Economies of Crime
Human Trafficking Essay
Human trafficking has been around for centuries throughout the world. The earliest form of
human trafficking in the United States started with the African Slave Trade in the 1600s. Other countries
have also been known to have human trafficking as early as the 1400s. [ CITATION Pat11 \l 1033 ] Human
trafficking e,ects the economy throughout the world on a very large scale bringing in $32 billion
annually. This makes human trafficking the largest illegal market behind drug trafficking. [ CITATION Int06
\l 1033 ]
The African Slave trade was the first documented form of human trafficking starting in Europe in
the 1400s. With the expansion of planta0ons, Africans were needed more in order to save money on
labor. As 0me went on, the African Slave trade expanded throughout the world to Spain, North America,
Holland, France, Sweden, and Denmark. [ CITATION Pat11 \l 1033 ] Shortly a7er the African slave trade,
white slavery would come into existence. White slavery was the use of white female to perform sexual
favors against her will. As white slavery grew into existence, more countries tried to set up conferences
to stop white slavery. By 1910, the international conven0on for the suppression of the white slave trade
was signed making white slavery a criminal o,ense. [ CITATION Est15 \l 1033 ]
Human trafficking a,ects victim of all sexes and ages. Both men, women and children are
subject to the horrors of human trafficking. Human trafficking can be used for sexual purposes, labor,
slavery, or the harves0ng of organs. Between 2010 and 2012, there were 40,177 known cases of human
trafficking in the world. Of these victim, 49% were women, and 33% were children. Human trafficking
cases were reported in 124 nation that included 152 na0onali0es. [ CITATION Est15 \l 1033 ] Human
trafficking does not only a,ect the victim involved, but also the world and their economies.
victim of human trafficking are stopped from contribu0ng to the economy. There is a very great
loss of labor and social capital, along with less education for victim. As the economy goes into a crisis,
there is more potential for human trafficking. In countries where there is a large unemployment rate,
people will often turn to human trafficking as a way to make an income. In 2009, during a financial crisis,
Eastern Europe saw an increase in human trafficking due to the economic crisis. People will also tend to
