Human trafficking and technology : the commercial exploitation of women and children

Abstract

Human trafficking, both trafficking in persons and cyber-trafficking, is a multi-billion international organized crime that is occurring somewhere in the world as you are reading this. This form of crime has been increasing in number each year. Furthermore, there are different forms of human trafficking and commercial exploitation is only a small part of it. Inevitably, as the number of crimes increase, the number of victims also increase and quick action is needed. Moreover, as technology developed/improved, more of these tools have been exploited by traffickers to carry out these human rights violations. Having traced contextualized differences between trafficking in persons and cyber trafficking, this paper aims to analyse the current framework of human trafficking in connection with technology. The discussion on human trafficking during the Covid-19 pandemic will show a strong connection of technology, particularly, internet websites and human trafficking, as well as how traffickers take advantage of poverty to conduct the crime. Using the Philippines as a case study, human trafficking (cyber-trafficking) of women and children is a significant issue, and unfortunately the number of trafficking cases has increased during the coronavirus pandemic. The focus of the paper will turn to countermeasures of human trafficking both legally and practically. Legally, how current legal and policy regimes can combat cyber-trafficking. Practically, how we can make use of technology to combat cyber-trafficking since the crime is happening on cyberspace. Law and technology may be able to combat cyber-trafficking to some extent. However, there will be issues arising from using such countermeasures. Hence, the research question of this paper will be what are the challenges and human rights issues arising from involving technology in human trafficking.