A Message from the Editor: Introduction to the Special Issue on Human Trafficking

Abstract

A Message from the EditorIntroduction to the Special Issue on Human Trafficking Michael R. Hall, Sabella Abidde, and José de Arimatéia da Cruz In November 2000, the United Nations adopted the "Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime." It stated, "'Trafficking in persons' shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs."1 The 7th INTERPOL Global Conference on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling was held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in September 2019—three months before the 37th Annual Association of Global South Studies (AGSS) Conference held in Argentina's capital in December 2019. The INTERPOL conference attracted 750 participants from ninety-seven countries who focused on disrupting the "business model" of criminal enterprises behind human trafficking and migrant smuggling. In her opening remarks at the INTERPOL conference, Patricia Bullrich, Argentina's Minister of Security, described human trafficking and migrant smuggling as "the strong over the weak—those who exploit the vulnerability for their own profit." According to Bullrich, "It is important that we understand the essence of the crime, [End Page ix] not only to fight the offenders, but also to develop our ability to return freedom and peace of mind to all those who have suffered as victims."2 While attending the AGSS conference, Professor of Political Science Sabella Abidde at Alabama State University, Professor of Political Science José de Arimatéia da Cruz at Georgia Southern University, and Professor of History Michael R. Hall at Georgia Southern University—encouraged and influenced by the success and popularity of the recent INTERPOL conference—initiated a project that would examine the issue of human trafficking in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Initially, the plan was to host a series of panels at the 38th annual AGSS conference to be held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, in October 2020. Due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the conference was canceled. As a result, we approached Ryan Alexander, the editor of the Journal of Global South Studies (JGSS), with a plan for an issue of the journal dedicated to the theme of human trafficking in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The fruition of this endeavor are the six articles by nine scholars from multiple disciplines included in this issue of the journal. In "Theorizing Human Trafficking and Unfree Labor," Julia Harnoncourt from the University of Luxembourg and Miguel Paredes from the University of Vienna examine human trafficking in the context of labor exploitation. The authors explain that unfree labor transpires when the workers cannot sell their labor freely. Significantly, the unfree labor condition involves a situation in which the laborer cannot end their labor relation. After placing their research in historical perspective, the authors examine the Palermo Protocol and the application of laws against human trafficking in two case studies: Bolivia and Brazil. In "Paradoxes and Anomalies in Caribbean Anti-Trafficking Law and Practice," Jason Haynes from the University of the Birmingham assesses existing state practice on human trafficking in the Caribbean. Haynes' study is based on empirical data collected from interviews with 50 government officials and nongovernmental organization representatives in twelve Caribbean nations. In "Comparative Analysis of Human Trafficking in Caribbean and African Islands from the Annual Trafficking in Persons Report," Kathleen M. Vogel from Arizona State University examines current trends in human trafficking in African and Caribbean islands. Especially relevant is the author's discussion of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human trafficking. In "Sun, Sand, Sex, and Safari: The Interplay of Sex Tourism and Global Inequalities [End Page...