Editor’s Note: William Bell is the Mayor of Birmingham, AL, and is an ambassador with Human Rights First’s Bankrupt Slavery campaign. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.
Story highlights
Pope Francis will soon visit the United States to speak before Congress and address the U.N.
"I hope the Pope will urge action against modern slavery," writes Mayor William Bell
American economy has the capacity to enable -- or deter -- trafficking, he writes
After recently having the privilege of travelling to Vatican City to attend a summit hosted by Pope Francis about the intersecting challenges of modern slavery and climate change, I came away with renewed resolve to do my part as the Mayor of Birmingham and ambassador for Human Rights First’s campaign to dismantle the business of human trafficking.
Born in Alabama into a deeply rooted system of segregation, this issue is close to my heart. Like the historical Trans-Atlantic system of slavery, so-called “Jim Crow” was a structure of oppression and exploitation based on race. But it was also about preserving the economic profits of the exploiters.
Modern day slavery is similarly a system of oppression driven by profit. Human trafficking generates an estimated $150 billion annually in illicit revenue. It’s the fastest-growing criminal enterprise in the world.
Pope Francis will soon visit the United States to speak before a joint session of Congress in Washington and address the United Nations General Assembly in New York. I hope and expect that the Pope will continue to urge action against modern slavery and encourage the United States to be a global leader on this cause.
Despite growing public awareness of human trafficking, many Americans continue to believe it’s a problem only “over there.” In fact, the United States is both a source and destination of trafficking victims, and the American economy, with its global power, has the capacity to enable – or deter – trafficking.
Given our nation’s particular history with slavery, we have an added moral obligation to lead the fight against human trafficking. But what would that leadership look like? Informed by the fact that it’s money that drives this industry, we need to flip the risk-reward equation.
Although slavery is illegal everywhere, perpetrators operate with near impunity while they rake in immense profits. The International Labor Organization estimates that over 20 million people are enslaved worldwide. Yet the State Department reported only 4,443 trafficking convictions around the world in 2014. In the United States, only 184.
All perpetrators must be targeted
To secure more convictions, we need more investigations launched with coordination between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. All perpetrators must be targeted, from the masterminds to document forgers to recruiters. Without higher risk for every criminal in this complex network, there will be insufficient disincentive to continue operating.
We also need the cooperation of businesses, which may be unwittingly abetting traffickers by using corrupt labor contractors and allowing illicit funds to be transferred through legitimate financial streams. The business and finance sectors must demand clean supply chains and enact fiscal safeguards, and work with law enforcement to ensure that human traffickers do not amass profits while operating in the blind spots of industry leaders.
But to achieve any of this, the men and women who have dedicated their lives to the anti-trafficking cause need the resources to fight this fight. To put the problem in perspective, the United States spends more in a month combating the illicit drug trade than it has spent combating the human being trade for the last 15 years.
With sufficient funds, we will be able to provide victims with essential aid, law enforcement with a comprehensive and collaborative framework, and prosecutors with the capacity to pursue cases at unprecedented levels. Without enough resources, laws against trafficking have no teeth and efforts to eradicate it languish.
True leadership requires putting our money where our mouth is.
Pope Francis has a knack for uniting diverse groups around a cause. The fight against modern slavery requires just such a coalition – including faith leaders, captains of industry, elected officials, and members of law enforcement. I’m grateful for his championing of this issue, and I hope he uses his visit to encourage American leadership on this pressing human rights issue.
