The Law and MSHT

The right to be free from slavery is axiomatic in modern society. Yet slavery persists for the same reasons that human rights violations often persist: it is profitable, and its perpetrators are capable of endless self-reinvention. This chapter attempts to provide some clarity particularly on the ways that present-day slavery shows itself and to whose benefit. The chapter will define modern slavery and human trafficking (MSHT)—also known as trafficking in persons (TIP)—explain its contemporary manifestations in labour and sex trafficking, identify who is primarily vulnerable to it, and discuss what is being done to stop it through criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits. Using a comparative approach, the chapter will consider anti-trafficking laws and their enforcement in the United Kingdom, the international sphere, and the United States.