Most solutions don’t address the root of the problem

Unfortunately, whilst there continues to be a market for sex trafficking, the supply, too, continues. Despite governments attempting to pass laws to reduce legal protection for online sex trafficking platforms, or large companies attempting to raise awareness on the issue by creating a fake, controversial sex trafficking website, the issue persists. We must ask ourselves why. The answer is that this issue is not being resolved at its core. Young girls are lured away from their homes with the promise of a brighter future for them than the ones they foresee, unknowingly being drawn into a ring of trafficking. In their pursuit of income and livelihood, they inadvertently sign up to work in brothels, fields, and homes. The biggest contributor to this issue is the lack of understanding of its context. We are unaware that it could be happening right under our noses or within our own homes. The greatest difficulty with grasping the magnitude and importance of such crises is the failure to realise that the root of the issue lies in poverty.

Human trafficking must be stopped at its core and this can only be done through aid and government support, which go directly towards tackling poverty in rural areas. This is wiser as opposed to tackling the legality of various online platforms. Needless to say, although this is an attempt at a solution, it is also a step in the wrong direction. By failing to recognise the issue for what it is — a consequence of impoverishment — we succeed in overlooking its seriousness. Upon understanding this, we can agree that this is not a problem which can be easily impeded or solved.

From Ms Sara Atassi