11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

Home Wide Angle

12:00 AM, May 08, 2015 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:50 AM, May 29, 2015

NOT A MATTER OF PAST

Timeline of Human Trafficking

A 19th-century engraving shows Arab slave traders and their captives along the Ruvuma river (in today's Tanzania and
Mozambique). Slavery & human tracking should have been a matter of past. But they are not. Photo: Collected

Human trafficking and exploitation have been in existance across the globe for thousands of
years. From the ancient Greek and Romans to the medieval times, and up until today, humans
have been subject to various forms of physical and sexual slavery. Below are some of the more
salient points in history related to human trafficking.
1400s-1600s

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

1/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

A depiction
of the
African
slave trade
throughout
these
years.

Although forms of slavery existed before the 1400, the 1400s marked the start of European slave trading
in Africa with the Portuguese transporting people from Africa to Portugal and using them as slaves. In
1562, the British joined in on the slave trade in Africa. The development of plantation colonies increased
the volume of the slave trade. Later on throughout the 1600s, other countries became more involved in
the European slave trade. These included Spain, North America, Holland, France, Sweden, and Denmark.
$50 REWARD

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

2/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

The Carolina Watchman on January 7, 1837 ran this ad

RANAWAY from the subscriber two negro slaves, viz TONEY and JOHN. Toney is about 35 years of age,
five feet nine or ten inches high, dark complexion, square and stout build and had on when he left, a
bright drab Petersham overcoat. He was purchased by me of Mr. Richard Brasley of Wilmington, and
calls himself Toney Montague. John is about twenty years of age, of rather lighter complexion than
Toney, about five feet 10 inches high, and is quite stout but has a full round face, and has lost two front
teeth above and below which is his most distinguishing mark. He had on when he left, a light grey
woolen round Jacket and pantaloons.
The above slaves left the camp of the subscriber while on his way to the Western country, eight miles
above Lincolnton, on 28t of last month, and will no doubt endeavor to make their way back to
Wilmington. The above reward will be given for their apprehension, so that I get them again.
JAMES MOORE.

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

3/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

Publications regarding deception of young white girls sparked the

Agreement for the Suppression.

1904
In 1904, the International Agreement for the Suppression of "White Slave Traffic" was signed and put
into action. The purpose of this agreement was to protect women from being involved in "white slave
traffic."

1927

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

4/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

A meeting of
the League
of Nations to
discuss
international
issues.

The League of Nations was founded after the WWI, and had the goal maintaining world peace and also
focusing on international issues such as human trafficking. The Suppression of White Slave Traffic was
changed to "traffic in women and children" so that everyone was included with no discrimination to race
("When"). Children of both genders were also recognized as victims of trafficking. In addition, two major
studies were conducted, one in the West and one in the East, in an attempt to find out the real status of
trafficking in these areas.
1939-45

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

5/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

After
paying a
fee,
soldiers
gained
access to
the
women's
quarters.

During WWII, Japan had set up a horrifying and outrageous system where women all across Asia were
forced into sexual slavery. The women were housed in what were known as "comfort stations." The
conditions in these stations were atrocious, with each woman detained in a small cubicle, and received
beatings and other tortures if they were defiant. Because of this, many women ultimately died of disease,
malnutrition, exhaustion, suicide, etc.
1956

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

6/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

Tracking
in India
needed to
be
regulated
so that
women
and
children
especially
would not
be
exploited.

In 1956, India initiated the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, which persecutes the third parties involved
in trafficking. These activities included running brothels, living on earnings from sex work, capturing
and imprisoning people into prostitution. It can be argued, that this Act failed to protect the women who
may have been forced into prostitution. Many of the arrests that were made were for sex workers due to
soliciting, and they ultimately lost everything. Furthermore, many were forced from brothels into more
dangerous areas.
1995

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

7/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

Women
from the
1995
Conference.

In 1995, the United Nations held the fourth World Conference to address the issue of trafficking of
women. In this meeting, a major accomplishment was the fact that trafficking was actually recognised as
an act of violence against women, and the concept of trafficking was further defined. Most importantly,
actions to be taken were also developed.
2008

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

8/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

Bodies of
the
workers
after
being
suocated
in
atrocious
conditions.

In 2008, a case emerged where several migrants were found to be illegally smuggled into Thailand by
traffickers. Fifty-seven of these migrants suffocated to death while being transported after being
confined in a seafood container where the air-conditioning system malfunctioned. There were 67
survivors of the journey, and they told of how they had hopes of finding work in Thailand, but conditions
in the lorry suddenly became
unbearable.
2009

Fake U.S.
passports
were
created
so young
women
could be
tracked
to the US.

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

9/10

11/26/2016

NOTAMATTEROFPAST|TheDailyStar

In 2009, a large human trafficking ring was busted in Taipei, Taiwan. The case involved several young
females who were brought to the U.S. illegally with fake passports. They then used these fake passports
to obtain visas. They were discovered by the US authorities. A total of 74 suspects from the trafficking
ring were brought in for investigation.
2011

A
candlelight
vigil held
in AZ on
National
Human
Tracking
Day.

President Obama declared January to be Human Trafficking Awareness month, and January 11, 2011
was named National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. On this day, various individual, as well as group
events took place to increase awareness about human trafficking. The Alliance to End Human
Trafficking began a campaign to ask the government to take a serious look at trafficking by renewing the
Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Source: http://www.eden.rutgers.edu/

http://www.thedailystar.net/wideangle/notmatterpast81118

10/10