Assignment 4 - Sociological theories PDF

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Sociological theories...

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Human Trafficking and It’s Relation to The Four Sociological Theories.

Course: Sociology 1000 Submitted by Sara Drover Submitted to: Prof. Stokes Date: December 6th, 2019

Introduction:

In recent years, human trafficking has been an increasing issue all around the globe. Human trafficking involves the act of luring individuals who are vulnerable as they crave dependency and are then easier to abuse. The traffickers will enslave, coerce (force someone into doing an act that goes against their will), and exploit their victims (Anti-Slavery International, 2019). In this essay, I will analyze this sinister social issue through the use of symbolic interactionalism, structural functionalism, conflict theory, and feminist theory. Men mostly dominate the trafficking industry at 63%, but 37% of traffickers are women to unpopular belief. Trafficking occurs all around the world including America, Brazil, and even Canada. Recently in Toronto, by the name of Deanna Passera was arrested and had many charges placed upon her for distribution of child pornography, and for the controlment and trafficking of a person under the age of 18 (News Staff 2019). There are many ways in which traffickers use their victims such as forced labour, prostitution, forced criminality, and even forced organ removal (Anti-Slavery International 2019). Economic factors are one of the many reasons why traffickers exploit people. A common demand for people is cheap labor and sex and this gives the perfect opportunity for people to make a profit off of their victims (Soken-Huberty). Within this issue, I see conflict theory most prominent as the traffickers have a large amount of power against their victims. They display this power by beating, threatening their families, controlling their mind with emotional power, and many other ways. First, I will analyse human trafficking through symbolic interactionism, then through structural functionalism, the conflict theory, and the feminist theory, respectively.

Symbolic-Interaction Interpretation:

According to Catherine Corrigall-Brown, symbolic interactionism is defined as “a theory that argues that meanings do not naturally attach to things – we derive meaning from and come to understand our society and our role in it through interacting with other people” (CorrigallBrown 2016). In other words, it recognizes how a person has their own meaning in regard to their relationships and situations. When the victims are called derogatory terms and forced into prostitution, they begin to believe that they are unworthy of a positive life and do not deserve anything besides what they are receiving. From the many horrific experiences, the situations will stick with the victims for the remainder of their lives and will begin to desire these feelings. For example, a child who is placed into forced criminality at a young age and participate in these acts will grow up to believe that these are normal circumstances and that all children have to go through the abuse and harassment that the traffickers enforce. Whatever they undergo will be placed upon life in general as the victims have to face these things everyday as every person has a different perception of society. Human trafficking is a world-wide issue, every victim will face different forms of victimization and harassment and therefore will have their own portrayal of human life and individual symbolic meanings. An advantage to this theory could involve the fact that every person may not have the same sinister experience meaning forced prostitution and dangerous labour possibly may not play a role in their trafficking experience. Although everyone may not face the same problems, those who do will have a psychological issue embedded into their mind that this is how there is supposed to function and will never be able to know what it is like to have a normal, happy, and playful childhood/teenage years that you are supposed to engage in growing up. Next, I will discuss how structural functionalism conveys the idea of human trafficking.

Structural Functionalism Interpretation: Structural functionalism is defined as a theory that looks at bow society and/or institutions work together to create cohesion and looks at how society works functionally (Corrigall-Brown 2016). In regard to human trafficking and structural functionalism, the victims are made vulnerable by many factors given by the perpetrators and thus helps to assist the functions of human trafficking. Typically, but not always, the targets are those from a lesser developed society and are in poverty. Being from these places with no resources and being in a position where you offered a chance to make money you overlook the possible consequences. Due to poverty and an unstable government, people become willing to accept severe work environments or having to move to distant locations for work. With human trafficking, both the victim and trafficker gain a profit from the forced labor and prostitution. Even though the traffickers may also make an income, the amount may be so miniscule that it will not assist their needs or help them to become independent. Trafficking is an industry of supply and demand, the cohesion is achieved through the perpetrators supplying the consumers with their needs, and the corrupted individuals giving the demand to the consumers, purchasing cheap labor in a well-developed area. A strength of this theory is that the functionality between the trafficker and the victim will provide a steady income for the trafficker as it is their job to exploit their victim, providing them with a more developed lifestyle. A large disadvantage is the fact that even though the causality might receive a portion of the money, the amount may so miniscule that in no possible way would it be a form of support in their lives or be able to afford the basic necessities needed for survival. Although structural

functionalism has a strong relation to human trafficking, I will now discuss the issue through the conflict theory which I believe has the strongest connect in regard to this social issue.

Conflict Theory Interpretation: Conflict theory is the theory that “some individuals and groups have more power in society than others – the struggle over power is key to social life” (Allyson Stokes 2019). In relation to the conflict the conflict theory, people of higher status have a strong influence on those of lower class in making them believe that they are worthless or can guilt them into acting a certain way to their advantage. Therefore, I see the conflict theory relating the most to human trafficking as the traffickers have a vast amount of power against their victims. Traffickers may promise their targets many great opportunities including a romantic relationship, a well-paying job, a new start on life, etc. The trafickees fall for these tactics as they are vulnerable and/or from a less developed society and are searching for comfort and any way possible to make a living. The traffickers will try to get inside the mind of the victims to find their vulnerabilities to gain the dominance and use it against them. Through the use of their emotional power, taking away their identities (burning birth certificates and creating new ones for example), and threats to their families the assertiveness of power is more than likely to occur as they have found a way to gain control and ruin lives in the worst way imaginable. Traffickers see victims as worthless and letting them know their thoughts put them at high levels of emotional stress and then fear going against them. There are many advantages for the traffickers as the targets may be too frightened to report what is happening to them due to all the threats being placed upon them. But there are also some disadvantages as slavery is now strictly prohibited and if in some way their

industry is busted, they are at risk for a maximum of 20 years in prison. Finally, I will now discuss this societal matter through the feminist theory.

Feminist Theory: The feminist theory is described as the inequality in relation to gender and the social construct that comes along with it (Jennifer Carlson, Raka Kay 2018). The exploitation of women and young females through the means of forced prostitution and forced marriage is viewed as the most gainful way to make money for the perpetrators. The corruption of women and girls is one of, if not, the most popular form of human trafficking. Violence against women is a reoccurring issue as men believe they hold a dominant power against females and therefore will manipulate them because of male privilege and the belief that they have a right to do with whatever they want to a women’s body. All humans including men, women, children, and young adults are at a high risk of being abducted, but women in particular are significantly desired in the sexual market as their gender plays a role in the demand. According to USA Today, 99% of trafficking victims are identified as women and young girls who are forced into sexual labor (Cara Kelly 2019). Also, it has been reported that girls in the foster care system are more vulnerable due to the instability of being forced into numerous homes and group homes and will then fall into the manipulation of traffickers who provide insurance that they will love and care for them, and some traffickers may search for their next victim inside of these group homes as they are aware of their immense amount of frailness and their desire to be cared for (Cara Kelly 2019). Patriarchy also a role in relation to the feminist theory and human trafficking. Patriarchy is defined as “a social system in which power is held by men, through cultural norms and

customs that favor men and without opportunity from women” (Dictionary.com 2019). Sex trafficking is one of the many inequalities that a woman has to face due to the patriarchal society we now live in. Growing up, girls are taught that we need men in our lives to be protected and loved and our world revolves around the perfect relationship with a man. Those who cannot find that relationship may become desperate to be with anyone that comes along their way and them men who know this will take advantage of the situation, make them feel loved and wanted for once in their life and flip the situation around to make their time spent with them a living hell for their own benefit. Within this theory, I do not see many advantages. But there are many disadvantages including women have to be more on the lookout for the signs of trafficking and try their best to eliminate the factors that they hold that may make them more suspectable to becoming a victim of human trafficking. Also because of the fear of being abducted and sold into the slavery market by men, women may try to avoid strange men at all costs and therefore not finding a relationship as they are taught that a relationship with a man will lead to a happy life.

Conclusion: Human trafficking is the act of recruiting individuals to exploit them through forced prostitution and forced labor through the use of violence, coercion, and threats. Due to the immense amount of vulnerability and dependency someone may possess, it puts them at a higher risk for human trafficking as that is what the perpetrators search for within their victims. The four sociological theories each have their own relation to this social issue. Symbolic interactionism explains how the victims take their experience and will then apply it to their everyday life even though they may have escaped it and therefore will have the mindset that the

derogatory terms and horrendous experiences is what they deserve in life due to the manipulation. Structural functionalism portrays how the cohesiveness of the trafficker and the victim provides a money source for the perpetrator being one of the many reasons as to why they decided to traffic a human. The conflict theory states how the traffickers will have a large amount of power held against their victims by threatening their families and using emotional abuse to force them into any action they desire. And finally, the feminist theory shows how women are more subjected to human trafficking due to the demand of sex with women and women are seen as more vulnerable due to their knowledge that a relationship with a man is key to life. Within human trafficking, the conflict theory is what I believe to be most prominent for understanding this issue. Men have a domination over women possessing a power and influence to oppress their victims into doing whatever crime or event that they or a consumer may desire. Also, for the children who are being succumbed into trafficking have a lack of power towards adults as they are taught that adults are superior and should always listen to your elders buts them at a higher risk of being abducted due to following the rules given by someone of a higher status. The authority that adults/traffickers hold allow them to do whatever they want to their victims. The targets become too frightened by their abductors to do anything about what they are being put through and therefore may experience many long years of having to deal with their lives being taken away. By discussing the issue of human trafficking through the four sociological perspectives, the conflict theory is what stands out the most.

References

Corrigall-Brown, Catherine. 2016. “Imagining Sociology”. Stokes. Allyson. 2019. “Sociology 1000 Socialization Lecture” September 17 and 19. Carlson, Jennifer, Raka Kay. 2018. “Feminist Theory”. June 18. Retrieved November 30th, 2019. (https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756384/obo9780199756384-0020.xml) Kelly, Cara. 2019. “13 Sex Trafficking Statistics That Explain the Enormity of the Global Sex Trade” July 29. Retrieved December 1, 2019. (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2019/07/29/12-trafficking-statisticsenormity-global-sex-trade/1755192001/) News Staff. 2019. “Fourth Person Arrested in Connection with Human Trafficking investigation.” City News, November 26. Retrieved November 30, 2019. (https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/11/26/fourth-person-arrested-in-connection-with-humantrafficking-investigation/) Anti-Slavery International. 2019. “What is human Trafficking?” Retrieved November 30, 2019. (https://www.antislavery.org/slavery-today/human-trafficking/) Dictionary.com. 2019. (Definition of Patriarchy). Retrieved November 30, 2019. (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/patriarchy)...