By Martyne Aime

Sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and slavery were the words of the day at the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) conference, “Exposing Denial and Benign Neglect.” Held on February 12, 2009, at UN Headquarters in New York, the conference unveiled the findings of the UNODC’s 2009 “Global Report on Trafficking of Persons,” which provides global data on the legal and institutional responses to human trafficking in 155 countries. Six panelists participated in a discussion of the latest steps being taken to address human trafficking. Despite the grim evidence in the report, its authors state “tremendous progress has been made in combating a crime that was only recently widely acknowledged.”

The panel discussion featured UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa; Assistant to the President of Belarus, Valentin Rybakov; Ambassador Maged Abdelaziz of Egypt; author Kevin Bales; filmmaker Robert Bilheimer; and actress Mira Sorvino. At the conference Sorvino was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of UNODC to combat human trafficking .

Human trafficking – the transportation, recruitment and receipt of persons through fear, coercion, threat and abduction – is the third-largest illegal industry in the world, behind arms dealing and drug trafficking. It takes place not only between nations, but also within them.

Research for the 2009 report commenced in 2007, under the provisions of the 2003 United Nations Protocol Against Trafficking in Persons, an international agreement intended to prevent, suppress and punish human trafficking. The report shows that 63% of 155 countries have passed laws against trafficking in persons, but, according to Costa, “Many governments are still in denial. There is even neglect when it comes to either reporting on or prosecuting cases of human trafficking.”

Although the report does not aim to assess the scale or nature of the problem, it does recognize patterns of human trafficking. Women and children are especially vulnerable to this crime against humanity. The report indicates that close to eighty percent of trafficked persons are women or girls and that seventy-nine percent of human trafficking is for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It further states that a surprising number of women play a role as perpetrators in human trafficking. The report also reveals that 18 percent of victims are subjected to forced labor, though this figure is uncertain because forced labor is not as widely reported as sexual exploitation and is less visible.

The report acknowledges that there are inherent limitations on the ability to obtain precise information. Especially, as it pertains to government reluctance to come forward with information. It provides only approximate numbers of trafficked persons and reveals little about the current status of those who have not been reported. The data collected from the 155 countries who participated, revealed that 12.3 million are subject to forced labor, and that another 2,000,000 are trafficked into slavery and thus far about 22,000 have been reported as rescued victims.

The report identifies the political, economic and environmental factors associated with human trafficking. It concludes that globalization has only abetted human trafficking. In developing countries that seek to grow economically, there is a high demand for cheap labor. Countries are reluctant to assess the issue because they fear losing human capital. Yet, according to the report, slavery constitutes a small portion of the global economy, and it is actually economically beneficial to free people from slavery. Once the slaves are free, they can officially participate in the economy, thereby increasing economic production.

The panel discussion revealed that as of 2007, a number of countries had failed to report the status of human trafficking within their borders. This lack of data makes it more difficult to address the issue and raises challenges related to managing the humanitarian crisis. During the past three years, reporting has decreased in Nicaragua, South Africa, Nigeria and other countries. However, more information has emerged about domestic trafficking in countries such as the Netherlands, Italy, Germany and India.

Noting that the data is scarce and somewhat biased, Bales, the world’s foremost expert in modern slavery and co-founder of Free the Slaves, posed the question, “Where are the others?” Where are the unreported victims? How many are there and how do we identify them? Bales continued, “Victims go undetected, trapped in the hell of slavery. You can see them sleeping in the garage, mopping the floors, cooking, or doing housework—what you don’t know, however, is that they are not free to do any of these things. Rather, they are slaves and trapped in their own world. We call that human trafficking.”

Human trafficking is an unfolding story. In a sample of 60 countries, the report reveals that half had not convicted anyone of human trafficking. Only one-third of surveyed countries have enacted legislation to combat human trafficking. Japan, the United States and France are dealing with modern slavery by setting up agencies on the issue.
Rybakov called on the international community to ensure that every country abides by the legislation enacted by the UNODC and implements the protocols to prosecute those found guilty of human trafficking. He asserted that “no progress can be made until all the leaders begin to engage,”, This includes “external actors” such as the media, which he said should investigate the issue more actively.

Costa said gathering information is essential to the fight against human trafficking. The report shows that 125 of the 155 states profiled in the report are making serious efforts to implement the protocols, but he said many countries lack the infrastructure, the legal capacity and the political inclination to do so. He called on governments, the private sector, and the public to step up the fight against trafficking in persons. “More must be done to reduce the vulnerability of victims, increase the risks to traffickers, and lower demand for the goods and services of modern-day slaves,” he said.

Sorvino summed up his view of global responsibility for human trafficking by quoting the words of Abraham Lincoln: “If slavery is not wrong, then nothing is wrong.”