In a timely program sponsored by the Foreign, Comparative and International Law Special Interest Section, Teresa Stanton and Laura Cadra presented an informative, if sobering, overview of international and domestic efforts to stem the tide of international and intra-national trafficking in persons.
Ms. Stanton, Reference Librarian for Foreign & Comparative Law at the University of California School of Law Library, addressed the international aspects of anti-trafficking efforts, and discussed some of the resources for research in this area. She emphasized the wide, but often chaotic, array of secondary research available, warning that the cacophony of information sources on the issue may be bewildering to researchers. In particular, Stanton noted the difficulty of finding reliable or complete statistical information and of comparing statistics reported by different sources. In describing international anti-trafficking responses, she contrasted the criminal justice-oriented approach of the U.N. and other organizations with a growing movement to develop coherent human rights-based framework. Stanton closed her remarks by noting some of the remaining challenges in this “war we are losing.” In her view, these include the gaps in research on the magnitude, causes and consequences of trafficking; the problem of prevention and mitigation in a culturally, socially and politically diverse context; and addressing the economic incentives that lie at the root of the global market in trafficked labor. Her detailed backgrounder on international agreements combating human trafficking was made available online in the Program Handout Materials section (http://programmaterials.aallnet.org/) of AALL’s Annual Meeting site.
Ms. Cadra, Head of Reference Services and Foreign and International Law Librarian at the Loyola Law School (Los Angeles), covered domestic legislation and law enforcement efforts at both the federal and state levels. Cadra highlighted the annual TIP Reports produced by the State Department, which provide country-by-country overviews of the incidence, nature of and law enforcement efforts against trafficking in persons. But Cadra also noted the political and international relations concerns that may affect the “tier” system used in the TIP Reports to rate the anti-trafficking efforts of other nations. In summarizing state-level responses to the problem of human trafficking, Cadra mentioned four categories of statutes: provisions for prosecution of traffickers, mitigation services for victims, civil remedies for victims, and creation of groups to monitor or study the issues. She has posted in the Program Handout Materials an extensive resource list which covers international agreements, federal and state agencies and legislation, international agencies and NGOs, statistical sources, and monographs, all addressing various aspects of the human trafficking problem.
Finally, John Wilson, Foreign and International Law Librarian at the UCLA School of Law, organized the program but was unable to attend. His selected bibliography of articles on the topic, organized by subject matter and geographic focus, as well as a brief written overview of the international political response to the problem, were provided in a print handout at the session.
Even with only two of three scheduled speakers presenting, the 45-minute program slot still seemed somewhat rushed, given the depth and breadth of information covered. The speakers in this program did an excellent job of giving an overview of the many issues and resources in this area, and their background materials provide much-needed additional detail. Nevertheless, in future conference planning, it is to be hoped that useful, substantive and instructive programs like this one will be accorded sufficient time to explore the dimensions of a complex and multifaceted topic that is of interest to a wide variety of law librarians.