Human Trafficking - The Underground Human Slave Trade

The film: Human Trafficking
The assignment: What are your reactions to the film?

Eliyahu N. Kassorla

Global Social Problems

C. Dale, Ph.D.

                                                     Reaction to Human Trafficking                                     

            The film Human Trafficking explores the complicated web of the world of illicit human trafficking, their sale and exploitation in bondage. The film follows several victims, Nadia Tagarov and Helena Votrubova from the former Soviet Union, as well as Annie and her mother, Samantha Gray; victims from closer to home: Unites States citizens.

            I felt that the film did an excellent job of portraying the struggle between crime syndicates and law enforcement officers. From the beginning, in discovering the death of an illegal immigrant, there was a constant cat-and-mouse game of finding the Mafia’s safe houses, keeping the women segregated, locking the doors from the inside, and keeping the women silenced. This maltreatment for women, as well as a constant recruiting, reinforces the belief that these women are expendable.

Another struggle portrayed is getting witnesses to testify. Helena, fearful of her daughter’s safety, negotiates with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She will testify if her mother and daughter are bought to the United States, away from the close reach of the Russian Mafia. When Helena’s location is discovered and she is killed, the other women do not want to cooperate with the ICE investigation – they do not want to die like Helena.

Annie Gray, a victim taken while vacationing in the Philippines, is a normal vacationer. While millions of people go on vacation every year, none expects an innocent weekend getaway to become a hunt to find a loved one. Samantha Gray, Annie’s mother, franticly searches for her daughter. Annie’s impact is that she shows us that it’s not just a problem in a far-away locale, but a problem that is far too easy to stumble into.