Tavanti, Marco, Charles E. Tucker, Gregory J. Wangerin (Eds). Anti-Human Trafficking for Human Security. International Journal of Sustainable Human Security (IJSHS). Volume 2, Year 2014-2015, Number 1.

Published online on December 30, 2015
ISSN 2311-5920 (electronic version)
Key title: International Journal of Sustainable Human Security
Abbreviated key title: Int. j. sustain. hum. secur. Online access: www.weinstitute.org/ijshs

contentS

INTRODUCTION

"Anti-Human Trafficking is at the core of Human Security: An introduction to the International Journal of Sustainable Human Security  Issue on Anti-Human Trafficking." - Marco Tavanti, Charles E. Tucker and Gregory J. Wangerin

ARTICLES

"A Sustainable Human Security Framework and Human Rights Based Approach for Combating Human Trafficking."  Marco Tavanti

"Rethinking Trafficking in Human Beings - Towards International Coalition of Academics Against Trafficking in Human Beings (Trace)." - Davor Derencinovic

"Overseas Contract Labor, Remittance Economies and the Hazards of Human Trafficking: the Philippine Case." - Lila Ramos Shahani

"Education and training for Anti-Human Trafficking and Sustainable Human Security: An International, Critical, and Pedagogical Overview" -  Elizabeth A. Wilp & Marco Tavanti

"Capacity Development for Sustainable Human Security Solutions Combating Human Trafficking: Government and cross-sector institutional approaches." -  Marco Tavanti & Daniele Capone

"Cebu's 'Glocal' Challenge: How Non-state Actors can Better Assure the Rights of Child Victims of Sex Trafficking in the Philippines." - Archill Niña F. Capistrano

"Partnership and the 3Ps of Human Trafficking: How Multi-Sector Collaboration Contributes to Effective Anti-Trafficking Measures." - Kelly Ann Yeo-Oxenham & Dylan Rose Schneider

"Combating Human Trafficking Through Increased Awareness." - Zane Jacobs

"An Examination of Trafficking Loopholes in International Adoption: Recommendations for Trafficking Avoidance." -  Risa Harrison

RESOURCES

"Essential Readings on Anti-Human Trafficking: An Annotated Bibliography."
Marco Tavanti & Kelly Ann Yeo-Oxenham

Anti-Human Trafficking Training Manual and Resource Page of the Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) certificate program of the World Engagement Institute - Marco Tavanti, Elizabeth A. Wilp and Alyssa Rickman.

United Nations Convention Against Translational Organized crime and the Protocol Thereto - UNODC 2004

Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) - US-DOS

People Trafficking, Human Security and Development - Development Bulletin 2004

anti-HUMAN TRAFFICKING for human security
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SECURITY

Citation: Tavanti, Marco, Charles E. Tucker, Gregory J. Wangerin (Eds). Anti-Human Trafficking for Human Security. International Journal of Sustainable Human Security (IJSHS). Volume 2, Year 2014-2015, Number 1. weinstitute.org/ijshs

“Abduction, coercion, trafficking across national and international borders, forcing women and children into sexual exploitation and servitude – this must not be accepted in today’s world. As this heinous crime flourishes, thousands of men, women and children are robbed of their safety, their freedom and their dignity. Human trafficking devastates families and tears communities apart. When the history of this horror calls, we cannot let this period be remembered as one in which the global community knew but did not act.”

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon

Introduction

Anti-Human Trafficking is at the core of Human Security: An INTRODUCTION TO THE International journal of sustainable human security  ISSUE ON ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING 
Marco Tavanti, Charles E. Tucker and Gregory J. Wangerin

Human trafficking is one of the main global challenges of the 21st century. Our communities cannot remain indifferent to the plight of forced labor, sexual exploitation, child soldiers, organ trafficking among other forms of modern slavery. US Secretary of State John F. Kerry, introducing the 2015 Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report said: 

"Trafficking in persons is an insult to human dignity and an assault on freedom. Whether we are talking about the sale of women and children by terrorists in the Middle East, the sex trafficking of girls lured from their homes in Central Europe, the exploitation of farm workers in North America, or the enslavement of fishermen in Southeast Asia, the victims of this crime each have a name. And they each have been robbed of their most basic human rights."
 
During the past 20 years, human trafficking has been traditionally studied by various disciplines such as criminal law, human rights, international studies, gender justice and other social sciences. Yet, the complexity of the phenomenon requires a more comprehensive approach through multidisciplinary perspectives and multi-sector solutions. Human trafficking is more than a criminal activity. It is a practice often legitimized by a lack of awareness, socio-cultural norms, and lucrative-exploitative economic transactions. Anti-human trafficking solutions require systemic and structural factors linked to poverty, globalization, political and institutional capacity to protect victims and punish perpetrators. The sustainable human security comprehensive framework provides the necessary framework to study the structural causes of human trafficking while highlighting effective, innovative, and sustainable solutions to the fight against modern human slavery. 

Human trafficking is generally recognized as a form of modern-day slavery where people profit from the control and exploitation of others. Yet, the identification of its typology and cases is complex and require attentive analysis and critical perspectives. The United Nations in the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children (also know as the Trafficking Protocol), defines human trafficking as:

“(a) [...] the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring 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. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs; (b) The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) have been used; (c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered “trafficking in persons” even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in subparagraph (a) of this article; (d) “Child” shall mean any person under eighteen years of age.” (UNODC - Palermo Protocol)

The US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report is a comprehensive resource of engaging governments in implementing anti-human trafficking policies for freeing victims, preventing trafficking, and bringing traffickers to justice. The annual country analyses are based on the assessment of progress in the 3P approach of Prosecution, Protection and Prevention. When Hillary Rodham Clinton served as United States Secretary of State under President Barack Obama (2009-2013) she introduced a fourth ‘P’ for Partnership to the TIP report. She recognized and encouraged governments’ responsibilities to promote cross-sector partnerships and inter-agencies coordination. Yet, only the lenses of human security, beyond narrowed national security approaches, can effectively identify the human threats represented within and across destination, origin, and transit countries. The government capacity in its justice systems, law enforcement practices, and cooperation with businesses and civil society organizations are at the core of sustainable human security solutions to human trafficking.

This special issue of the International Journal of Sustainable Human Security (IJSHS) aims to identify the connections between human trafficking and anti-human trafficking with sustainable and institutional solutions linked to the comprehensive framework of human security. The editorial team invited both practical and theoretical analyses of cases, models, best practices and innovative analyses of human trafficking in its typology, international cases, multi-disciplinary aspects and culturally appropriate solutions. Specifically, we invited national specific and internationally relevant analyses on the following areas:    

(1)  National / international legal systems for the protection, prosecution, prevention or partnerships combating human trafficking. Legal analyses highlighting inadequate laws and justice systems should also provide suggestions for improvement through alignment with conventions or comparative models in other national legal systems.

(2) Governance initiatives with inter-agencies initiatives or other public service initiatives for only of the 4P approaches (Prosecution, Prevention, Protection, Partnership) in relation with nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), businesses, or international organizations.

(3)  International analysis of applications, issues and extension of conventions, protocols and other human rights related initiatives and issues at the United Nations, UNODC, UNHRC, UNHCR, or ILO levels. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and other intergovernmental organizations’ best practices in combating human trafficking are important institutions at this level of analysis.   

(4)  Specialized topics in relation to human trafficking and anti-human trafficking such as human trafficking in emergency, war, economic crisis are particularly relevant to these reflections. These include examine special issues in human trafficking such as organ trafficking, child labor, bride-buying, etc. Such topics would also deserve more attentive analyses in correlation to other complex situations in human development, humanitarian emergency and extreme poverty.

(5)  Systemic, structural factors and sustainable perspectives are particularly important for this volume and the focus of the Journal that aims at understanding institutional responsibility and systemic solutions. This would obvious require an attention to local and organizational complexities along a multi-disciplinary and multi-sector level of the analyses.

Human trafficking is at the core of human insecurity and undermines the very essence of human rights. Unfortunately it is a complex phenomenon embedded in many criminal activities and perpetrated by inadequate legal systems, corrupt law enforcement mechanisms and impoverished conditions and fragile populations and social sectors. Indeed, the many global and local human trafficking situations are expressions of a largely unregulated, discriminatory and illegal global marketplace. Honest workers and desperate individuals are lured into job opportunities but exploitative mechanisms for migrant smuggling and indecent labor opportunities in the global supply chain. There is not longer time for complacency as too many people in too many corners of the world are victims and perpetrators of human trafficking.

This collation of articles represent an invitation to make stronger commitments toward understanding the phenomena, raise our awareness and capacity to engage cross-sector stakeholders, organizations and institutions to collaborate in implementing more effective mechanisms for anti-human trafficking.

Some of these works emerged from the World Engagement Institute's leadership to conduct anti-human trafficking training. These include the Certificate in Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP), which was successfully delivered in Manila, Philippines May 27-30 in collaboration with Adamson University (ADU) and the Sustainable Capacity International Institute (SCII). Other analyses and papers were developed by University of San Francisco (USF)'s graduate students who, under the guidance of Dr. Tavanti, participated in an Academic Global Immersion Program on forced migration and anti-human trafficking in collaboration with Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), in Rome. They also participated in a May 2015 symposium on Forced Migrations, Refugee Services, and Anti-Human Trafficking in collaboration with Not for Sale (NFS) and other San Francisco Bay Area nonprofits and social enterprises engaged in anti-human trafficking (USF4freedom).

We are grateful to our contributors for their practical insights to inform our readers on this global issue and how an integrated approach and comprehensive framework such as the sustainable human security could be instrumental to formulate and strategically support systemic and integrated solutions to effectively combating human trafficking, one of the most pressing issue of your time.

Download a PDF of the article here.