On Thursday, February 6, Stockton College hosted a presentation on human trafficking and prostitution. Each speaker discussed the severity of the problem and two of the three speakers presented statistics and solutions to the issue of human trafficking.
The first speaker, Doctor Robert Barney, explained the differences behind prostitution and human trafficking. He defined prostitution as a sexual service that is exchanged for money and human trafficking as sexual exploitation through force. He explained that sometimes they are related but many countries are taking action to reduce or even eliminate both prostitution and human trafficking while other countries are merely hoping that legalizing prostitution will make the entire situation better.
Barney presented three different steps countries have taken to try and solve the issues related to prostitution and human trafficking. The first is the prohibition of prostitution countries such as Romania, Serbia, and Ukraine have enacted this law and while it seems worthwhile, many people believed it simply created an underground market. Another step countries like Sweden have taken is the decriminalization of prostitution. Instead of prosecuting the prostitutes criminals, the pimps and clients are prosecuted. This also seems to be a good idea and so far it is reducing the numbers related to human trafficking. The third approach countries like Germany, Greece, and the Netherland have taken is the legalization of prostitution. Unfortunately, in the Netherlands there are still high levels of human trafficking inflow from other countries. Therefore, the issue of human trafficking must be evaluated and a solution found.
The second speaker, Doctor Janice Joseph, focused mainly on solutions to human trafficking. She explained that human trafficking occurs all across the world and while the majority of humans being trafficked are women (68%), men, girls, and boys are being trafficked as well at (17% men, 12% girls, and 3% boys). She said that there are many groups, such as the Blue Hear Campaign, that are fighting against human trafficking. She said that there are many reasons for human trafficking including the transition to a market economy, economic hardship, poverty, legacy of war, lawlessness, organized crime, porous borders, close proximity of wealthy countries, and political corruption to name a few. Joseph emphasized the importance of fighting these factors and explained that while the still exist, human trafficking will thrive. While the information provided by these two speakers was very in depth, the keynote speaker’s story was really the most fascinating.
Lastly, the keynote speaker presented. The keynote speaker shared her story which consisted of first hand encounters with human trafficking. She explained that unlike all of the facts presented from other places in the world, her story takes place not far from here, in New York City. She opened up her listeners eyes and allowed them to see that these problems don’t just happen in other places, but they happen here in our great county too. She also explained that unfortunately, these occurrences aren’t uncommon. She shared how she was forced into human sex trafficking and how she made her escape. She also explained that the people who are survivors of human trafficking constantly need support and how to become involved and help the survivors and those who are still victims. It was amazing to hear a survivor’s story.
This event was extremely informative and rather difficult to accept. Hearing a firsthand account of something so terrible and so close to home is not an easy thing to come to terms with. The information however, was presented in a very concise and understandable way. It was a fantastic lecture.