Human Trafficking on the Dark Web

Human trafficking, also known as modern slavery, is a grim reality of the 21st-century global landscape. This type of crime is considered the third most prevalent type of crime worldwide (Homeland Security Today, 2020). On any given day, around 40.3 million people are victims of human trafficking, 4.8 million of them because of forced sexual exploitation. Human trafficking deprives millions of their dignity and freedom and leaves them vulnerable to abuse and violence. It even threatens international security and peace. Additionally, human trafficking benefits criminal organizations and terrorist networks and undermines law and world order. While traditional channels of human trafficking still exist, the Dark Web allows criminals to traffic a greater number of victims across larger geographical boundaries. In this chapter, we will cover the following topics:

• Types of human trafficking
• Offenders’ behaviors, tactics, and methods
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Types of human trafficking

The advent of the internet and the part of it known as the Dark Web gave the opportunity to human traffickers to expand their business and make much bigger profits. So, this problem has taken on huge dimensions and, as a result, the various entities that are dealing with fighting human trafficking are not able to control the whole situation effectively. The appearance of the internet and the Dark Web is not the only reason why human trafficking has become a worldwide problem. Some of the main reasons human trafficking has expanded are as follows:

• Trafficking generates huge profits for traffickers
• The opportunity for repeated sale and sexual exploitation of children
• Systemic poverty and socioeconomic inequality
• Demand for cheap labor
• Lack of legitimate economic opportunities
• Conflict and war zones

There are several things that happen every day in this world. While a lot of things occur in public settings, a lot of things...

Offenders’ behaviors, tactics, and methods

On a massive scale, human trafficking happens all over the world. People who lack the resources and legal protection to protect themselves are subjected to forced labor or sexual coercion. The internet’s reach is frequently used by cybercriminals who operate human trafficking rings to find potential customers for their services. To further their privacy, they use classified websites and Dark Web portals.

Offenders’ behaviors

When seeking out or procuring victims, deception may be used (It’s bar work. There, the pay is excellent, and the work is simple.). This could be combined with deception (Don’t let anyone know where you are going because we have to bribe someone to get a work permit. When you get paid, you can repay us.). Some control mechanisms will become ineffective as the trafficking grows, or traffickers may need to alter their strategy and focus. It could be impossible to trick a victim after...

Efforts to mitigate Dark Web human trafficking

Human trafficking is a kind of crime that affects societies in all countries of the world. ECPAT, also known as Every Child Protected Against Trafficking, is the leading anti-trafficking organization in the US, and it belongs to a network of organizations that expands and operates in more than 100 countries. All these organizations work together to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children. ECPAT-USA seeks to protect every single child’s human right to grow with freedom and away from the threat of sexual exploitation and trafficking. ECPAT achieves this mainly through advocacy, awareness, education, and legislation. By using targeted advertisements, ECPAT promotes corporate responsibility in the private sector with a strong focus on tourism. Additionally, ECPAT empowers young individuals to take the lead against modern slavery by equipping them with the tools and knowledge necessary to help them become activists against...

Summary

The problem of human trafficking is still growing and changing. It is slowly but surely moving more and more online in terms of how it is conducted. Although a minor proportion of trafficking currently happens on the Dark Web, there are still other avenues that do not require a connection to the Dark Web in order to contact trafficking victims, according to accumulating data. The majority of people are aware of human trafficking and what the Dark Web is, but more education is required regarding the operation of TOR technology and the motivations behind some users’ use of that web browser. Massive efforts have been made in recent years to combat human trafficking. The characteristics of the Dark Web give law enforcement a digital setting where personnel can carry out forensic investigations. In order to identify trends, patterns, and correlations connected to human trafficking on this nefarious side of the internet, police enforcement can analyze very massive datasets...