Friday, July 4, 2014

Fight Against Virginia Human Trafficking

By Rosella Campbell


The reported case of hundred thousand victims whose dignity is eroded each year through slavery is on the rise. Despite their spirited attempt to end the Virginia human trafficking, the justice and law enforcement departments experience multiple challenges in bringing the perpetrators to book. This arises from the difficulty of distinguishing trafficking from the related activities including human smuggling and prostitution. Similarly, most victims encounter communication barriers in the foreign land, thus breaking the communication chain.

Although often confused with human smuggling, trafficking involves forceful, coercion or fraudulent recruiting, harboring or obtaining an individual for labor services or commercial sex actions. The former entails willing participants who are moved across international borders. This proves the distinguishing feature as inhuman activity may arise in the home country when one is forced into servitude. Considering that human trafficking may stretch from local to international scenes, this demands of the jurisdictions involved to cooperate during the investigation, prosecution and sentencing criminals, alongside rehabilitating the victims.

The scary statistics illuminates the fast growth of human dealing places the vices as the second largest in the criminal industry. The status of the cruel activities leaves Virginia in a declined crackdown owing to its present state of human anti-trafficking laws. Unlike the vigor exposed by the traffickers, the loopholes existing in the present laws offers a slap on their hand while most perpetrators get away unpunished.

Contrary to the perception that this trafficking happens in the dark through night abductions, the perpetrators have organized attacks on unaware victims. The preference of online platforms in business today, places the online marketplace an ideal ground to hind their activities from the prying eyes of the government officers. The discovery of online recruitment presents unresolved barriers to the justice agencies as they mandate involvement of huge resources to navigate the logistic covers.

Besides the measures embraced by the federal government to end the inhuman activities, the attorney general reveals a spirited commitment to combat the vice in Virginia. While strengthening the legislation by imposing increased penalties for sentenced traffickers, participating in awareness work-groups seek to end human trafficking. For instance, the 2011 coordinated training with the criminal justice services department proved a prudent progression to strengthen law enforcement and coordinate victim-witness.

Inviting the participation of the general public members through calls for whistle-blowers proves an integral source of eliminating the roots of the trafficking rings. Although this is enough evidence of the attention to administer justice to these victims, the special funding of rehabilitation process reveals commitment accorded. Besides the financial assistance, the integration process comprising offering shelter and counseling shows the priority in healing the unforgettable wounds inflicted upon the victims.

Different form the perception that a specific race or background was targeted, the present inhuman activity poses mounting threat to the public safety of all regardless of the race, socioeconomic class. It arises everywhere at any time and to any person. This leaves the activity a common thing in large cities and small towns.

Public awareness and involvement of task forces should constitute the initial process of eradicating the contemporary slavery at its source. For that reason, organizations dedicated to safeguard the dignity of the victims have owned the fight by highlighting the issues to speed public consciousness through training. Furthermore, this has facilitated sharing of resources through awareness programs to end the activities right at the backyard.




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