The Onset of Human Trafficking in Africa through Medical Perspectives

Due to globalization, interactions between Africa and the rest of the world have expanded beyond its continent. As a result, native-Africans scattered all over the world due to forced and voluntary migrations- a phenomenon known as the African Diaspora. Exploitation of the African Diaspora networks have paved the way for recruitment and transportation of the victims of human trafficking due to language barriers, vulnerability, and lack of knowledge of procedure for the migrants involved. In fact, much of today’s human trafficking would not be possible without these diaspora networks. Human trafficking is defined as the exchange of human beings for the price of forced labor, sex or other means of commercial acts. The increase of human trafficking chains caused victims to experience severe psychological and physical health complications, including PTSD, trauma, substance abuse, and genital mutilation, as well as physical, mental and emotional abuse. Consequently, victims are more susceptible to other diseases and psychological effects. In order to fully understand and observe the consequences of human trafficking and what the victims experience, retrospective analysis of past data and current statistical data reveal the severity of the situation, as well as the vulnerability of the victims involved. This research seeks to personalize the victims of human trafficking in Africa to raise awareness to the surrounding communities and organizations in order to emphasize the importance of resolving this issue