Concerning “A Task for Senator Obama”
Monday, June 16th, 2008
A letter to the editor in the Opinion section of the New York Times:
To the Editor:
In “The Sex Speech” (column, June 12), Nicholas D. Kristof urges Barack Obama to address women’s rights issues like maternal mortality.
As it happens, Senator Obama has an opportunity right now to demonstrate his commitment to women and girls.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act is up for reauthorization. In December 2007, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill strengthening the law to enable more effective prosecution of sex traffickers. Sadly, these criminal provisions were dropped by Senators Joseph R. Biden Jr. and Sam Brownback in the trafficking reauthorization bill they recently introduced.
Senator Obama could help ensure that the Senate legislation incorporates the criminal justice provisions included in the House bill and does justice to victims of sex trafficking. Such action could go a long way in establishing his credibility with women voters.
Jessice Neuwirth
President, Equality Now
New York, June 12, 2008
Yes, this would establish more credibility among women voters after Senator Obama fought a long, hard campaign against a woman candidate.
However, let us not forget that human trafficking increasingly affects men and children, as well. Also, women are increasingly found to be trafficked for purposes of labor as well as sexual exploitation. Modern slavery is really an issue that affects all people in all countries, whether they live in a country of origin, destination or transit (of victims). It is a criminal process that affects the security and challenges the law enforcement of every country, and it is a serious violation of human rights.
In the international community, trafficking is recognized as a form of gender based violence (article 2, United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women) because the problem, as it is currently known, disproportionally affects women.
While human rights are violated during the process of being trafficked, according to a report produced by La Strada International, trafficking in women is also connected to rights abuses that occur prior to being trafficked. This includes domestic violence, violations of women’s rights in the labor market, and a lack of rights and social protection for female migrants (now comprising approximately half of all migrants).
Domestic violence increases a woman’s risk to trafficking by acting as a catalyst to make the person feel the need to escape at all costs, which traffickers exploit. It also erodes self-esteem, leaving the victim to feel as if she deserves what is happening to her. In the case of children, it may force children to be absent from school, or to engage in risky behavior, which lowers their future job prospects and increases their vulnerability to trafficking.
(from Stephen Warnath’s “Examining the Intersection between Trafficking in Persons and Domestic Violence,” 2007)
A study on the physical and psychological health consequences of women and adolescents trafficked in Europe found that 60% of victims experienced some form of violence prior to being trafficked.
The violation of women’s rights in the labor market including the gender pay gap, discrimination in hiring practices, sexual harassment, and the feminization of poverty and unemployment worldwide, are factors that, in and of themselves, prevent women from advancing, but also fuel things like human trafficking.
While I agree with the writer that Senator Obama should actively engage in the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, it is also important that he continue to support measures against domestic violence and gender-based violence, as well as put effort into addressing women’s rights in the labor market as all of these issues are inextricably connected and need international support to overcome.