China is reportedly “considering” signing the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, known as the TIP Protocol, which supplements the U.N. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. But Beijing has not yet done so. Furthermore, China’s definition of trafficking is narrow, focusing on the abduction and selling of women and children, whereas international standards encompass much broader crimes such as recruitment, transportation and transfer by means of fraud, deception, the giving of payments, etc.
The U.S. government should do all it can to encourage Chinese adoption of the TIP Protocol and legal definitions that are consistent with international standards. In addition, Congress and the Obama administration should review the recommendations of the Action Group to End Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery. The Action Group, a consortium of organizations dedicated to abolishing slavery and human trafficking, has submitted a series of recommendations to the new administration that should be reviewed to determine which ones are particularly germane to China and can therefore enhance anti-trafficking efforts there.
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