Human trafficking affects the global economy as source countries lose part of their labour supplies and transit and destination countries deal with the costs of illegal immigration. Breakdowns in inter- national trade relations can occur when human trafficking becomes a bargaining issue.

Political instability, militarism, civil unrest, internal armed conflict and natural disasters may result in an increase in trafficking. The destabilization and displacement of populations increase their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse through trafficking and forced labour.

The major factors — on both a societal and personal level — that cause or contribute to people being vulnerable to trafficking include:

• Political Instability.
• Poverty.
• Racism and the Legacy of Colonialism.
• Gender Inequality.
• Addictions.
• Mental Health.

The Economic Impact of Human Trafficking. Human trafficking is estimated to generate around $150 billion annually. It is one of the fastest growing sources of income for organized crime, exceeded only by drugs and arms trade.

There are many outcomes of what may be if human trafficking continues. Human trafficking could take a downward turn because of the amount of criminals that are involved in crimes such as child pornography and prostitution. This causes children to grow up faster than they are intended, leaving no residual innocence.

Lastly, traffickers keep victims silent by offering them a glimmer of hope. For example, traffickers might offer victims a set timeframe—say, 10 or 15 years—of servitude. Traffickers make false promises to victims that they will be released once they pay off these debts, which may seem like the only option to victims.

The largest number of people trafficked into the United States come from East Asia and the Pacific (5,000 to 7,000 victims). The next highest numbers come from Latin America and from Europe and Eurasia, with between 3,500 and 5,500 victims from each.

Because it is run by criminals who are good at what they do, the sites of someone being trafficked are difficult to observe, and you don’t want to mess with human traffickers. So human trafficking is difficult to stop because there is always demand, and where there is demand there are people who will provide supply.

Sex and human traffickers get their victims through the use of physical force, threats, psychological manipulation, and other tactics. Sex and human traffickers use many different tactics to recruit and obtain their victims, including both forcible participation and psychological manipulation.