Anti-Human Trafficking Policies and Freedom of the Press : A Cross-Country Study

Human trafficking has been called the ‘dark side’ of globalization. Interpol estimates that human trafficking is now the third largest transnational crime and the number of victims increases with each passing year. In an effort to combat the crime, the United Nations created the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons (Protocol) which outlines three anti-human trafficking policy dimensions. Some countries have been very successful in complying with the Protocol and fighting human traffickers while other countries struggle. It is hypothesized in this study that the degree of press freedom within a country significantly affects a country’s ability to comply with the Protocol. It is argued that greater press freedom enables the media to increase public awareness of the atrocities of human trafficking, sway public opinion, and call on government officials to take action and adhere to the laws prescribed in the Protocol. This hypothesis is tested using a cross-country data set of 119 countries. The results indicate that countries that allow for greater press freedom are more successful in their compliance with the Protocol