In the documentary “The Men of Atalissa,” 21 guys shared a bunkhouse and worked in a turkey processing facility. They were given pitiful pay and lived in deplorable circumstances. For many years, their task was to extract the intestines from the turkeys, which they did at a rate of 20,000 each day. The guys are now in their 60s and have no pensions or savings after decades of their hard labor. Food and housing were “deducted” from their income, as were payments for an unrealized retirement destination. For all of their extended amounts of time, the guys only earned around $65 per month, or 44 cents per hour, a sum that remained constant for years.
Factors That Made Victims Vulnerable To Exploitation.
Human trafficking may affect anybody who is vulnerable, but those with disabilities are at a higher risk for various factors. Foremost, people with disabilities may be especially susceptible to human trafficking offenses because, as a group, they are frequently the least able to defend themselves and the least able to receive aid through the criminal justice system. In this case, it may be seen that the men have disabilities and were unable to defend themselves because they were locked in a bunker house where no individual had access to them. The second factor involves social discrimination and prejudice they face. This may lead to authorities and victims’ relatives and friends not believing victims when they disclose abuse. This is particularly true for victims with the men of Atalissa who exhibit intellectual, cognitive, or communication difficulties, as well as those with mental health disorders (Woo, 2014). Lastly, the community failed to interact with the disabled. History demonstrates that anytime a group of people is considered inferior and designated for distinct treatment, that group becomes vulnerable to exploitation and abuse (Woo, 2014). As the inhabitants of Atalissa and the rest of the world turned their backs on them, the so-called “boys” were secluded, chastised in ever-more-terrifying ways for even small perceived transgressions, and forced to live in the circumstances unfit for animals. And individuals who claimed, and still profess, to love them did it all to them.
Similarities To and Differences from the Marion County Egg Farm Case
The Marion County Egg Farm case has equivalents and differences from “The Men of Atalissa” documentary. The first similarity is that victims in both documentaries are exploited based on poverty. In the case being studied by Frontline, Alberto’s family is impoverished while the Men of Atalissa were paid a lower wage. The second similarity entails that victims from both articles are tied and dread leaving for various reasons, including psychological pain, sympathy, emotional attachment, or threats of physical violence against themselves or the community. The major difference in both cases is that the egg farm case recounts the tale of Guatemalan teenagers who were trafficked into the United States and forced to live and work in virtual slavery, while the men of Atalissa recount the story regarding a group of disabled men. However, the group of men is paid a small amount of money for their work.
Potential Strategies To Identify And Effectively Respond To Labor Trafficking.
To identify and curb the rising cases of human trafficking, it is important to integrate effective strategies. You can check the sample essay on human trafficking. Foremost, create a well-coordinated transnational response. Because most human trafficking is multinational, nations must collaborate to combat crime. The results of this large-scale cross-border police operation highlight the importance of renowned entities in assisting police in source, transit, and destination nations to collaborate in combating the criminal networks underlying human trafficking (Farrell McDevitt & Fahy, 2014). The second strategy involves empowering strategic industries. The Government and advocacy organizations need to see the possibilities of enabling crucial sectors to assist in detecting and reporting human smuggling. The last strategy involves raising public awareness. Public awareness programs are an essential component of any anti-human trafficking effort (Farrell McDevitt & Fahy, 2014). The Government must include a “broader viewpoint” into prevention programs, concentrating not just on boosting knowledge about recognizing fake employment offers but also on preventing poverty and prejudice.
Conclusion
The issue of human trafficking and impairments is far from “new” or “developing.” What occurred at Atalissa is not replicated in every sheltered factory in the same awful fashion. Still, it is the final, inevitable result of classifying American workers with disabilities as inferior. When people feel that fellow humans are inferior, people tend to establish the framework for gradually and inevitably depriving them of their humanity. To deny disabled employees the same labor rights as anyone is to undermine their humanity.
