Sunday, July 6, 2014

The Eradicating Virginia Human Trafficking

By Rosella Campbell


The present-day slavery reveals an exceptional crime eroding the human dignity of thousands of victims every year. Law enforcement officers in Virginia encounter a mounting task in an attempt of identifying, investigating and prosecuting the perpetrators of Virginia human trafficking. This challenge arises from the masking of this activity blended with related-crime activities such as human smuggling. In addition, the trafficking victims encounter communication barriers therefore hindering the conveyance of information to the investigating officers.

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 worrying feature of human trafficking is its fast growth to topple other criminal activities leaving it to occupy the second spot. Mainly, this is a scaring trend in the states with weak legislative framework as such reveals a slow eradication process. Instead of matching the vigor exhibited by the traffickers who exploit the easy platform of propagating the business, they encounter little deterrent from the existing laws.

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.

Unlike the preliminary beliefs that human trafficking targets specific region or race, it has emerged an increasing threat to public safety across the state. Today, the activity happens at any place. This suggests that this activity may emerge in the small towns, populated neighborhoods across varying socioeconomic and diverse ethnic backgrounds.

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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