Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Committee
Human Trafficking
People’s Republic of China
Grant Charles Centner
Forest Hills Eastern
Human Trafficking occurs in many forms: sexual exploitation, black market adoption, and many others. Despite the People’s Republic of China’s best efforts to combat human trafficking, the United States Department of State has downgraded the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to Tier 3. Tier 3 is the worst tier meaning countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards of combatting human trafficking and are not making significant efforts to do so. This is entirely untrue. While the People’s Republic of China has not changed its laws or policies except in a positive direction, the United States has decided to use these issues as a bargaining-chip in the ongoing trade conflict. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Yi, stated that China is “firmly opposed to the irresponsible remarks made by the United States based on its domestic law about others’ efforts against human trafficking.” The PRC is deeply saddened that issues as serious as this would be used as leverage to benefit from manipulated trade with the Chinese.
China is currently making its best efforts towards combatting human trafficking. In 2009 the U.S. Department of State said that the Chinese government had arrested 19 out of 20 of the most wanted human traffickers. China has also promised to work closely and share information with countries in ASEAN to help eliminate human trafficking. Also, in 2009, the PRC ratified the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol in order to commit to combat human trafficking. In recent years, many criminals have been arrested in China for kidnapping and selling babies for adoption in foreign countries (NYP).
The PRC hopes to continue and increase its fight against human trafficking alongside the UN. The PRC will not accept foreign government intervention into their affairs. The PRC will accept NGOs into China as long as they follow rule of law and register with the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The UN must address this issue but it must not simply adhere to the logocentric nations who simply want to use this issue for national gain.
- Grant Charles Centner
