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Abstract
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Response to ATR Debate Proposition: 'Prosecuting trafficking deflects attention from much more important responses and is anyway a waste of time and money'
Please cite this article as: V Boutros and J C Richmond, 'Investments in Human Trafficking Prosecutions are Indispensable', Anti-Trafficking Review, issue 6, 2016, pp. 107-110, www.antitraffickingreview.org
We reject the proposition that prosecuting human trafficking cases deflects attention from much more important responses and is anyway a waste of time and money. Reducing the vulnerability of potential victims, survivor care, and the prosecution of traffickers are all vitally important responses to trafficking. However, to abandon prosecution as a 'waste of time and money' is to allow traffickers to operate with impunity and ensure that the exploitation will continue.
Prosecution is Essential to Successfully Combating Human Trafficking
Effective prosecution of traffickers is a necessary component of any long-term effort to substantially reduce the prevalence of trafficking. While some may appropriately decry the way in which certain human trafficking prosecutions are carried out (e.g., how survivors are treated, whether criminal justice standards are appropriately respected, which traffickers or industries are prioritised), few argue that fair and efficient prosecutions of traffickers are a 'waste of time and money'. Likewise, some might decry substandard efforts to reduce vulnerability or care for survivors, but the existence of ineffective programmes does not support the conclusion that all such endeavours are a waste of time and money. When faced with examples of weaknesses within the criminal justice response, the logical conclusion is to fund and support improvements to the system--not to abandon accountability efforts altogether....
Language: en |