SLAVERY IN HUMAN society has a long history, dating back to Mesopotamia in 6,000 BC. And while most of us would like to believe that it is a thing of the past, there are many signs that trade in human beings is alive and well.
News of modern-day forms of slavery and trafficking emerging in the past several decades has been so alarming that the United Nations set up a working group to study the problem in 1975. Since then, numerous governments, non-governmental organisations and activists have joined together to combat the problem. But according to those on the frontlines, the problem is now bigger and more complex than ever. And there is little agreement on the causes and possible remedies.
Measures to counteract trafficking are themselves often controversial. A case in point is the Trafficking in Persons report from the United States, which has been issued annually since the US passed an anti-trafficking law in 2000. Some human rights experts agree that the law in many ways represents progress because it includes funding to help victims of trafficking, and puts some legal muscle behind the campaign to stop traffickers, but others have criticised the fact that the report ranks the anti-trafficking efforts of 82 countries, with the notable exception of the US itself.
The rankings are significant because the US plans to begin imposing sanctions, starting next year, on countries in the Tier Three category, reserved for those with trafficking problems and no serious measures to tackle them. Possible sanctions include the withdrawal of money for mine-clearing programmes and support for loans from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Indonesia and Cambodia could face such action.
Thailand has been labelled a Tier Two country, meaning it is making the minimum effort required to combat trafficking. Thai government officials fear that, despite a number of court cases brought against traffickers, and progress on trafficking treaties with some of its Southeast Asian neighbours, the country may be moved up a level next year.
Some critics have noted that Pakistan, a Tier Three country in last year's report, has been moved down a level this year, and wonder aloud whether the report is being used to gain co-operation for US policies, especially in relation to its war on terrorism.