Trafficking in Persons: A Contemporary Threat to Human Dignity

As states are continuously being challenged by the constant, steady movement of people, the crime of trafficking in persons denotes complex threats not simply to its victims but to the State as a whole, as a human rights issue, a violation of labour and migration laws, and by undermining national and international security through its links to organised crime and corruption. Unfortunately, despite a trail of historic treaties and agreements, a number of obstacles persist such as the lack of resources and political will and worse, the corruption of members of the authorities. Other hurdles include the lack of concrete data and information, the absence of a human rights approach, the criminalisation of the victims of trafficking and the misjudgment of the crime of trafficking in persons for other related crimes. Trafficking in persons is at the very intersection of contemporary anxieties, with impacts upon international security, politics, the rule of law and border control. Nonetheless, its very nature is primarily that of a grievous assault upon the fundamental human rights and freedoms of its victims.