The fight against human trafficking. Why do countries ratify, but not all comply with the Palermo Protocol?

Abstract

Countries and international organizations recognize human trafficking as a violation of human rights. Human trafficking is a global issue that affects many lives daily. The United Nations initiated the Palermo Protocol in 2000 as an international approach to combat human trafficking. Now, in 2016, 169 countries have ratified this document, but implementing legislation and taking action to combat human trafficking is no priority on the political agenda. Using a quantitative multilevel model we aimed to answer the question: “Why do countries ratify, but not all comply with the Palermo Protocol?” Using data from seven different sources, we constructed a dataset to test which domestic or international factors can best explain compliance with the Palermo Protocol. Results suggest that, taken the limitations of quantitative research design into account, institutions on the domestic level have a major impact on compliance with the Palermo Protocol. International factors such as being a member of an international regime or social learning appear to have no significant relationship with compliance with the Palermo Protocol.