Defining The Problem
Human trafficking is the transportation of people for the purpose of coercion to provide labour or unwilling individuals coerced into unwanted sexual activities. Trafficking in people is the third largest illegal economic activity by global crime cartels and earns them an average of 8 billion dollars per year. (the Miami Herald). According to Alvarez(2016), approximately 17500 people are victims in the US every year, with 33% passing through the Mexican border. These are people who are coerced by slave-like conditions, leading to sexual abuse and forced labour.
Biblical Guidelines:
The Bible does not allow human trafficking, which is slavery. In the Bible ( Exodus 6: 6-8, King James version), God promised to deliver the Israelites from the bondage of slavery where they were under every form of slavery. In the scriptures ( Exodus 21:16, King James version), God instructed that any man who kidnapped another and sold him or was caught restraining such a person was to be put to death. The scriptures do not allow the mistreatment of other human beings but instead encourage equality and respect among all men. The scriptures further state that people take advantage of others for selfish gain ( Ecclesiastes 8:9, New International version). Christian bible teachings appealed to early Christians to treat fellow Christians as brothers and not as slaves, even if some had been slaves before their conversion to the new faith. Since God’s law is the source of man-made laws, human trafficking should be completely eradicated in all its forms(Smith, 2017).
Constitutional Guidelines:
The US Constitution’s preamble to ‘Establish Justice’ and to ‘promote the general welfare’ ensures fair and equal treatment of people, which is the principal focus of the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution against England(Kelly, 2017). Various amendments have been made since. The section 9 subsection 1 of the constitution was amended by Congress and became effective in 1808. The 13th amendment of the Constitution of 1865 that abolished the slave trade followed. The United Nations recognizes that 21 million people worldwide are victims of the slave trade(Rosenblatt, 2017). The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 may have to be amended as trafficking continues with women sexually exploited today in America (Kinnery,2017).
References:
Alvarez, P. (2016), When Sex Trafficking Goes Unnoticed In America, the Atlantic, retrieved from, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/how-sex-trafficking-goes-unnoticed-in-america/470166/
Kelly, J.,(2017) US law to combat human trafficking earns an A+, So why doesn’t everyone support it?The Hill, retrieved from http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/343298-us-law-to-combat-human-trafficking-earns-an-a-so-why-doesnt
Kinnery, E.,(2017)House passes a sweeping overhaul of law to combat human trafficking, USA Today, retrieved from, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/07/12/house-passes-sweeping-overhaul-law-combat-human-trafficking/473550001/
Rosenblatt, K.,(2017). What happens to foreign Human trafficking Victims in the United States, Abc News, retrieved from, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/what-happens-foreign-human-trafficking-victims-united-states-n770041.
Smith, M.,(2017) Reauthorize, Don’t gut, the TVPA, Freedom Network USA, retrieved from, https://freedomnetworkusa.org/reauthorize-dont-gut-tvpa/
