Victims of Human Trafficking:
What Can We Do to Help Them?
Jackie Phillips
Criminology, Post University
CRJ322 – Human Trafficking, A Hidden Crime
Unit 5 Assignment: The Victim’s Experience
Professor Robert Eddy
Due: 11:59 pm EST, Sunday of Unit 5
Overview: In this week’s assignment, you will be reflecting upon a case study of a victim of human trafficking as seen through victim’s perspective. You will analyze their experiences from your point of view.
Select a case study which includes the perspective of a victim of your chosen topic.
Here is the story of Angela, a woman from the Philippines, who was promised work and a visa when she arrived in the United States.
" The person who got me the job in the Philippines told me the only way to get a visa to the US was to come on a P-1 visa for the purpose of performing at a specific athletic competition. I came to California with a recruiter who brought more than 10 other people. Some had come to compete in a taekwondo tournament in Las Vegas, while others, like me, had come based on a false promise from a labor recruiter that I would be able to get a legal work visa once in the United States. I was not given a contract or the terms of my employment before I left my home country.” (No author given, 2020)
Here is the story of Raymundo, who was recruited in Mexico to work on farms in California. He was promised good wages, regular hours and safe living conditions. When he got to California, everything was different, and his documents were withheld, and he was told to never leave the farm or talk to anyone.
“To pay for my visa, I had to take out a loan of 10,000 pesos from my trafficker. They promised me that I would earn enough money so I thought I could work off my debt. But when I arrived in California, everything was different. I lived in a single room with 34 other men who had also been trafficked. I was immediately told that I had to follow rules. I was not allowed to leave the camp, nobody was allowed to visit me, and all lights had to be turned off by 10pm.” (No author given, 2020)
Review the case study and in your words, reflect upon their experience by using the following questions to guide you:
Would you have responded to the situation in the same manner?
I don’t know how I would have responded to being a victim of human trafficking since I have never experienced this type of life, and I have never met anyone personally who has been in this situation. I do know that if I was in a situation such as Raymundo or Angela and someone presented what appeared to be a better situation than what I was currently experiencing, I might go ahead and accept the offers also. I have been very fortunate to been given a solid education and raised in a great family in a great city, surrounded by great people and ongoing support when I needed it. I do know that a lot of people don’t have all those advantages. We need to use our advantages to help others who aren’t as fortunate.
What parts of the victim’s story shocked you?
I was surprised how bold the employers were in forcing their victims to endure ongoing cruel treatment. Plus, then these employees actually expected to not be reported to authorities, despite investigators coming onto the property and performing inspections.
Do you believe that this situation could have been prevented? If so, how?
I think these types of situations will always exist as long as there are people who are in desperate situations and need to find ways to support themselves and their families. I think situations should be set up to allow people to come across borders to find better alternatives to where they currently live. They should be protected and supported and directed to the proper authorities. Every single person could be in this situation one way or another, and we need to support each other as human beings.
References
No author given, 2020, CAST LA, What happened to me should never happen to anyone else, https://www.castla.org/what-happened-to-me-should-never-happen-to-anyone-else/
No author given, 2020, CAST LA, Help protect farmworkers like me from modern slavery, https://www.castla.org/help-protect-farmworkers-like-me-from-modern-slavery/
No comments:
Post a Comment