An Introduction to Human Trafficking - United Nations Office on ...

AN INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING: VULNERABILITY, IMPACT AND ACTION
legislation and a rise in law enforcement activities (police training, arrests, trials, convictions
and sentences) indicate that efforts have been made. Some victims of trafficking have
been identified and provided with shelter and/or other forms of assistance. It is more difficult
<strong>to</strong> identify the impact of these efforts: few baseline data exist <strong>to</strong> provide a context
against which <strong>to</strong> assess progress. In the case of prevention, it is even harder <strong>to</strong> determine
the extent <strong>to</strong> which measures have been effective.
Despite a lack of consensus on the actual extent of global human trafficking, experts
nonetheless report that the crime is increasing. 2 Conferences open with energetic statements
related <strong>to</strong> the growth of human trafficking, often referred <strong>to</strong> now as a form of
“modern-day slavery”. Poignant illustrative examples describing heart-wrenching abuse
and exploitation are intended <strong>to</strong> reinforce the commitments of Governments, civil society
and donors.
Those who have had direct contact with trafficked persons readily validate such accounts
of human suffering. 3 Many advocates hold on <strong>to</strong> vivid memories of emotionally wounded
and physically beaten human beings as indelible reminders of the reality of the cause and
as powerful incentives <strong>to</strong> continue fighting the good fight. But the battle must be won not
only in the hearts of the public, but also in the minds of policymakers and donors.
Effective policy requires valid and reliable information. Experts have so far been hard
pressed <strong>to</strong> explain what an increase in human trafficking means in real terms. 4 Are they
referring <strong>to</strong> more arrests, prosecutions and (with luck) convictions? Do they include all
forms of trafficking, such as labour and organ trafficking <strong>to</strong> name only two, or are they
limiting themselves <strong>to</strong> trafficking for sexual exploitation? Are the speakers perhaps talking
about the numbers of men, women and children rescued in brothel and/or sweatshop
raids? Perhaps they mean individuals in possession of fraudulent travel documents or
deported as illegal migrants? Or the numbers of individuals identified as victims of trafficking
according <strong>to</strong> the laws and (most frequently) practices of a country and assisted
through shelters or other social service organizations? <strong>An</strong>d what about the rapidly expanding
forms of trafficking beyond the purposes described in the <strong>Trafficking</strong> Pro<strong>to</strong>col, stemming
in particular from innovations in medical technology and not yet known when the
<strong>Trafficking</strong> Pro<strong>to</strong>col was being drafted? 5
Such indica<strong>to</strong>rs and others are used <strong>to</strong> demonstrate the increase in trafficking and trafficking-related
crimes. <strong>An</strong>d, while the above information collectively paints a picture of
2
See, for example, Kevin Bales, Understanding Global Slavery: a Reader (Berkeley, California, University of
California Press, 2005).
3
The author includes herself in this category.
4
William Easterly, “Foreign aid and developing economies”, transcript of a panel discussion, Council on Foreign
Relations, New York, 16 May 2006.
5
<strong>An</strong> example of a disturbing new trend is the harvesting and trafficking of human eggs <strong>to</strong> be used in in vitro
fertilization (IVF) treatments. The documentation has been limited <strong>to</strong> date, but is of such a provocative nature that
the European Union has issued the “European Parliament resolution on the trade in human egg cells”, Official Journal
of the European Union, C 320 E, 15 December 2005 (P6_TA(2005)0074).
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