Trafficking and the Human Rights of Women by Janie Chuang and Anne Gallagher
The term human trafficking refers to the trade in human beings, within and between countries, for the purpose of their exploitation. Over the past few years, human trafficking has moved from the margins to the mainstream of international political discourse. Trafficking is now widely recognised as a major revenue earner for transnational organised criminal groups and a source of political, social and economic insecurity for States as well as for individuals. Few countries have escaped the...
Read MoreThe United States as Global Sheriff: Unilateral Sanctions and Human Trafficking by Janie Chuang
In recent years, the issue of human trafficking – the recruitment or movement of persons by means of coercion or deception into exploitative labor or slavery-like practices – has moved from the margins to the mainstream political agenda. The rapid proliferation of international, regional and domestic anti-trafficking laws bespeaks universal condemnation of the practice, but belies deep divisions among States over how to define and approach the problem. It is thus significant that...
Read MoreRescuing Trafficking from Ideological Capture: Prostitution Reform and Anti-Trafficking Law and Policy by Janie Chuang
In the decade since it became a priority on the United States’ national agenda, the issue of human trafficking has spawned enduring controversy. New legal definitions of “trafficking” were codified in international and U.S. law in 2000, but what conduct qualifies as “trafficking” remains hotly contested. Despite shared moral outrage over the plight of trafficked persons, debates over whether trafficking encompasses voluntary prostitution continue to rend the anti-trafficking advocacy...
Read MoreRedirecting the Debate Over Trafficking in Women: Definitions, Paradigms, and Contexts by Janie Chuang
As evidenced by international treaties dating back to the early twentieth century, the problem of trafficking in women is by no means a new phenomenon. However, it has only been in recent years that the problem of trafficking has again drawn world-wide concern, partly in response to reports of the sexual enslavement of Muslim women in Serbian brothels during the conflict in the former Yugoslavia, and partly in response to the increasing prevalence of the trafficking of children for sexual...
Read MoreBeyond a Snapshot: Preventing Human Trafficking in the Global Economy by Janie Chuang
Current legal responses to the problem of human trafficking often reflect a deep reluctance to address the socioeconomic root causes of the problem. Because they approach trafficking as an act (or series of acts) of violence, most responses focus predominantly on prosecuting traffickers, and to a lesser extent, protecting trafficked persons. While such approaches might account for the consequences of trafficking, they tend to overlook the broader socioeconomic reality that drives trafficking in...
Read MoreAchieving Accountability for Migrant Domestic Worker Abuse by Janie Chuang
Achieving Accountability for Migrant Domestic Worker AbuseDomestic work has become increasingly commoditized in the global economy. Migrant domestic workers’ remittances constitute a rich source of revenues for their countries of origin, while their labor ameliorates the “care deficit” experienced in wealthier countries of destination. Despite the importance of their work, migrant domestic workers are some of the most exploited workers in the world. They are often discriminated against...
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