Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective

by Louise Shelley

This book examines all forms of human trafficking globally, revealing the operations of the trafficking business and the nature of the traffickers themselves. Using a historical and comparative perspective, it demonstrates that there is more than one business model of human trafficking and that there are enormous variations in human trafficking in different regions of the world. Drawing on a wide body of academic research – actual prosecuted cases, diverse reports, and field work and interviews conducted by the author over the last sixteen years in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the former socialist countries – Louise Shelley concludes that human trafficking will grow in the twenty-first century as a result of economic and demographic inequalities in the world, the rise of conflicts, and possibly global climate change. Coordinated efforts of government, civil society, the business community, multilateral organizations, and the media are needed to stem its growth.

Genres: Nonfiction, Crime, Politics, History, True Crime, Reference

356 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2010

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually got interested in this topic after watching a film on my local PBS; it was part of POV.

Shelley gives an overview of human trafficking, looking at the causes behind it, how it works, and the differences in the regions of the world. The book is in depth with its analysis and Shelley has clearly thought about her subject. It is a work of scholarship. In other words, while some of the stories are really, really, really distrubing, the tone is more analytical. In part this is necessary because of the absolute disgustness of some of the stories, and it is when she is discussing the stories that Shelley is at her most emotional.

What Shelley does is she also places it in the context of different rules and regulations. So despite the fact that the Netherlands has legalized brothels, Rotterdam is a trafficking hub and sex slaves are still heavily trafficked there. Yet, Sweden has similar problems. In many ways, it makes one realize the immigration issues have to be solved in a way that no one is talking about, except those like Shelley who are intelligent people with good causes.

[Sharon Buchbinder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Professor Shelley's provides a comprehensive and accessible read on a must read topic. If you think slavery is gone, think again. Human trafficking is in our back yards and Professor Shelley's treatment is an excellent book on the topic, whether you are new to the subject or an expert.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent overview of the problem of human trafficking, useful, in particular, for providing a sense of the enormous scope of the problem. Shelley offers an overview of the global situation, as well as information about the many different kinds of trafficking and its many causes.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

True stories...

More...

In her book Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective Louise Shelley pulls together a wide array of sources (case studies, newspaper and magazine articles, survivor accounts, governmental and non-governmental statistical databases and reports, etc.) as she attempts to answer how and why human trafficking and smuggling (HTS) have become such lucrative transnational criminal activities and how these practices vary across the globe. She focuses not only on individual cases, but also looks at whole nations and continents. Her approach is truly global. By examining the social, political and economic consequences of human trafficking, the role of organized crime, the business of trafficking, and the strategies used to address these illicit trafficking networks, Shelley concludes that HTS not only destroys lives, but also undermines democracy and threatens public health. By illustrating how gangs, criminal networks, businesses and governments interact with one another, she is able to show how these multiple layers interact to maximize profits and secrecy by exploiting desperate people. Even though the historical antecedents and cultural manifestations of HTS vary slightly by region, Shelley outlines several common primary causes of increased HST such as “lack of employment opportunities, poverty, economic imbalances among regions of the world, decline of border controls, gender and ethnic discrimination, and political instability and conflict (38).”

These primary causes, however, have been exacerbated by “globalization, the rise of illicit trade, and the end of the Cold War (37).” Globalization has connected third world economies with the economic powerhouses through efficient trade networks and ultra-fast global communication. Desperate people seek entry into nations with thriving economies where they hope they will have the chance to create better lives. The end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union created widespread political instability, especially in the Soviet Union’s satellite states. Social support systems collapsed. The feminization of poverty ensued. The increasing prevalence of natural disasters has displaced millions as poorer governments are unable to cope with such catastrophic events. Again, desperate people sought dangerous methods of escape that were willingly provided by ruthless human trafficking networks. Illicit trade networks have benefited from efficient global trade networks. Corrupt government officials often act as gatekeepers to the “promised land.” Globalization, regional instability, and illicit trade all collude to supply the human cargo that is in such high demand in richer nations, even though it is that very demand that ultimately depresses wages and forces more people into poverty, which then reinforces the cycle (38). Shelley concludes that as economic divergence continues and as nations fail to create coordinated responses to HTS, the problem will only become worse.

The aim of Shelley’s book is to illustrate the global problem of HTS. Shelley relentlessly lists countless studies and examples of how HTS impacts individual victims and communities. The public has become acclimated to a seemingly never ending narrative of drug violence and trafficking, but has heard relatively little about HTS. An occasional story is reported, but quite often in the United States HTS is framed in terms of illegal Mexican immigration with little reference being given to the horrific conditions under which many illegals attempt to gain entry to the United States. Quite often many die en route due to dangerous methods of transportation. Many believe they are entering the “land of milk and honey” only to find that they have been sold into slavery. Shelley’s book is effective in adding depth to the problem as she illuminates the regional differences seen in the practice of HTS and then ties regional characteristics to the global whole. The end result is a dizzying array of facts, human interest stories, statistics, and cold analysis. Shelley effectively hammers the reader with information from which it is impossible to remain unaffected.

Even though Shelly does offer countless individual and group accounts to support the idea that HTS has recently become more globally pervasiveness, one is left with a feeling of uncertainty about actual numbers. Admittedly, the numbers of HTS victims is extremely difficult to ascertain due to the criminal nature and inherent secrecy of the activity; however, Shelley often presents instances of HTS that lead the reader to believe that she is talking about much larger numbers than her sources bear out. Perhaps if one were to add up the number of victims mentioned in every study, article and report in the index, one would arrive at a very high number, but in proportion to the world population this number would be quite low. This is not to downplay suffering, but, rather, to illustrate the difficulty of finding accurate numbers that reflect the true scope of the problem. Nevertheless, the reader may be left wondering if the scope of the problem is as all-pervasive as Shelly presents it.

Shelley also seems to make cavalier guesses when statistics are unavailable. For example, when she concludes that “the number of indentured servants entering the United States today probably exceeds the number of slaves (236),” she offers no sources to back up this claim. In another section she contends that the number of exploited Mexicans far exceeds that of exploited Mexicans working the cotton fields in the United States in the 1930’s, but, again, she offers no proof (237). As a further example, Shelley contends that greater regional ethnic diversity in the United States has contributed to the prevalence of trafficking in more American cities than in the past, but does not offer demographic proof that would likely have been readily found in United States government census databases. Shelley’s book contains countless other examples of unproven conjectures that seem logical, and even obvious, but, nevertheless should be backed up by sources.

Lastly, when Shelly discusses globalization, the collapse of communism and the rise in illicit trade as primary causes she is able to tie them to real –life examples and draw appropriate conclusions. For example, the collapse of communism lead to the feminization of poverty because the state could no longer afford the social services that women and children relied upon. Further, she ties globalization to the availability of efficient communication and transportation networks, while tying the rise in illicit trade to the increased individual wealth in prospering nations. It is only when Shelley tries to make historical connections that she is on less firm ground, resorting to sweeping generalizations. For example, when she ties the contemporary prevalence of slavery to nations with colonial pasts, she is unable to account for the persistence of HTS in nations without colonial histories. She notes that Russia missed the Enlightenment, and, as a result, never bought into its ideals, which accounts for HTS in contemporary Russia, but in later chapters describes the prevalence of HTS in western nations steeped in Enlightenment traditions, most notably Western Europe and the United States. Rather than taking on history, then, Shelly is at her best when she ties contemporary evidence to relatively recent historic events.

Even though Shelley’s conclusion is grim, it is appropriate. As long as people are indifferent to the problem, governments will fail to create policies that combat it. Perhaps Shelley’s book will contribute to fostering more awareness of HTS, as she has already made a contribution herself by crafting a book that successfully illustrates the pervasiveness of HTS as an increasingly entrenched transnational crime.

[CraftyBirdies · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was jam-packed with so much data that it was hard to get through. I didn't find it engaging and so I was skimming a lot. Granted, some of that may be because I had to read it for class in a short period of time and so that probably didn't help. Although other books for class I had planned on skimming, they were so much more interesting and pulled me in so I read them all in a short period of time. Not this one.

[Natalia Stornello · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a rough book to read. It provides a very in-depth look into human trafficking, so it’s dense and wordy at times. However, I learned so much from this book, and I feel more educated on human trafficking than I was previously. The author did a wonderful job with her research, and for the most part, it was a pretty clear book. Some parts got very technical and it was hard to follow, but I think if anyone has interest in this topic, this book is a great jumping off point.

[Petra Shea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good overview of human trafficking but could use some improvement. The chapter on Africa and Latin America is particularly disappointing though. While attention seems to be paid well to the other parts of the world, these regions are lumped together and seem to be a passing thought.

[Dina Janin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of fitting that my 800th book on Goodreads relates to Human Trafficking since I'm working to combat the crime and just finished a study about it

[Jordyn Redwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this book from the library as research into human trafficking.

Can't say it was enjoyable but certainly insightful. It is heavily footnoted and I found some of the reasons for human trafficking both interesting and horrifying-- like children being intentionally maimed so they would be "better" and more profitable street beggars.

I found the book fairly repetitive in its points-- thus the three stars but if you're looking for an overall view of the human trafficking problem and how it differs country to country then this is a good place to start.

[Writerstewie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for more of the process of Human Trafficking - reading survivor stories. Shelley goes around that and speaks in general of why it happens.

This is definitely textbook material and not really something the reader would use to learn about the personal tragedies from victim/survivor accounts.

[missy jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, thorough introduction to human trafficking trends in different parts of the world. A warning though: I've been studying trafficking for several years, and this book contains the single most horrifying case I've ever read about.

[marie monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book taught me a great deal about our cultural denial. powerful and thorough.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

The detail and research Dr. Shelley put into this book is impressive.