What did you feel after watching the video?
It was devastating seen young women leaving their families and being traded for sexual purposes. I felt really sad for the victims and the families who were left behind when their loved ones were enslaved sexually.
What were the root causes of HT cases as seen in the documentary?
Poverty was one of the root causes of human trafficking where the victims were lured into going to other nations to look for greener pastures. Easy accessibility and high demand for girls because of their beauty made it easy to trade them. Human trafficking was also a highly profitable business and this made it very attractive for the traffickers.
What signs of consequences did you see in victims of human trafficking?
They are psychologically devastated from the beating and suffering they endure from their sexual exploiters. They are traumatized from their ordeal and need time to heal. The victims are haunted by the memories of their experiences at the hands of their captors.
What were the characteristics of the traffickers and other intermediaries who facilitate HT?
A trafficker like Apo lacked human decency and was very violent, he lacked principles and was cruel while other intermediaries like Vlad were selfish and only considered their own personal interests.
How does corruption play role in the cases you watched?
Vlad was sentenced to only 5 years of probation because he had a good lawyer instead of getting the 8 years to 15years jail time. Also, police officers stood by and watched while the exchange took place between the traffickers and as a result, many women were sold into sexual exploitation.
How do you feel about the punishment given to the trafficker?
The 5 year sentence on probation was very little and this sentence did not offer any justice to the victim. Such a punishment would only encourage the trafficker to continue with the business.
What can be done as a counter-trafficking strategy?
First strategy would be to create awareness on human trafficking so that people would be knowledgeable about it. Imposing hefty sentences on those found engaging in the human trafficking business and inspecting thoroughly goods being shipped in and out of countries.
