Human Trafficking, Forced Labor, Prison Labor:
What is the State of These Problems in Today’s World?
Jackie Phillips
Criminology, Post University
CRJ322- Human Trafficking, A Hidden Crime
Unit 2 Assignment: Research Paper Topic
Professor Robert Eddy
Due: 11:59 pm, Sunday of Unit 2
Once your Instructor has reviewed your assignment, he/she will respond by approving all three topics or identifying the one(s) which meet the assignment requirements and provide any necessary comments related to your topic
I have chosen and received approval from my professor for the topics of Smuggling and Human Trafficking, Forced Labor for Children and Involuntary Servitude and Prison Labor
Involuntary Servitude and Prison Labor (first choice)
Definition of your chosen topic.
“The Thirteenth Amendment to the US Constitution makes involuntary servitude illegal under any U.S. jurisdiction whether at the hands of the government or in the private sphere, except as punishment for crime: Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” (No author given, 2024)
This will cover both prison populations who perform labor and for forced domestic servitude outside of prison.
What areas of the world in which this problem is prevalent.
Prison labor is a global issue that involves forced labor in prisons, detention centers, and other facilities around the world:
Countries with prison labor: Many countries have prison labor, including the United States, China, North Korea, Poland, Russia, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
Types of prison labor: Prison labor can include maintenance, industrial work, and external work.
How does this issue affect the local population?
“The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution made federal law a decree that had existed, in similar terms, in Article I of the California Constitution for nearly two decades: “Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, unless for the punishment of crimes, shall ever be tolerated in this State.” Embedded in the very inception of the state of California was the notion that incarcerated people, apparently undeserving of the same rights granted to others, should not be protected against forced labor.” (No author given, 2024)
How the local government is addressing this issue.
“Proposition 6 would amend the California Constitution to prohibit the state from punishing inmates with involuntary work assignments and from disciplining those who refuse to work. Instead, state prisons could set up a volunteer work assignment program to take time off sentences in the form of credits. It would let county or city ordinances set up a pay scale for inmates in local jails.” (No author given, 2024)
Smuggling and Human Trafficking
Definition of your chosen topic:
Human trafficking takes two forms. They are sex trafficking and forced labor.
“Every year, human traffickers prey on millions of victims around the world — regardless of age, race, gender or nationality. Human traffickers will prey on anyone, but those often at the greatest risk are people who:
- Are hoping for a better life.
- Lack of employment opportunities.
- Have unstable home lives.
- Have a history of sexual or physical abuse.” (No author given, 2024)
What area(s) of the world in which this problem is prevalent.
This problem covers a very long list of countries all around the world.
How does this issue affect the local population?
“Nearly nine in ten reported human trafficking cases involve sex trafficking, and that share has risen. Between 2015 and 2021, the share of human trafficking cases that involved sex trafficking grew from 87% to 89% in California and from 85% to 88% nationally. Statewide and nationally, sex trafficking is most common in pornography, massage parlors, and hotels. Among those trafficked for their labor, about one in five work in private homes.” (Harris, H., 2023)
How the local government is addressing this issue.
“California Penal Code (236.1a) Human Trafficking – Penal Code Section 236.1(a) makes it illegal to deprive or violate the personal liberty of another with the intent to obtain forced labor or services. Sex acts are included within the meaning of “labor and services.” The statute also covers inducing minors into creating commercial pornography.” (No author given, 2024)
Forced Labor for Children
Definition of your chosen topic.
“Child labor is defined by the International Labour Organization as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.” Not working in factories or in the fields, without pay, in less than human conditions. Poverty and lack of schools are considered as the main cause of Child Labor.” (No author given, 2024)
What area(s) of the world in which this problem is prevalent.
“A large number of 76 countries have been classified as ‘extremely risky’ in terms of child labour complicity for global companies on the Child Labour Index 2012 as per the recent annual study on human rights violations conducted by UK-based risk analysis firm Maplecroft. This represents an increase in global use of child labour from last year with 68 countries categorised as extremely risky.” (No author given, 2024)
How does this issue affect the local population?
“The Exclusive Poultry Inc. agreed to pay $3.8 million in wages, damages and penalties in part for hiring children for dangerous work. The case is one of hundreds federal labor officials investigated last year. Children as young as 14 stood for as long as 12 hours a day, bent over tables in a cold warehouse as they cut and deboned poultry as fast as they could, said Nisha Parekh, an attorney with the Labor Department.” (Reyes-Velarde, A., 2023)
How the local government is addressing this issue.
“On September 22, 2024, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 3234 into law, which imposes transparency requirements for employers who audit their child labor practices. The bill will take effect on January 1, 2025.” (St. Clair, S., 2024)
References
Harris, H., 2023, Public Policy Institute of California, Human Trafficking in California, https://www.ppic.org/blog/human-trafficking-in-california/
No author given, 2024, Kann Law Group, California Penal Code 236.1a - Human Trafficking, https://www.kannlawoffice.com/california-penal-code-section-236-1-a-human-trafficking
No author given, 2024, Abolish Bondage Collectively, History of Involuntary Servitude in California, https://prisonerswithchildren.org/abc/history-of-involuntary-servitude-in-california/
No author given, 2024, Homeland Security Investigations, Human Trafficking, https://www.dhs.gov/hsi/investigate/human-trafficking
No author given, 2024, The World Counts, Child Labor Statistics, https://www.theworldcounts.com/stories/child-labor-facts-and-statistics
No author given, 2024, Wikipedia, Involuntary Servitude, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Involuntary_servitude
No author given, 2024, Cal Matters, Prop 6: Limit Forced Labor in State Prisons, https://calmatters.org/california-voter-guide-2024/propositions/prop-6-involuntary-servitude/
No author given, 2024, Global March, 76 countries rank high in child labour violations, https://globalmarch.org/76-countries-rank-high-in-child-labour-violations
Reyes-Velarde, A., 2023, Cal Matters, L.A. Company Hired Children to Cut Poultry with Sharp Knives, https://calmatters.org/california-divide/2023/12/child-labor-california/
St. Clair, S., 2024, Faegre Drinker, New California Law Imposes Transparency Requirements About Employers’ Child Labor Practices, https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2024/9/new-california-law-imposes-transparency-requirements-about-employers-child-labor-practices
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