In all its forms, human trafficking is the third largest criminal enterprise in the world, generating roughly 150 billion dollars every year and growing rapidly.1 Though there is arguably some dispute about the number of victims of human trafficking and forced labor, the most widely accepted number seems to fall between twenty-one and twenty-seven million people living in conditions of modern slavery today.2 Even the lowest estimates suggest there are millions of victims.3 Though the estimates vary somewhat, private forced labor exploitation constitutes roughly sixty-four percent of the victims; forced sexual exploitation makes up nineteen percent, with state-imposed forced labor as the last sixteen percent.4 Estimates also suggest that these abuses disproportionately impact women and girls, with females comprising roughly seventy percent of the victims.5 Regardless of the exact number, it is clear that the situation is dire and demands global attention and action.
The Denver Journal of International Law & Policy is one of the oldest international law journals in the United States and is ranked internationally. It is managed and edited by students at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.
