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It would seem that human trafficking is a fairly cut and dry issues. Every government has laws against it. Most people, at least in our society, agree that slavery is wrong. This article about trafficking concerns in Northern Kentucky brings up some of the issues that make human trafficking a complicated issue.

First, it can be difficult to determine whether victims are moved against their will or are compensated because many victims are afraid of law enforcement and are coerced by their captors. If people coming willingly and are compensated for what they do, they’re not slaves (even though the situation they’re in still may be legally and morally wrong).

Second, governments and organizations also disagree on who the real criminals are in human trafficking. Some governments (like Thailand, and to some extent the U.S.) criminalize trafficked people. This is especially prevalent in human trafficking cases that involve prostitution. Other places focus on criminalizing the traffickers, but this is complicated because the pimps, agents, and other people who work with slaves face to face usually are not the real slaveholders—they’re (often exploited) employees too. Another option is to focus on arresting those who purchase sex from trafficked people (This is know as the Swedish Model), but evidence for this idea’s effectiveness is hard to come by. (Here Amanda Kloer at change.org gives her thoughts on this third option.)

All this to say, there’s no simple answer for human trafficking. That doesn’t mean that we should give up. Organizations like IJM fight messy legal battles every day to free people and hold wrongdoers accountable.

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