What are the problems girls are facing in developing Asian countries today?
There are primarily two problems that gravely threaten young people in Asia today: human trafficking and poverty.
Human Trafficking Risk
Human Trafficking is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.” (United Nations)Â
How severe is the problem of human trafficking?
Today, there are 49.6 million people in modern slavery worldwide and 35% of them are children. (ILO,United Nations)
Human trafficking is a global problem affecting people ​of all ages.
Child sex trafficking has been reported in all 50 U.S. states. (NCMEC)
Hope for Justice estimates that modern slavery and human trafficking generate illicit profits of well over US$245 billion every year (excluding forced marriage). Narcotics trafficking and human trafficking are often intertwined.
Human Trafficking in the U.S.
It is estimated that approximately 1,000,000​ people are trafficked each year globally and between​ 20,000 and 50,000 are trafficked into the United States.
Human trafficking is the second most profitable illegal industry in the U.S. (UNICEF)Â
The US is one of the largest destinations for victims​ of the sex trafficking trade.
Sex Slavery and Human Trafficking
Sex slavery involves children at an estimated 58 percent of all trafficking activities.
The most prevalent form of human trafficking that results in servitude is the recruitment and transport of people into the international sex trade industry.
Almost 1.7 million children are exploited in sex trafficking.Â
Victims of sexual slavery are often manipulated into believing that they are being relocated to work in legitimate forms of employment.
Second Major Problem: Poverty
Poverty is a major factor in the recruitment of human trafficking victims. Desperate people do desperate things.
Poverty in Thailand
Poverty is on the rise in Thailand.
The rise in poverty is mainly due to economic reasons.
Feminization of poverty refers to the higher likelihood that women will experience poverty than men.
One of the demographics that poverty affects the most in Thailand is children.
Poverty in Laos
According to Vision Launch Discover, 90 percent of Lao people lived off of $1 a day in the 1990s; now, this number is only about $1.25.
Forty-four percent, or 363,000, of Lao children under 5 years old are affected by stunting, a highly common condition in Laos.
More than 60 percent of children are malnourished and anemic.
Education is scarce; therefore, people are forced to work in agriculture
According to UNESCO, more than 4,000 villages lack access to education.
Poverty in Nepal
Around 5 million people in Nepal are undernourished.
Nepal has been the victim of numerous natural disasters.Â
Nepal’s government is known for being corrupt.Â
For every 1,000 children born in Nepal, 35 died before their fifth birthday
Lack of advanced farming methods makes it hard for progress against poverty in Nepal.
Poverty in the Philippines
Data indicates that 16.6% of the population, or about 17.6 million people, live under the poverty line.
The Philippines is exposed to more natural disasters than any other nation in the world.
For every 1,000 babies born, 28 die before they turn 5 years old.
An estimated 64% of Filipino households struggle with food insecurity.