International Human Trafficking

A solid introduction to the overall topic of international human trafficking is given in the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) of 2000, known as the Palermo Protocol, which defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.” The Palermo Protocol set forth the first internationally agreed-upon language regarding human trafficking, with 179 countries (as of 2021) signing on to support it. The protocol focuses on Four Ps: prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership. The broadest understandings of this definition are practiced to address situations that may cause human trafficking, such as poverty, creating a “coercion” based on economic detriment. Countries have developed their own variations on this definition and policies since then but have adhered to the spirit and overall definition laid out by the protocol. The United States Department of State annually releases the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report), which is the most comprehensive resource for governmental anti-trafficking efforts and prevalence of the problem. The reporting countries are then ranked in tiers according to how effective their anti-trafficking efforts are. It is important to note, however, that though it is comprehensive, the TIP Report has received criticism for its level of credibility (as it relies on self-disclosure, there may be inflation of efforts reported) and that tier rankings are used to grant funding for programs (accordingly, those countries who may need funding may not receive it). Human trafficking and modern-day slavery is an epidemic that occurs domestically and internationally. According to the 2021 Global Estimates of Modern Slavery (composed by the International Labour Organization [ILO], Walk Free, and the International Organization for Migration [IOM]), at any given time, there are 50 million people around the world who are trafficked or living in conditions of slavery. Of this number, 27.6 million are victims of forced labor around the world. This reflects the most recent count and agreement of human trafficking and modern slavery statistics of forced labor, sex trafficking, and forced marriage. Of those who are trafficked, 55 percent are women and girls—mostly exploited in sex trafficking. It is estimated that the profit from human trafficking is approximately 150 billion dollars.