Bankrupting the Business of Human Trafficking

January 11, 2021

Episcopal UN

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By: Yvonne O’Neal, Diocese of New York

Today, January 11th, is Human Trafficking Awareness Day. January is National Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month. How can we end the illicit lucrative business of human trafficking that nets $150 billion annually? Human trafficking is a crime against humanity.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 40.3 million people are victimized, including 24.9 million in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage. This means that there are 5.4 victims of modern slavery for every 1000 persons in the world. Sadly, one in four victims of modern slavery are children [1]. This vast supply and demand network, exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, brings untold suffering to more victims.

To address this dire situation and to consider ways of bankrupting this business, The Episcopal Church was a sponsor of a civil society-led webinar at the United Nations last December 1st, Bankrupting the Business of Human Trafficking-101. Moderated by journalist Conny Czymoch, the panelists were Ambassador Mitch Fifield of Australia, Beate Andrees of ILO, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children Najat Maalla M’jid, and the person who was behind the idea for this webinar, Rosalee Keech of the League of Women Voters.

In her remarks, Ms. Keech noted, “The goal is to eradicate all forms of forced labour and trafficking. .. (which) we hope will inspire those working at the United Nations, governments, law enforcement and the judiciary, the private sector and civil society to engage in activities that bankrupt the traffickers. There will be a never-ending supply of victims if this industry is allowed its illicit profits.”

Australia has one of the most comprehensive antislavery acts with its Modern Slavery Act of 2018. Both government and private sector in Australia must report on their actions to combat modern slavery risks in their global supply chains. Rather than imposing financial fines, Ambassador Fifield noted that in Australia, “We see the risk of reputational damage and market and consumer pressure as the most effective driver of compliance.” We shall see if this has adequate compliance impact. However, to combat the supply and demand chain of human trafficking, no one country can do it alone. There must be increased and cross-cultural regional and international partnerships such as the Bali Process, which has raised regional awareness of the consequences of people smuggling, trafficking in persons, and related transnational crime.

Dr. M’jid, a pediatrician, was passionate about her concern for children in this supply chain and noted that trafficking is one of the worst forms of violence against children. With COVID-19 cases ever increasing, in an industry in which 30 percent of all detected victims are children, most of them girls, the pandemic creates circumstances that may increase the risk of trafficking, inhibit identifying those who are trafficked, and make it more difficult to deliver comprehensive services to support the transition out of trafficking and survivor recovery. Dr. M’jid explains that besides the financial cost, there is the human cost of physical, sexual, and mental health and the cognitive, emotional, and relational development of children.

All the panelists agreed that legislation can assist in changing behavior. Comprehensive legislation is needed that will ban this violence and exploitation. The current rates of impunity for perpetrators must end, as trafficking prosecutions lag appallingly behind the numbers of offenses and victims identified. Within the business cycle which enables the trafficking to take place, corruption and money laundering is a key aspect, and one which needs focus, interregional cooperation, and significant resources to address.

What can Episcopalians and people of goodwill do to prevent human trafficking? First, we have to be aware that it is happening right in our neighborhoods. We must raise awareness in our congregations. We must educate ourselves about companies that might be benefiting from forced labour. We must ask ourselves some questions: Was the chocolate I love made with cacao beans picked by child slaves? Were my clothes made by trafficked migrant women? Does my favorite airline have a human trafficking policy? Are the workers in my hotel trained to spot trafficking victims? What is our attitude to the use of on-line pornography? Does our public attitude to purchasing sex match our behaviors or our understanding of radical equality and respect between genders? Are my personal investments and my pension plan invested in companies that profit from modern slavery and forced labour, or at the very least lacking clear policies on keeping their supply lines and investment arenas transparent in their resistance to exploitation? How is The Episcopal Church advocating for anti-trafficking policies?

[1] International Labor Organization. Forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking.

About the author: Yvonne O’Neal is committed to social justice and human rights advocacy and has found a platform on One Boat: International Chaplaincy for Covid Times. A member of the Standing Committee of the Diocese of New York, she serves on the Task Force Against Human Trafficking and the Task Force on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. She is a member of the NGO Committee to Stop Trafficking in Persons and the Executive Committee of NGO CSW/NY. Yvonne is serving her first term on the Board of Trustees of the Church Pension and The Church Club of New York. She is a warden at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan.