Trafficking means to trade in something illegal.
There are many forms of trafficking, such as trading in illegal drugs or weapons. To trade in human beings is called human trafficking, or to be more specific, human trafficking is the exploitation of people through forced labor, or sexual exploitation by means of force, fraud, or coercion.
It is modern day slavery.
But how big is this problem really? Wasn’t slavery abolished decades ago?
There are an estimated 40.3 million people that are victims of modern slavery, including 24.9 million in forced labor and 15.4 million in forced marriages.
1 in 4 victims are children. [1]
Despite millions being exploited in plain sight, it can be hard to recognize for the untrained eye! That is why it is a crucial that we equip ourselves with the basic knowledge so that we can become part of the solution.
Human trafficking can be categorized into sex trafficking, labor trafficking, organ trafficking and child trafficking, and although there are different trends in different countries, human trafficking happens in every country in the world. Majority of victims are women and girls, but the number of trafficked men and boys seems to be rapidly increasing.
At ZOE Japan, our goal is to rescue children under 18 from human traffickers and give them a hope and a future. To combat such a terrible crime against children, we first need to understand the various forms of exploitation that they are subjected to.
The most common in Japan is CSEC, or Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. This includes: