Reimagining Human Trafficking
One can’t deny that globalization, despite its multifarious positive spill-over effects, has been instrumental in further widening the chasm of economic welfare between the rich and the poor in each country. This chasm has ushered in a retrograde dynamic involving an accelerated emigration of the poor to “greener pastures” per se, in search of more lucrative employment opportunities. However, with the more affluent economies tightening the avenues of influx, these immigrants have been rendered more susceptible to human trafficking. Despite having attracted a considerable share of attention in the global milieu over the past decade, human trafficking is popularly perceived as a heinous crime involving the relegation of women to rather perverse streams of revenue in the informal sector (for ex. prostitution), thereby depriving trafficked workers, regardless of gender, involved in non-sexual labour of requisite attention. Furthermore, the legal framework designed to mitigate trafficking primarily treats it as a savage crime where the offenders deserve punishment and the victims ought to be rehabilitated into the “mainstream”. Thus, one can clearly trace a conspicuous void in terms of addressing the precursors that lead to trafficking, while formulating policies and setting agendas.
