Mechanism used by the uk government to tackle sex-trafficking essay

Analysis of the mechanism used by the UK government in the past few years to tackle sex-trafficking from a victim’s point of viewIn a move to combat sex trafficking, governments, non-government organization and international associations have tried with varying degrees of success. The United Kingdom for the past few years has employed numerous strategies to control such crime. The government has committed itself in developing strategies to counter the spread of sex trafficking. “ The government reports to be fully committed in addressing both domestic and international sex trafficking.” (Young, 1999) It further reaffirms that, it takes measures that brings the culprits of the crime to justice while protecting the victims of the trafficking.

According to human rights activists in UK, even though the government is doing much to control sex traffic some of the mechanism it applies are oppressive to the sex trafficking victims and do not help the victims to the best. Some of these mechanisms are seen to violate women rights and hinder victims of sex traffic from accessing justice or even getting out of the situation. The following are some measures which the government has adopted and the reactions by the victims. First, “ the government has employed measures that help to prevent sex traffic from the country of origin.” (Dickson, 2004) For the past few years women from countries such as Romania and Bulgaria have been trafficked into the UK. To control this, the government has worked together with government of these two nations in matter concerning law enforcement on human trafficking issues. The government has promoted campaigns that seek to create awareness on dangers of trafficking and also encourage girls and women from such countries to follow the right procedure when accepting work opportunities in the UK. The criticism in raising awareness of the programs is that, the government has failed to address the cause of trafficking which includes poverty and unemployment.

Many sex-trafficking victims originate from third world countries where women and girls are marginalized in politics, socially and economic matters. Hence, women find themselves victims of traffickers who take “ advantage of their situation and deceive them into accepting false jobs and marriage arrangement with promise of well paid jobs.” (Bindman, 1997) Such awareness raising programs have failed to enhance people’s opportunities and promotion of education among communities hence a failure on victims view. Again the awareness campaign has failed to provide information on legal migration into UK and the rights of immigrant workers in the UK. As result of such failure, migrants have been exploited by traffickers while the needs of such migrants remain misaddressed locally. Because poverty and unemployment are commonly factors which increase sex trafficking, the UK government apart from awareness raising it should help to reduce poverty in those countries through international budgetary funding. Secondly, the government has been tackling the “ increased demand for trafficked people.

” (Anderson ; O’Connell, 2003) The government has been carrying research so as to understand clearer the sex trafficking business and the reasons why individuals and companies still continued to demand trafficked people in United Kingdom. Again the government has put in place techniques that would help to change men attitudes towards ladies and promote awareness of the trafficking phenomenon. Although such arrangements have worked at least on men, the general public attitude has remained negative hence their rights are not honored by the UK citizens. The failure of government to publicize those who employ trafficking victims as well as measures to combat illegal employment has resulted to exploitation of smuggled people. Despite measures to reduce demand for sex trafficking, there still exists sex workers in the UK who have been trafficked from other countries.

Despite contributing to the British economy the country has failed to develop laws which recognize the efforts trafficked labor plays in the economy hence demoralizing such people. Thirdly, Prohibition of trafficking: The government has been using mechanism to “ prohibit and criminalize sex trafficking that comply with human rights role to declare the practice illegal.” (Lackzo ; Gramegna2003) Through legislation the government has sought to criminalize trafficking as well as discouraging those who abuse women in this practice.

This mechanism has had its shortcomings on the victim’s side of view and has been heavily criticized. Trafficked women only realize that they are in bondage of slavery upon arrival when they find themselves kept underground and their travel and identifications documents taken away. And by the time, they come into attention of the UK authorities, they are found to be in the country illegally having entered the country using fake passports given to them by the traffickers.

Unless the victims apply for visas for refugee protection, they are detained and even deported to their home nation without protection of their rights or considering their safety. Instead of deporting victims to countries of origin the government should offered counseling and advice to victims as well as providing houses to them. They should also be allowed to testify in criminal proceeding against the traffickers. Many sex trafficking victims feel that the whole idea of sex-trafficking prohibition is intended to abolish prostitution instead of addressing human rights abuses during national or international migration. The UK authority has tried to stop sex trafficking through “ investigation, prosecution and punishment of traffickers.” (Agustin, 2005) The government has tried much to investigate the sex trade and bringing the traffickers to justice. As I acknowledge the investigation effort, I realize that the government has failed to adopt victim centered approach to sex trafficking.

Hence the law enforcement agencies have failed to consider the interests and needs of sex trafficking victims. Failure by the same agencies to provide protection to the victims translates to government inability to meet its obligations to protect human rights through investigation and prosecuting sex traffickers. There is concern that few have been prosecuted on trafficking compared to a large number of victims who are arrested and flushed back to their countries of origin despite laws to prohibit the crime. This is attributed to lack of training, coordination on trafficking among the involved agencies. In some incidents during criminal proceedings of the trafficker the government has failed to protect the privacy of victims. Again the government has failed in identifying victims which has resulted to victims of sex trafficking being charged in law courts. With this the victims views as a government failure to deal with the real sex traffickers. The use of border and visa tightening regime is seen to promote sex-trafficking.

If the legal channel of migration is not easily assessable, women result to illegal channel. Hence such border and visa restriction make women more vulnerable to violence during travel rather than protecting them from abuse. The mechanism of victim protection whereby, women trafficked for sex are permitted to temporary reside in UK, according to some victims fail to recognized the desire by women to transform their lives: that is some women although trafficked would wish to be granted permanent residence so hence to work in UK as they were initially promised.;;;;;;;;;; ReferencesAgustin, L (2005). At Home on the Street: Questioning the Desire to Help and; Save. New York: Routledge.; Anderson, B and O’Connell Davidson, J (2003).

Is Trafficking in Human Beings; Demand Driven? A Multi-Country Pilot Study. Geneva: International; Organization for Migration.; Bindman J (1997) Redefining prostitution as sex work on the international agenda. Anti-Slavery International, London.

Dickson, S (2004). Sex in the City: Mapping the commercial sex across London.; London: The POPPY Project.; Lackzo, F and Gramegna, M (2003).

Developing Better Indicators of Human; Trafficking, Brown Journal of World Affairs, X (1).; Young J (1999). The exclusive society. London: Sage Publications.;;