25th Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum – The Business Of Human Trafficking: Protecting Children From Global Criminal Networks
Ms. Anne Basham underscored the global scale, complexity, and human cost of human trafficking, commencing with the narrative of Hazel, a Ghanaian teenager who was deceived into forced labor under the kafala system in the Middle East. What Hazel believed to be a legitimate job in Europe transformed into both labor and sexual exploitation, and she only discerned the truth after being hundreds of miles from home with her passport confiscated. Basham employed Hazel’s experience to elucidate how traffickers manipulate trust and exploit vulnerable children, particularly those between the ages of 11 and 14, who are prime targets for sex trafficking.
She emphasized that human trafficking constitutes not only a profound human rights violation but also a transnational organized crime that generates over $150 billion annually, ranking second only to drug trafficking. Traffickers exploit weak rule of law, clandestine supply chains, and global criminal networks, such as MS-13, to manipulate, relocate, and exploit vulnerable populations. Conflicts and mass migration, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, exacerbate the problem by creating additional opportunities for organized criminal networks to profit from trafficking and exploitation.
Basham highlighted the intersection between human trafficking and global security, noting that illicit finance derived from trafficking supports criminal and terrorist networks, impacting nations worldwide. She stressed the significance of prevention through education, citing model U.S. legislation such as the Frederick Douglas Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which provides funding for school-based curricula to educate children and communities about trafficking risks. Prevention programs are cost-effective, often under $2 per child, in contrast to the average cost of restoring a trafficking victim, which can exceed $500,000 over five years.
She concluded by urging lawmakers to take proactive measures, supporting legislation and initiatives that prevent trafficking before it occurs, safeguard vulnerable populations, and raise awareness in schools and communities globally. By investing in education and prevention, policymakers can address the root causes of trafficking and mitigate its human and societal costs.
