LAW 5081: Human Trafficking & Forced Labor
Spring 2024 • Section 21 • CRN 53418

Course Description

The course will provide an overview of the legal issues related to the growing international and domestic problem of human trafficking. The course will begin with examining slavery, peonage, and involuntary servitude in the law of nations and the U.S. We will also focus on the international legal framework, especially the Palermo Protocols, and the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, and the role of international agencies, and NGOs, as part of the effort to deal with this increasingly acute global crisis. In this context, we will also discuss displaced persons and international refugees as a major contributing factor to the problem of human trafficking. We will also analyze U.S. federal contractors and corporate accountability, and international crimes.

Next, the course will concentrate on U.S. laws and policies aimed at combating human trafficking and provide an in-depth look at how they are implemented. We will focus on the TVPRA and criminal and civil litigation under the statute, and issues that attorneys face including the need for a trauma informed approach to representing clients in this practice area. The course will also introduce U.S. anti-trafficking agencies and advocates working to combat human trafficking and discuss the debates and issues they currently face.

Book List/Materials