The Fourcast JADE March 2022

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Rising temperatures, rising terror Climate-related natural disasters linked to risk of human trafficking

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Maddie Stout, Editor-in-Chief

ur oceans are becoming more acidic. Our glaciers are shrinking. Our coral reefs are disappearing. Our planet is changing drastically, but Earth itself is not the only thing affected by climate change. No, global rights is more than an environmental issue – it’s a human rights problem. As greenhouse gasses continue to flow into the atmosphere, the possibility and frequency of extreme weather events continues to rise. Over the past 50 years, climate and weatherrelated disasters have increased by five times, and this is only increasing, according to the World Meteorological Organization. With this comes the inevitable destruction of homes, water sources and food sources, all of which are listed by the United Nations in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. These disasters displace millions of people, forcing them to move to new cities or countries and abandon their previous lives. Not only does this affect the economy, it can also lead to human trafficking.

What is human trafficking? Often referred to as a form of modern-day slavery, the Department of Homeland Security defines human

trafficking as “the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.” While common in all parts of the world, human trafficking is especially prevalent in areas of lower economic status, as traffickers often target individuals seeking support, such as shelter, food or money. Human trafficking can be divided into two categories: labor trafficking and sex trafficking. Labor trafficking forces an individual into a service or area of work, including agriculture, food service and construction, although it can and does occur in every industry imaginable, according to the Polaris Project. Sex trafficking, as defined by Shared Hope International, occurs when one is forced to perform a sexual act in exchange for an item of value.

Climate change connection Since traffickers often search for individuals with low self-value or in need of support, those displaced by natural disasters are often an ideal target for trafficking. In many instances, entering labor or sex trafficking is the fastest, most accessible way to make money in an unfamiliar environment. Already, this problem has impacted

millions around the world. According to a report from the International Institute for Environment and Development and Anti-Slavery International, a drought in northern Ghana led many young men and women to migrate to major cities. There, many of the women began working as porters, putting them at high risk for trafficking, sexual exploitation and debt bondage, The Guardian reported. In Bangladesh, a similar situation occurred: following severe cyclones that reduced the amount of land available for farming, traffickers began targeting widows and men wanting to cross the border into India to find employment and income. Trafficking victims were often forced into hard labor and prostitution, according to The Guardian. Bernard Ferguson, a journalist from the Bahamas, returned to his home country following Hurricane Dorian for a story in The New York Times Magazine. Ferguson found that in addition to the detriment to the actual land, the people of the Bahamas faced many consequences. “The landscape is forever changed, but what’s most terrifying for me is the effect Dorian had on people’s psyches,” Ferguson said. “In the aftermath,


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