From Rescue to Representation: A Human Rights Approach to the Contemporary Antislavery Movement

Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick*Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick is a Political Sociologist with appointments at the University of San Diego (Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies) and Central European University (School of Public Policy). He is currently engaged in three projects: the first is an effort to promote a human rights approach to anti-slavery efforts; the second explores how human rights violators respond to being targeted by social movements; and the third is focused on how social movements use new technology, especially drones.Address correspondence to Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, Assistant Professor of Political Sociology, Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA 92110, USA. E-mail: achoifitz@gmail.comCurrent efforts to end contemporary slavery represent a fourth wave of an Anglo-American abolitionist movement. Despite this historic precedent, there is little agreement on the nature of the problem. A review of current academic discourse, movement frames, and policy approaches suggests that six perspectives predominate: a prostitution approach focused on sexual exploitation of “women and girls”; a migration approach focused on the cross-border flow of migrants; a criminal justice approach focused on law and enforcement; a forced-labor approach emphasizing unfree labor; a slavery approach focused on trafficking in comparative-historical context; and a human rights approach centered on individual rights. This article discusses the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and advances an expanded version of the human rights approach.