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Introduction: Diffusing the Politics of Human Trafficking from Europe to Asia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2021

Laura Dean
Laura Dean
Affiliation:
Millikin University
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Summary

Muratbek along with his cousin and neighbour were promised agricultural jobs by an acquaintance in their home country of Uzbekistan. Instead of employment they were forced to work as indentured servants for 14 hours a day on a cattle ranch in the Caucasus region of Russia. They suffered frequent beatings from their captors on the farm because they were Uzbek. When they finally escaped, they could not report what had occurred to the police in Russia because they entered the country illegally and would be deported if they reported the crime (Narizhnaya, 2012). Beyond the physical injuries male victims of forced labour endure, the long-term effects include post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, disabilities, and victims often have a hard time holding stable jobs in the future (Surtees, 2008). When they returned home to Uzbekistan there were limited rehabilitation services available to them because they were male trafficking victims. Without rehabilitation services and with limited opportunities for employment in Uzbekistan they are likely to look for work abroad and possibly become victims of forced labour once again, perpetuating the cycle of human trafficking.

Muratbek and his friends are the new face of human trafficking from Europe to Asia. They are a far cry from the female victims of sex trafficking, dubbed ‘Natashas’ because of their seemingly similar Slavic features (Hughes, 2000) that most people associate with Eurasia and that most trafficking legislation is designed to help. Acknowledging male victims and forced labour requires governments in this region to take a holistic approach to combating human trafficking by adopting laws and offering rehabilitation services for all victims of human trafficking. It necessitates human trafficking institutions such as police and social services being open to providing rehabilitation to different types of victims and shelters to house men and children as well as women. Including all victims of trafficking also demands international actors focus on more than just sex trafficking in the signals that they send to states on the importance of combating this problem. Expanding the idea of victim beyond ‘Natashas’ requires governments to take a renewed focus on labour trafficking as an important aspect of this crime and include labour ministries in their anti-trafficking efforts and networks.

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Diffusing Human Trafficking Policy in Eurasia , pp. 1 - 22
Publisher: Bristol University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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