how to write an argumentative essay on human trafficking

Memorable Human Trafficking Essay: Topics & Outline [2024]

Human trafficking is a controversial and highly disputed topic. If your task is to write a text about this serious problem, we will help you! This article will look at essential tips for a well-written human trafficking argumentative essay. Also, you will get a comprehensive list of 75 topics for your research paper or essay on human trafficking. For even more content, you can take a look at our database of essays .

Let’s start!

What Is Human Trafficking?

How to write essay on human trafficking.

• Research Topics

Human trafficking is the process of forcing people to work or have sex against their will. Every year, millions of people worldwide become victims of criminals. No one can be sure that this will not affect them. Traffickers are not interested in the victim’s age, gender, or race — anyone is nothing more than a commodity.

Causes of Human Trafficking

Now, for better writing of human trafficking essay, it is worth understanding the topic’s causes. Here are the most common of them:

✔️ Poverty and lack of stability. The primary victims of traffickers are migrants and the population suffering from wars, disasters, etc. They simply do not have the opportunity to defend their rights and protect themselves. This makes them potential crime victims .

✔️ Devaluation of women and children rights. Some societies have specific cultural norms about women and children. Examples include early forced marriage or lack of birth registration. This further compromises the rights of vulnerable groups of the population and leads to dire consequences. USAID states that 27.6 million people, including children, are trafficked and bought for criminal purposes. Moreover, 98% of victims of sexual exploitation are women and young girls. You should definitely investigate this information in your essay. Causes of human trafficking could be different, but that`s one of the most common.

✔️ Cheap labor. A stable job with a good salary can be a tempting proposition for the poor. Traffickers are well aware of this when they offer employment in restaurants, in the fields, etc. Unfortunately, some employers do not prevent human rights violations and cooperate with criminals.

✔️ Big profit. Human trafficking is the second largest industry in the underworld, with a turnover of $150 billion. Naturally, some do not hesitate to commit a crime for the sake of such earnings. To get more information, you could check more essays about organ trafficking .

✔️ The complexity of detecting crimes. Of course, criminals have learned to hide their actions well, but there are other reasons. It should be understood that victims often do not report violations of their rights. A report from the Canadian Center to End Human Trafficking lists more than five main reasons for this behavior, including a warped perception of the judicial system and fear.

Next, we will look at the types of human trafficking you may encounter in your research of this topic.

Types of Human Trafficking

Let’s delve deeper into the issue and find out about the kinds of trafficking:

🔥 Sexual exploitation

Sexual exploitation is one of the most common and lucrative types of human trafficking. About two-thirds of crimes are committed in this direction. In pursuit of a better life, women and children from all over the world fall into the traps of criminals. The victims are issued with forged documents and forced to live and work in inhuman conditions.

🔥 Forced labor

Often, scammers guarantee their victims a stable job in another city or country, promising good conditions and security. But as soon as people get to traffickers, they are immediately sold for slave labor . They can be sent to plantations, mines, construction sites, or to do other hard work.

🔥 Ilegal orders

In this case, the victims, being captured, become forced executors of the plans of the of criminal gangs’ leaders. Due to the constant terror and threats, they have no other choice. For example, victims may be involved in drug cultivation, begging, or selling counterfeit goods.

Human Trafficking Awareness Month

There is no reliable way to protect yourself from crime or stop human trafficking at the moment. That is why every January, a human trafficking awareness month takes place in the United States. During this period, the U.S. Department of State raises awareness of human trafficking at home and abroad. Also, many international organizations hold seminars and workshops aimed at helping people identify crimes.

What does this mean for you?

It should be understood that knowledge in this topic is essential not only for writing an essay but also in everyday life. After all, everyone can help the world to get rid of human trafficking.

Human Trafficking Movies

How about watching a movie? We have compiled a list of 5 human trafficking movies to help you finalize your thoughts on the topic. Sure, some of them have a share of fiction, but they fully reflect the actual situation.

Here`s the list:

The Whistleblower (2010)

The Whistleblower is a crime drama based on actual events. The main character, as part of the U.N. peacekeeping mission, arrives in Bosnia. In the process of completing the assignment, she discovers an illegal network selling people. Katherine Bolkovats, played by Rachel Weisz, will not sit idly by and will arrest the intruders. However, not everyone shares her enthusiasm. Corruption and apathy become the reasons for the dismissal of the human rights defender.

Tricked (2013)

Tricked is a documentary film about the fight against trafficking in large cities in the United States. You have the opportunity to observe the activities of the Denver human trafficking police squad, which persecute criminals. However, budget cuts and poor court performance make their work meaningless. This movie can help you before writing an essay on human trafficking.

I am Jane Doe (2017)

A Netflix documentary shows the story of the lawsuit against Backpage.com. This site has been displaying ads for the sale of people for sexual slavery for years. After a private screening of the film in Congress, the FBI blocked Backpage’s activities. This story could become a good research topic for an essay on human trafficking .

Girl Model (2011)

Girl Model is a documentary focusing on the Japanese human trafficking markets. In this film, one can observe how traffickers lure victims in. The authors also raise the burning topic of the relationship between the modeling business and the human trafficking industry.

Priceless (2016)

Priceless is a romantic drama from “For King and Country” that sheds light on the role of conventional transporters in human trafficking. In this film, the fictional character of James Stevens is carrying a load of people without knowing anything about it.

We hope our selection will help you, but we will go directly to learning how to write a human trafficking essay for now!

Human trafficking college essays are similar to other academic papers. However, if you have no idea where to start, don’t worry! We have prepared a detailed plan, following which will help you remember the procedure once and for all.

The human trafficking essay outline is an essential preparatory step before writing the main body of an essay. It is crucial to organize your arguments and evidence and write a short structure of the academic work at this stage. It will not be superfluous to think in advance what you will write in each section and paragraph.

Here’s an example of a possible structure:

Now let’s move on to the analysis of each element!

Human Trafficking Thesis Statement: Examples & Tips

After choosing a topic and preparing a plan, it’s time to formulate the essay’s main idea. The human trafficking essay thesis is a clear statement, mainly at the end of the introduction. The introduction should smoothly lead to this thesis, and the rest of the article should prove or refute it.

Here are some examples of what a thesis statement for human trafficking paper might look like:

“Trafficking in human beings violates the basic rights of victims so that it can be equated with a crime against humanity.”

“Trafficking in human beings is a problem that has not been addressed in the past, so it still has an impact on the international community.”

“The condemnation of the international community has not helped solve the problem of human trafficking in recent decades.”

If you would like more examples of thesis statements, there are dozens of 500 words human trafficking essays on our site.

Human Trafficking Essay Introduction

As mentioned earlier, the entire human trafficking essay introduction should lead the reader to your main point. Therefore, don’t add new and important information here. A good option would be to tell a little about the term’s history or provide general statistics. In addition, you can write a couple of introductory phrases to hook the reader and acquaint them with your thoughts on this issue. At the end of the introduction paragraph, you should insert your thesis statement. After that, you can move on to the next section.

Human Trafficking Argumentative Essay Body

You should put all the vital information obtained during the research in this section. The reader will appreciate it if you refer to sources or even quote famous people!

The main section also has some unspoken rules. It will be much better if, after the introduction, you immediately show your main argument. It should be followed by evidence based on other research, statistics, etc. This cycle can be repeated until you run out of ideas. By adhering to this structure, you’ll make the essay more understandable for the reader.

Essay on Human Trafficking: Conclusion

A human trafficking essay conclusion is an equally important part of the whole work. At this point, you should consider everything you have written and restate a thesis. A competent conclusion will allow the reader to understand that you know the topic.

75 Human Trafficking Research Topics

Now you can confidently say that you have a well-written, well-reasoned human trafficking essay almost ready. To give you some inspiration, we have compiled a selection of 75 human trafficking essay topics. Read them, and feel free to start writing!

If you want more ideas, read other human trafficking essay examples on our website.

• The main reasons why human trafficking is still relevant today.
• How can you fight human trafficking as a social problem ?
• Explore the history of child labor in America.
• How can we prevent human trafficking?
• Which countries are most affected by illegal human trafficking?
• What are the three types of human trafficking as a modern-day slavery ?
• How does prostitution relate to human trafficking?
• Which organizations are successful in fighting trafficking?
• What is human trafficking awareness month?
• The problem of using child labor by big companies.

• How is the international community fighting human trafficking ?
• How is human trafficking related to modern slavery ?
• Investigate terrorists as subjects of human trafficking.
• How has globalization affected human trafficking?
• How is the film industry helping to combat human trafficking?
• Human trafficking problems in China.
• Will human trafficking ever end?
• What is the situation with human trafficking in the Philippines?
• What are the possible solutions to the threat of human trafficking ?
• Analyze the trafficking situation in Mexico.
• How Mexican cartels are involved in human trafficking.
• What are security issues on the border between Africa and Europe?
• Which segments of the population are most affected by traffickers?
• Effects of human trafficking on the victims
• How does the human psyche change after slavery ?
• Is human trafficking a problem for all humanity?
• Why are children and women vulnerable to traffickers?
• Why are migrants often victims of slave traders?
• The moral side of the problem of human trafficking.
• How to understand that a person is in bondage?

• Human trafficking in Florida : legal aspects.
• How to protect yourself from human traffickers?
• Countries that actively use forced labor .
• Assess organs trafficking as a component of human trafficking.
• How does the war affect the situation with human trafficking?
• How do natural disasters affect the human trafficking situation?
• The Impact of the Internet on the human trafficking industry.
• Models as victims of human trafficking .
• Linking child pornography to the human trafficking industry.
• Who are major buyers in captive markets?
• What is the reason for the popularity of child exploitation as a form of human trafficking ?
• Who is interested in the prosperity of human trafficking?
• Are the government’s anti-trafficking campaigns effective?
• How has technology affected the sexual exploitation situation?
• How does community culture influence the spread of human trafficking?
• Is human trafficking a problem for each country or the world as a whole?
• How does poverty affect the trafficking situation?
• Human trafficking as a national security risk.
• What modern slavery looks like, or what is human trafficking?
• Does the U.S. government succeed in combating human trafficking?
• The role of regular cargo transportation in human trafficking.
• How does human trafficking interfere with human development ?
• How does international police fight human trafficking?
• The history of human trafficking in Europe.
• The role of social security in the anti-trafficking process.
• Why do victims of human trafficking not talk about their problems?
• What are the main causes of human trafficking?
• How psychotherapy helps victims of slavery?
• The problem of child slavery in the United States.
• How is drug addiction related to human trafficking?
• Why are children an easy target for traffickers?
• Human trafficking and modern society.
• Why can’t society fight human trafficking?
• How is the practice of early marriage linked to human trafficking?
• Consequences of human trafficking for the economy.
• How human trafficking affects the demographics of countries?
• How human trafficking relates to the practice of international adoption ?
• The problem of human trafficking in Thailand .
• The problem of human trafficking in Eastern Europe.
• Human trafficking as a manifestation of antisocial behavior.
• How do the police identify criminal networks for the sale of people?
• The phenomenon of slave markets on the Internet.
• What is the tragedy of human trafficking?
• How the economic situation in the country affects human trafficking?
• Why is it so difficult to identify trafficking networks?

It’s time to choose one of the human trafficking research topics and get started. Remember all the nuances mentioned in the article and share them with your friends!

• What Is Human Trafficking? Homeland Security .
• 5 Prevailing causes of human trafficking. The Borgen Project .
• Types of human trafficking. Interpol .
• National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. U.S Department of State .
• 10 Movies About Human Trafficking. Human Rights Careers .
• Writing a Paper: Outlining. Walden University .
• Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling. United Nations .
• The Worst Countries For Human Trafficking. RadioFreeEurope .
• Child Labour. International Labour Organisation .