Is Human Trafficking a Social Issue?

Is Human Trafficking a Social Issue? 

A certain, not to be named, large social media platform has three times rejected an advertisement for my book on the grounds that I was advertising a social issue. And apparently, on this particular social media platform, one is not allowed to advertise social issues. After changing some wording, and in one case the image, the advertisements were allowed to run. 

Here is the wording I removed from the last ad: Read a book and help fight human trafficking. The photo I originally used is the image for this blog. I changed to the book cover. 

I wasn’t advertising a social issue. I was advertising a novel that is about human trafficking. I’m not going to rant about the advertisement being rejected, nor about the blatant hypocrisy of this social platform when it comes to which social issues do get advertised. Instead, I want to discuss the question is human trafficking a social issue. 

According to Wikipedia, “Social issues are the source of conflicting opinions on the grounds of what is perceived as morally correct or incorrect personal life or interpersonal social life decisions.” Ignoring the poor grammar of the definition, what it says is that a social issue is something to which there are at least two opposing sides, each with arguments for or against the issue. At least one side believes the issue is morally okay. 

Given that definition, what the social media platform is saying is that since human trafficking is a social issue, then there are at least two opposing sides to human trafficking. In other words, there are arguments that would support human trafficking as something morally okay to do.  

This is where I diverge from the social media platform. Human trafficking is not a social issue. It is a social blight, a social problem, and a criminal act. There are no arguments for human trafficking. In no universe with a shred of moral decency can anyone argue that it is okay to buy and sell human beings, especially for sexual pleasure.   

I think even this social media platform would agree that slavery is wrong and there is no logical, moral, or ethical opinion arguing otherwise. Apparently, what they are missing, then, is that human trafficking is slavery. It’s the buying and selling of human beings, most of the time to be used as sexual instruments of pleasure.  

I’d like to know what arguments this social media platform has that makes a case supporting human trafficking. Their stance calling human trafficking a social issue implies they believe that it is a valid opinion to be in favor of human trafficking. 

What do you think? Is human trafficking a social issue?