Misrepresentations on Trafficking & Media Focus

[Cable87]

Hi all.


I came across another good article about trafficking, along with a few extra links that discuss the issue with a bit more attention to detail than the folks at Ruhama do. Here's 3 of the stand-out paragraphs from the article:


"The media have often focused on dramatic narratives of young girls lured into prostitution rings. But government data suggests that "more foreign victims are found in labor trafficking than sex trafficking," particularly in "above ground" sectors like hotel work and home health care. Official estimates vary widely, but the number of victims could be more than 12 million children and adults worldwide."


"We're actually seeing an increase in the number of cases of people coming in lawfully, on lawful visas, and then ending up in human trafficking... because people are using those visas as one of the forms of coercion for keeping people working for them against their will."

"A highly punitive and restrictive immigration system is a factor that leads people to take risks in migrating, sometimes ending up trafficked, although we must also look at poverty, persecution and gender inequities as factors. The growing problem of labor exploitation could be lessened by comprehensive immigration reform that provides visas
and fair wages to all workers."


Here's the link to the full article, as well as for a U.S. Government Report on worldwide trafficking, their report on Ireland is about half-way down the page:


Driven by Globalization, Today

Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 Country Narratives -- Countries G Through M


As all of these quotations and sources suggest, it is FAR MORE COMMON for trafficked people to end up in other industries (textiles, manufacturing, domestic servants) than in the sex industry, but it's the media itself which tends to not only primarily focus on, but indeed over-emphasize those exploited persons that do end-up in the sex trade, despite most of them being used for other things. Have a look and discuss.

And here's a brief piece on the Sex Worker's Project:

The Sex Workers Project