American understandings of trafficking concentrate on so-called ‘sex trafficking,’ however existing laws address many forms of labour exploitation. Too little is known about the effects of such laws on all workers.
The European Commission is working on its ‘comprehensive migration agenda’ while migrants continue to die at sea. Its tenets should be self-evident, yet some proposals for it are troubling.
Migrant smuggling is often cruel and exploitative, yet it is often the only way to escape poverty or conflict. Addressing this problem requires a fundamental re-think of migration regimes, including refugee policy.
Scotland’s ‘zero tolerance’ stance on prostitution, ostensibly pursued to tackle human trafficking and reduce violence against women, has led to methods of crude and discriminatory campaigning.
The modern slavery act is seen as a righteous cause for many UK decision makers, however victims of exploitation do not share the simplistic moral narrative, seeking practical solutions not benevolence.
Anti-trafficking measures to date have been unsuccessful as they do not address structural labour governance failures. A new global treaty was adopted last summer that aims to do exactly that.
Garment manufacturers in Cambodia benefit when anti-trafficking programmes portray clothing manufacturing as the only viable and, crucially, moral labour opportunity available.
Seoul continues to strengthen its anti-trafficking frameworks, but neither migrant wives nor migrant workers find the language of ‘trafficking’ helpful in addressing their concerns.
Anti-trafficking programmes give a humanitarian gloss to national anti-immigration controls, but the citizenship and immigration policies of nation-states are still the biggest danger facing many migrants today. Español
Anti-trafficking campaigns have their roots in 19th-century efforts to ‘save’ white women from ‘white slavery.’ Contemporary strategies broaden the stigmatisation and criminalisation, impacting a range of vulnerable communities.
Endorsing the modern slavery bill, even by seeking to include additional protections within it, supports rather than challenges the use of criminal justice frameworks to address ‘modern slavery.’
Beyond Slavery introduces its new issue on the state and the law, elements which not only define slavery but shape the channels through which it is addressed.
