Partnering Against Trafficking

 

Twenty-year-old Oxana Rantchev left her home in Russia in 2001 for what she believed was a job as a translator in Cyprus. A few days later, she was found dead after attempting to escape the traffickers who tried to force her into prostitution.

Oxana's story is the story of modern slavery. Around the world, millions of people are living in bondage. They labour in fields and factories under threat of violence if they try to escape. They work in homes for families that keep them virtually imprisoned. They are forced to work as prostitutes or to beg in the streets. Women, men and children of all ages are often held far from home with no money, no connections and no way to ask for help. They discover too late that they've entered a trap of forced labour, sexual exploitation and brutal violence. The United Nations estimates that at least 12 million people worldwide are victims of trafficking. Because they often live and work out of sight, that number is almost certainly too low. More than half of all victims of forced labor are women and girls, compelled into servitude as domestic or sweatshop workers or, like Oxana, forced into prostitution. They face not only the loss of their freedom but also sexual assaults and physical abuses.

To some, human trafficking may seem like a problem limited to other parts of the world. In fact, it occurs in every country, including the United States, and we have a responsibility to fight it just as others do. The destructive effects of trafficking have an impact on all of us. Trafficking weakens legitimate economies, breaks up families, fuels violence, threatens public health and safety, and shreds the social fabric that is necessary for progress. It undermines our long-term efforts to promote peace and prosperity worldwide. And it is an affront to our values and our commitment to human rights.

The Obama administration views the fight against human trafficking, at home and abroad, as an important priority on our foreign policy agenda. The problem is particularly urgent now, as local economies around the world reel from the global financial crisis. People are increasingly desperate for the chance to support their families, making them more susceptible to the tricks of ruthless criminals. Economic pressure means more incentive for unscrupulous bosses to squeeze everything they can from vulnerable workers and fewer resources for the organizations and governments trying to stop them.

The challenge of trafficking demands a comprehensive approach that both brings down criminals and cares for victims. To our strategy of prosecution, protection and prevention, it's time to add a fourth P: partnerships.

The criminal networks that enslave millions of people cross borders and span continents. Our response must do the same. Human trafficking flourishes in the shadows and demands attention, commitment and passion from all of us. Together, we must hold a light to every corner of the globe and help build a world in which no one is enslaved.

By Hillary Rodham Clinton

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Language Focus

 

Explain the meaning of the following words and word combinations. Translate them into Russian/Belarusian

– to traffick (in) sth/sb;

– bondage;

– to live in bondage;

– forced labour;

– to fuel sth;

– to undermine sth;

– to be an affront to sth;

– to be susceptible to sth;

– a copmprehensive approach;

– to enslave sb;

– to hold a light;

– to force sb into sth.

 

Speech Activities

Answer the following questions. Make use of the supplementary text “Cheated and Betrayed”

1. What causes trafficking in person?

2. Who becomes victims of trafficking? Why?

3. What forms of forced labour are discussed in the text?

4. What approach does the challenge of trafficking demand?

5. How does the Obama administration view the fight against human trafficking, at home and abroad?

6. What is the aftermath of trafficking in humans?

7. What is the incidence of trafficking in human beings worldwide and in this country? Support your reflections with some evidence/proofs.

8. What should be done to reduce the scope of human trafficking?

 

Discussion

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