Human Trafficking and Slavery: Governmental Issues

In both Half the Sky and the NYT, one of the main difficulties to overcoming human trafficking and slavery is a lack of effective government. In the United States the fight to end forced and child prostitution is split along political lines. In many governments, corruption leads to ineffective and ill-enforced anti-prostitution laws. I agree that a unified governmental effort to crack down on a number of human trafficking organizations is necessary. If enough operations are taken out and the situation becomes hazardous for human traffickers, it will no longer be profitable to continue in that business. I realize that this is not a perfect solution, and that it will eliminate the problem, but that it is an important step.

To counter forced labor and slavery in large corporations, California has passed a law that requires companies making over $1oo million in global profits to prove that no slavery is occurring in any part of their business. This law is a huge move forward towards getting rid of sweat-shop labor in companies that have outsourced manufacturing to developing countries.