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ess than 20 years ago, human trafficking was defined by an international treaty, known as the Palermo Protocol , whereby the international community committed to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons. Since then, global attention has been focused on fighting — and eradicating — the crime of human trafficking.

While commitment to fighting exploitation and abuse of individuals for profit has been high, it has not resulted in cohesive action to prevent trafficking.

The persistence of human trafficking fundamentally challenges the basic values of humanity, including our inherent dignity and the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family.

Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent annually on counter trafficking efforts, mostly on investigation and criminal prosecution, raids to “rescue” irregular migrants and sex workers thought to be potential victims and trainings to raise awareness among those who might experience or encounter human trafficking.

From the latest global data on human trafficking to reports from grass-roots organizations, all signs show we have failed to reduce the number or severity of abuses.

There has been an increased focus on the role of businesses in perpetuating human trafficking. Against the backdrop of a worldwide pursuit of ever-cheaper labor and reduced regulation, responsible business was anticipated to be a force for change.

Drawing upon the sensationalism of “modern slavery”, calls for expanded auditing of supply chains and for corporate disclosures on sourcing have proliferated.

However, these voluntary initiatives have not brought substantive improvement, avoiding the changes to business models that could make a real difference — such as paying workers a living wage or expanding social protection.

Addressing trafficking more effectively requires a clearer understanding of the underlying issues. Human trafficking is not the result of a few criminals who have managed to avoid prosecution.

It is a systemic problem, rootsed in the violation of labor rights: unsafe workplaces, excessive working hours, lack of overtime pay, wage theft, lack of freedom of association.

Primarily, human trafficking is grounded in unfair labor, gender and class relations. Yet, anti-trafficking measures have failed to address the causes of vulnerability, particularly for women and girls in the informal sector.

Justice demands criminal prosecution of those who profit from trafficking, but this response has proved insufficient to reduce the problem. Change must occur at a more fundamental level.

A greater focus on protection of labor rights and ensuring decent working conditions is needed to reduce vulnerability to human trafficking.

This means bringing those employed precariously in domestic work, agriculture, fishing, entertainment, and other informal work under the full protection of labor laws.

It means tackling discriminatory treatment, particularly for women and migrant workers; extending social protection schemes to benefit all workers; broadening the mandate and resources of labor inspectorates to enforce labor laws; facilitating access to complaint mechanisms through outreach and legal assistance; guaranteeing freedom of association for workers to organize and bargain collectively.

In 2014, all International Labor Organization member states adopted a new global labor standard against forced labor. It emphasizes the link between forced labor and trafficking in persons and establishes the obligations on protection, prevention and compensation.

The tools are here to combat human trafficking effectively and uphold our commitment. The question is whether we have the courage to make use of them.
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