ILLEGAL ORGAN TRAFFICKING
Illegal organ trafficking is a menace which if not controlled, can lead to loss of many lives throughout the world. The smooth flow of people across boundaries, ethnoscape, has made it often for people to engage in this activity. (Nina Brown, 2010) Also, most medical practitioners of this trade get linked to doing unhealthy transplants. Therefore, the health issue of the living donors subject to trafficking is at risk and might even lead to death.
In the US, only four organs are ready for transplant in a hundred people who need transplants. Ninety percent of these people need kidney transplants (Fry-Reveres, 2014). These statistics show that kidneys are the most common organ of illegal trafficking. This situation is due to the unwillingness of people to donate the organ.
As an anthropologist, the most crucial aspect of understanding this issue is cultural relativism, which means trying to understand people’s behaviors and believes regarding trafficking at their cultural perspective. Some people donate organs to accomplish a tip for comic balance (Fry-Reveres, 2014) others for monetary benefits while some to save lives. As a global citizen, understanding illegal trafficking in holism manner, society needs to be made aware of the effects this venture does on their lives. The historical, environmental, and cultural behavior concerning their perspectives of the trafficking has to be defined.
Globalization plays a vital role in human organ trafficking, either socially, economically, or politically.
Socially, the issue of technoscape needs is a significant factor that necessitates trafficking (Nina Brown, 2010). The easiness of flow in technology has made it easier for people around the world to interact easily. Recipients and donors get information about traffic quickly, and this helps to boost the venture.
ngIn the economic aspect, the boundaries created between the rich and the poor have necessitated a delicate imbalance between the society. Europe’s poorest country, Moldova, has an alarming rate of illegal organ trafficking. (Dalhoff, 2008). This illegal trafficking is because it is an easy target for the traffickers who lure its citizens with little cash in exchange for their organs.
In the political aspect, legal obligations have to ensure citizens’ health safety during transplants. For example, the Iran government provides a legal alternative for transplants (Fry-Reveres, 2014). This legalizing makes the citizen feel safe to donate and receive transplants. Positive development from this endeavor has made the country have more organs for transplant than their demand. Therefore, political actions have each vital role to play in trafficking.
References
Dalhoff, A. (2008). Kidney on ice. Alexander Street, a ProQuest Company.
Fry-Reveres, S. (2014). what can Iran teach us about the kidney shortage? www.tedmed.com.
Nina Brown, T. M. (2010). Perspectives. Society for Anthropology in Community Colleges.