Structural Functionalism And The Strain Theory Of Human Trafficking In Society

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The act of trafficking a human being is equivalent to modern day slavery. It is the act of an organization taking victims through force, coercion, threat, fraud or deception and therefore involuntarily taking away a person’s dignity and freedom. It is an ethical challenge that the world faces today. Why has human trafficking become one of the largest crime organizations? Human trafficking has emerged as one of the largest organized crimes due to the amount of money it produces. Structural functionalism and strain theory help answer “why”. Structural functionalism explains that social deviant behaviour, such as human trafficking, is a dysfunctional way for a person trying to achieve a good life through crime as the quickest means. Strain Theory occurs when a person engages in deviant behaviour (human trafficking) when they are unable to reach socially accepted goals (money) by legal means. In crimes that deal with …show more content…

Strain theory occurs when people engage in deviant behaviour when they are unable to reach socially accepted goals by legal means. This strain leads to the use of socially deviant ways to attain their own goals. This theory has four modes of adaption, the final one being rebellion. This mode reject societies cultural goals and institutionalized means and replaces existing goals and means with their own. If society emphasizes something or there is an economic recession, it is expected to have an increase in criminal organizations that produce money illegally (Henslin 2012). Essentially it breaks down to the less opportunities available in society, the more likely crime is going to increase. In regards to human trafficking, our society emphasizes the need for money to survive but there are limited job opportunities. Since that type of organization is a profitable one, it would be a means for a person to reject socially acceptable ways and diverge towards criminal

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