Trafficking in Persons and Development: Towards Greater Policy Coherence
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2435.2010.00625.x |
| Author | Frank Laczko,Gergana Danailova‐Trainor |
| Published date | 01 August 2010 |
| Date | 01 August 2010 |
Trafficking in Persons and
Development: Towards Greater
Policy Coherence
Gergana Danailova-Trainor* and Frank Laczko**
ABSTRACT
Poverty is often regarded as the ‘‘root cause’’ of trafficking, but the link-
ages between poverty, a lack of development and trafficking are complex.
For example, there is some evidence to suggest that victims of cross-border
trafficking are more likely to originate from middle-income rather than
lower-income countries. Trafficking and development have tended to be
treated as very separate policy areas and the assessment of the develop-
ment impact of counter-trafficking programmes is still at an early stage.
This paper outlines a possible framework for a more evidence-based
approach to understanding the linkages between trafficking, trafficking
policy and human development. The paper argues that the human develop-
ment gains from greater mobility could be significantly enhanced if there
was greater coherence between policies to combat trafficking and policies
to promote development.
INTRODUCTION: FRAMING THE ISSUES
Human trafficking is possibly the worst human development outcome
linked to increasing global mobility. Human trafficking has been
described as a form of modern-day slavery, which deprives people of
their human rights and freedoms. The 2008 Trafficking in Persons
Report (US Department of State, 2008), notes that, ‘‘Human trafficking
has a devastating impact on individual victims, who often suffer physical
and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, and even
death’’. But the impact of human trafficking also has wider implications
for human development, because ‘‘trafficking undermines the health,
* Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC.
** International Organization for Migration, Washington, DC.
2010 No claim to original US government works
Journal Compilation 2010 IOM Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd.,
International Migration Vol. 48 (4) 2010 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford OX4 2DQ, UK,
ISSN 0020-7985 and 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA.
doi:10.1111/j.1468-2435.2010.00625.x
MIGRATION
Edited by Elzbieta Gozdziak, Georgetown University
safety, and security of all nations it touches’’ (US Department of State,
2008: 5).
This paper argues that the human development gains from greater
mobility could be significantly enhanced if there were greater coherence
between policies to combat human trafficking and policies to promote
development. Although, many trafficked persons are either trafficked
within or from a developing country, to date trafficking and develop-
ment have been treated as very separate policy areas. Efforts to promote
human development have not focused very much on the fight against
trafficking, and policies to tackle trafficking tend not to be linked to
wider measures to promote human development. Global efforts to com-
bat trafficking in persons have focused mainly on the criminalization of
trafficking, along with measures to protect and assist victims. Relatively
little attention has been given to the relationship between development
policy and trafficking. Anti-trafficking policy has been dominated by the
prevention, protection and prosecution paradigm, which tends to focus
policy primarily on short-term interventions.
This paper sets out to explore a preliminary set of questions, which can
be very briefly summarized under the following three main headings:
1. Causes of trafficking: To what extent is trafficking due to a lack of
development? How do changes in development impact on traffick-
ing? What are the cause and effect linkages between trafficking
and human development?
2. Consequences of Trafficking for Human Development: How does
trafficking impact on development in terms of both social and eco-
nomic development? What are the economic and social costs of
trafficking? What are the consequences for development of anti-
trafficking policies? What is the impact on development when traf-
ficked persons return to their place or country of origin?
3. Policy Responses Towards a More Integrated and Evidence-Based
Approach: How does trafficking and anti-trafficking policy impact
on development and how does development policy affect traffick-
ing? How to achieve greater policy coherence? How to promote
more evidence-based policymaking, and better link efforts to pro-
mote human development to the fight against trafficking?
This paper focuses on internal and cross border trafficking worldwide,
without focusing on a particular country or region. It also excludes
those ‘‘who have been caught up for generations in forced or bonded
Trafficking in persons and development 39
2010 No claim to original US government works
Journal Compilation 2010 IOM
labour. These can be called situations of traditional bondage or serfdom,
where persons are tied to a traditional landlord or exploiting agent in
the informal economy, such as a brick-kiln or a small mine.’’ (Plant,
2007).
1
These cases are deeply rooted in their specific socio-cultural envi-
ronments, thus making any generalizations to a broader setting difficult
and invalid. The paper seeks to find high level linkages rather than
relationships applicable to a particular context, country or region. In
addition, the paper does not explore the broader relationship between
irregular migration and trafficking.
2
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR STUDYING LINKAGES
BETWEEN TRAFFICKING AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Concepts of Human Development and Trafficking
Part of the reason for the disconnect between trafficking and human
development may be due to the fact that we are dealing with the rela-
tionship between two concepts – trafficking and human development –
which are both extremely broad and difficult to measure, and for which
we have in the case of trafficking relatively few indicators.
‘‘Human Development is a development paradigm that is about much
more than the rise or fall of national incomes. It is about creating an
environment in which people can develop their full potential and lead
productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests. People
are the real wealth of nations. Development is thus about expanding the
choices people have to lead lives that they value’’ (UNDP, 2000). The
human development approach recognizes that poverty is a multi-dimen-
sional and dynamic phenomenon, which has both monetary and
non-monetary aspects including social constraints and personal circum-
stances. Other dimensions of human development, which cut across
many segments of life such as human security, governance, HIV ⁄AIDS,
gender and the environment, are of equal importance (UNDP, 2007).
Trafficking is a complex development issue because it has many different
dimensions: ‘‘It is an economic problem, as the vast majority of (men
and) women seeking to escape poverty are lured into trafficking by the
false promise of economic gain. Trafficking is a health problem, as traf-
ficked women and children are most at risk of HIV infection. It is a gen-
der problem, as unequal power relations reinforce women’s secondary
40 Danailova-Trainor and Laczko
2010 No claim to original US government works
Journal Compilation 2010 IOM
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