Examining the Associations Between Sustainable Development Population Policies and Human Trafficking

This post was originally published by Regent Law Professor Lynne Marie Kohm, on her Family Restoration blog.

Professor Lynne Marie Kohm

As January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month, Professor Kathleen McKee and I want to share with you our recent article on how United Nations population policies for sustainable development, albeit unwittingly, have worked to foster and advance human trafficking.   Our newest paper entitled "Examining the Associations Between Sustainable Development Population Policies and Human Trafficking" is available for free download here. Published in Volume 23, Issue 1 of the Michigan State International Law Review as their lead article, it will also be uploaded into Digital Commons shortly.  This article was made possible by the support of the Regent University School of Law Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law.

Essentially, the policy of sustainable development requires reductions in growth of human populations to promote environmental sustainability and economic development.  The problem is that these policies both burden women and place women at great risk.  Should women be placed routinely in harm’s way as part of a public policy simply to preserve the environment?  We argue that sustainable development presents a demanding and perilous environment for women.  Discussing demographic demise as the reality facing sustainable development policies, and human trafficking of women as a natural outcome of sustainable development policy, we argue that the family provides the best and safest environment for a woman, and her children, to flourish, and that family restoration, rather than sustainable development, ought to be a focus at the United Nations to assist developing nations.

Family restoration will not occur in a context of sustainable development policies.  Rather, sustainable development will continue to foster human trafficking of women and their children, to the grave harm and detriment of civilization.  What is needed globally are stable and strengthened family units to protect vulnerable women and their children from unintended poor international public policies.