Human Trafficking Report Issued by US State Department

"The ninth annual Trafficking in Persons Report sheds light on the faces of modern-day slavery and on new facets of this global problem. The human trafficking phenomenon affects virtually every country, including the United States. In acknowledging America's own struggle with modern-day slavery and slavery-related practices, we offer partnership. We call on every government to join us in working to build consensus and leverage resources to eliminate all forms of human trafficking."
--Secretary Clinton, June 16, 2009

Highlights:

  • There were over 5000 prosecuted cases of trafficking globally last year.
  • Good news: That is a decrease from previous years.
  • The categories of trafficking identified in the report include: forced labor, bonded labor, debt bondage among migrant laborers, involuntary domestic servitude, forced child labor, child soldiers, sex trafficking, child sex trafficking and related abuses

More information and the report itself is available here.

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"We call on every government to join us in working to build consensus and leverage resources to eliminate all forms of human trafficking." --Secretary Clinton, June 16, 2009
Coming from her, that feels Al Gore's swindle!

It's not necessarily good news... what if the number of prosecuted cases is lower because the perpetrators have gotten batter at not getting caught? Or because the law-enforcement agencies are making more mistakes, resulting in more cases getting thrown out? Or because the law-enforcement agencies are increasingly in bed with perpetrators for some reason (looking the other way in exchange for anti-terrorism tips, for instance---check out season 2 of The Wire)? etc., the same way reported rapes are probably way lower than the actual numbers, and prosecuted rape cases lower still.

There were over 5000 prosecuted cases of trafficking globally last year.
Good news: That is a decrease from previous years.

Is it really? :/