(Human trafficking by the numbers)
Is there Human Trafficking in Cuba?
Human Trafficking is a very prevalent problem in the country of Cuba. With so many people living in poverty some women even go into the trade by choice. The problem is very chilling. The business includes both women and children that are tricked and deceived into the trade. In Cuba the most vulnerable group of people has been identified as those aged 13 to 20. It is troubling to think of young women being involved in such a brutal scheme. So you may be asking yourself how are women brought into this industry? Shouldn't a person know better? The answer to these questions is chilling. Women are brought into this business through deception and trickery tactics. Agencies will trick women into the business by offering enticing "jobs" or an opportunity for marriage abroad. These positions sound great when the current situation of the woman is poverty and barely enough food to get by. Once they are given a job they are then in charge of paying for their travel to get to the destination. Upon arrival the women quickly find out that they were scammed and begin to face a horrible lifestyle.
Preventing Human Trafficking
In Cuba there is an NGO that provides out reach for the victims of trafficking known as the Federation of Cuban Women. The federation offers one hundred seventy-three guidance centers for women to go to for health, family problems, and victims of trafficking. The federation is both state and internationally funded. in 2013 there were 2,480 women and families that attained assistance from the federation. Unfortunately the Cuban government is not doing very much about the trafficking problem. They are hindered due to the current laws in the country. Not every form of recruitment and trafficking has been criminalized, which makes it hard to punish the people involved in the trafficking. Cuba has made it a point to heavily punish individuals that get caught with minors in the sex trafficking industry but they consider a minor to be under the age of 16. This prevents them from heavily punishing individuals who are caught with 17 and 18 year old women.
Sustainable Development Goals and Moving Forward
It is interesting to note that such an inhuman cause is not very much aware to the public. As mentioned in the born free article almost twice as many people are estimated to be enslaved today via human trafficking then there ever were over the three hundred year time period of slavery. It is also important to note that the sustainable development goals do indeed mention human trafficking. They say that they want to eradicated human trafficking and forced labor in its entirety across the world. After reading the born free article I believe that this is a big step in the fight to end the problem. I think that when it comes to ending human trafficking completely there are a variety of approaches to combating the issue. The first thing that must be done is to publicize the issue. I was completely unaware that the industry had amassed such a large number of helpless women and children. I also think that with the issue being publicized it is up to the journalists to put a face on the issue. Journalists need to profile specific women and have them tell their story. It is much easier for the average person to feel passionate about putting an end to an issue when they can see a person who has been affected by the issue. The second strategy that should be implemented is how law enforcement catches the people. I believe that it should be pretty easy to set up stinger operation to crack down these horrible slave owners. Thankfully the United Nations addressed the issue, and hopefully necessary changes are being made.
(image from women's rights organization)
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