Human Trafficking and Human Rights
This volume introduces the subject of human trafficking and slavery in its many modern day forms. The book begins with an overview of modern slavery, asking why slavery continues to exist in the 21st century. The author discusses the history of slavery and introduces the issues of human rights and children and the types of work in which children are enslaved. She looks at the work of children in the cocoa industry and discusses the efficacy of a voluntary protocol to prevent children being enslaved in this work. She examines other forms of slavery and another protocol, the Kimberley Process. The author feels that these forms of slavery affect both adults and children and are an important study for readers to see how their own purchasing behavior affects those vulnerable to being enslaved. She goes on to look at sex slavery in a variety of forms, including sex tourism and various statutes aimed at curbing sex tourism. The author introduces the challenges which surround mail order brides, forced marriage, female genital cutting and breast ironing and how these problems manifest themselves in the Global North. She asks how people become slaves and looks at just how easy it is for people to fall victim to human trafficking. The author looks at immigration and the xenophobic concerns of various Western governments and addresses the risks which human trafficking victims face during their enslavement. Organ trafficking and the role of the Internet are considered. The author concludes by asking readers to consider the questions posed in this book which might lead to solutions and a commitment to work to prevent human trafficking and slavery.