Facing Corruption for an End to Slavery

            Government systems promise to uphold justice and to preserve human dignity. Every country in the world considers human trafficking illegal, yet according to Transparency International, an organization against government corruption, “globally less than 1 in 10 traffickers are ever prosecuted.” In many cases, corruption allows the slave trade to thrive. The undeniable correlation between government corruption and human trafficking counteracts all efforts to enforce a worldwide abolition of slavery.

            Transparency International identifies corruption as “the misuse of entrusted power forpersonal gain.” Money establishes a link between the abuse of government power and slavery. Human trafficking yields approximately 32 billion US dollars per year. This flourishing industry is illegal; therefore, traffickers see corruption as “a necessary investment” or maybe even “the main cost factor” in their business.  Traffickers bribe officials in each stage of the slave trade including kidnapping, falsifying documents, and money laundering.

Nations overcome by poverty, such as Thailand, Nigeria, and Ethiopia, harbor the highest amounts of illegal slaves. The same extreme poverty that facilitates the slave trade affects police officers as well. Antislavery activist Kevin Bales argues, “In Western Europe, Canada, and the United States, slavery happens in spite of the efforts of the police, but in many countries, slavery flourishes because of the work of the police,” meaning when an officer must provide for his starving family at home, he may accept a bribe to ignore or even participate in the act of human trafficking (Bales 17). Aiding the enslaved “will offer few rewards and carry many penalties” for officers (Bales 18). Backed by governments, traffickers also confidently exercise psychological control over victims.  Bosses tell victims the police will not save them or worse threaten imprisonment. When enslaved people lose trust in the promise of government, they lose hope.

As officers or officials neglect slavery’s enforcement, few traffickers face prosecution, perpetuating a cycle of slavery. Corruption enables traffickers to elude the system, so they may prey on more victims and ultimately draw in more money to bribe officials and avoid prosecution. The market of “high profit” and “low risk” perpetuates the human trafficking system and counteracts its abolition. Recognizing corruption’s influence on human trafficking is the first step towards holding governments accountable for enforcing laws to abolish slavery truly.

Additional Source:

Bales, Kevin. Ending Slavery. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007. Print.