Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings mainly for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. The buying and selling of humans is a growing criminal business in the world. Centrally located Cambodia is a sending, receiving and transit country for human trafficking in the Mekong subregion. Victims often believe they are being recruited for the purpose of domestic work, but mostly are forced into sexual slavery. Approximately one-third of the women and girls in prostitution in Cambodia are from Vietnam, Cambodians are most commonly enslaved to Thailand and Malaysia.
Human trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings mainly for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor. The buying and selling of humans is a growing criminal business in the world - human trafficking is the third most profitable illegal activity, right under arms dealing and drug trade. Millions people are victims of forced prostitution and labor.
On my journeys through Asia I have met a lot of people in such circumstances of living. I feel the urgency to show what is happening in the world, in which circumstances people are living.
I started with the first part of my photo-essay about human trafficking in Thailand and Cambodia. Centrally located Cambodia is a sending, receiving and transit country for transnational human trafficking in the Mekong subregion. Poor families often sell their daughters and sons to survive. Victims often believe they are being recruited for the purpose of domestic work, but mostly are forced into sexual slavery. Approximately one-third of the women and girls in prostitution in Cambodia are from Vietnam, Cambodians are most commonly enslaved to Thailand and Malaysia for the purpose of commercial sex, begging, domestic work, fishing and construction.
But where does human trafficking start, where does it end?
The next step will be to show that human trafficking is not a specific Asian problem, it is a global problem. I am going to continue my essay in Europe. We live in a class society, exploitation has become the norm. We all benefit from this, human trafficking is not limited to prostitution in Asian countries. There are cheap elderly care nurses from Poland in Germany, cleaning ladies from Russia, illegal kitchen helps from Ghana in 5 stars restaurants etc.