Final answer:
Human trafficking second degree involves the recruitment, transportation, transfer, and/or harboring of persons through coercion for exploitation, excluding factors that would categorize it as first-degree. It is a serious issue worldwide, including in the United States, where legislation seeks to protect victims.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Human Trafficking Second Degree
Human trafficking in the second degree specifically refers to forms of exploitation without reaching the threshold of first-degree trafficking, which often involves aggravating factors or more severe forms of exploitation. However, the core crime remains the recruitment, transportation, transfer, and/or harboring of persons through the use of threats, force, or coercion. Such acts are committed for the purpose of exploitation, which includes forced labor, sexual slavery, and modern forms of slavery. Contemporary research and global watchdog organizations like Anti-Slavery International acknowledge that human trafficking affects millions worldwide, including forced labor and servile marriage.
In the United States, human trafficking is often misunderstood as a problem that happens elsewhere, but it is a significant issue within the country as well. Illegal migrants are vulnerable to human trafficking, and legislation like the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act aims to provide some level of protection and due process to victims, including unaccompanied minors who may be eligible for asylum. Understanding the scope of human trafficking is essential for addressing and preventing it, both domestically and globally.