Abstract:
Slavery is still present in the modern world, manifested in the form of human trafficking. Millions of people have fallen victim to an industry that accumulates billions of dollars annually as one of the biggest transnational issues threatening countries today. The indiscriminate nature of human trafficking is fuelled by the effects of globalization, and since its acknowledgement as a threat in 2000; it has spawned a proliferation of International Organisations and anti-trafficking methods to address the victimising crime. This thesis examines the extent of human trafficking and how countries manage to eliminate the issue under the guiding principles of an international anti-trafficking mechanism, the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report). It examines the nature of human trafficking to illustrate the scope and scale of the issue and the extent to which it affects States. It thoroughly examines the TIP Report's minimum standards, which surround a 'Three P' paradigm: prosecution; protection and prevention methods; and how this has an effect on countries placement in a Tier System. Papua New Guinea will be examined as a case study of a Tier Three country who failed to meet the minimum standards. This examination is significant for two reasons; that there is a sever lack of literature on Papua New Guinea, despite the severity of the issue there, but also because there is a lack of literature that examines the relationship between the TIP Report and Tier Three States. This thesis draws on the information gathered through a qualitative analysis of relevant texts which surround the issue of human trafficking, with relevance to Papua New Guinea and the United States of America Department of State. The experiences of two other countries, Indonesia and Bosnia-Herzegovina, who have successfully manoeuvred themselves from Tier Three status, are included for a comparative analysis In order to effectively address the elimination of human trafficking; through prosecution, prevention and protection, there needs to be created a concise definition of human trafficking that acknowledges and addresses the extensive nature of the crime; who it affects and for what purposes. While the TIP Report provides a roadmap to the elimination of the crime, the findings show that efforts to meet eliminate human trafficking are only relevant if the proper prosecution methods are followed.