there were no investigations.

The governments authorities have in the years investigated ten new investigations involving sex trafficking where over sixty people were victims. A convicted trafficker was sentenced to twenty-one years of prison by the government in 2015. In 2016the government initiated eleven investigations in which there were thirty-seven victims. It later trained some community members, one hundred and sixty-five immigration officers and over two hundred police officers on the law of Bahamas on anti-trafficking, victim identification and on trafficking indicators.

In addition to this, the government partnered with four other governments and international organizations to complete an agreement on law enforcement cooperation. During the reporting period, it also worked with the other two governments on investigations regarding sex and human trafficking. One of the investigations led to the successful conviction of a Bahamas citizen.

Recommendations

The government of Bahamas could do a lot in ensuring that sex trafficking is reduced. One of the recommendations is to convict and prosecute all the sex traffickers, regardless of position in the government or elsewhere. All the police officers and other law enforcers should be first investigated to make sure that there is no involvement of them in human trafficking. Government officials should also be the first to be investigated on. Most times, government officials will use their position in the government to hide their business in sex trafficking. Severe punishment should be given to anyone found with abusing power to engage in sex trafficking. Those traffickers arrested should serve as an example to others who are involved with sex trafficking.

Moreover, the government should introduce victim identification systems that can identify all victims of trafficking and offer them the help they require. Programs for the traumatized people should also be set up to cater to those who have been abused. Psychological support should be as necessary as physical help for the abused. The programs should be in such a way that the victims are protected even after coming forward. Many times the victims refuse to come forward for fear of being targeted by others in the business and getting killed or putting their families in danger. They should then be relocated to safe locations where they could be given witness protection.

In cases involving foreign workers, the government could offer translators to help the victims to speak more openly without language barriers. The investigations they carry out involving trafficking should be conducted in private so that the victims can feel safer and protected and be able to speak openly. The victims should be talked to about their rights, whether they are citizens or foreigners. They should also be notified about their protection following the crimes.

Besides, the government should start drafting a national plan on how to deal with the problems of human trafficking. It should also strengthen its partnership with the NGO's that deal with sex trafficking victims to ensure more help for them. The government should also increase programs that educate the public about human and sex trafficking. This involves talking to them about suspicious behaviors of sex offenders, and how to identify sex victims so that they can report any cases.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Bahamas is known for human trafficking and sex trafficking, and the government has taken several steps to eliminate it. Foreigners who have bee...