A GUEST POST BY WENCHI YU
Human trafficking, also known as modern-day slavery, is one of the most egregious violations of human rights and crimes. Women, men, and children are the face of victims, most often found in forced sexual and labor exploitation. No countries are immune to human trafficking. According to various UN reports, 12.3 million people are enslaved when international criminal syndicates are making billions of dollars from the human trafficking business.
Tackling human trafficking is a challenging task and all stakeholders must come together to identify comprehensive anti-trafficking strategies that are locally appropriate. In the past two decades, our understanding of human trafficking has expanded through the sharing of best practices and knowledge. Law enforcement collaboration across borders, victim repatriation through government and civil society partnerships, and private sector channeling core competences and resources has proven to be effective, albeit the graveness of the remaining challenge.
Governments have the responsibility to ensure that good anti-trafficking laws and policies are in place and that they are well implemented. Citizens have the responsibility to ensure that no products or services are made or provided by trafficked victims, whether they work on the cocoa farm, tomato fields, in sweatshops, brothels, or brick kilns. Companies also have the responsibility to ensure that their supply chain only uses fair labor.
How can you join the fight against human trafficking?
1. Learn more about the issue of human trafficking.
2. Support organizations that do well in addressing the trafficking challenge.
3. Keep your lawmakers informed and educate about human trafficking, and help them prioritize this issue and appropriate resources.
4. Use products made by fair labor and encourage companies to be conscious of fair labor practices.
5. Make human trafficking relevant to everyone: it is a national security, economic, criminal justice, public health, immigration, rule of law, governance, women, children, and labor issue.
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