Most people thought about slavery assuming that it was eliminated during the nineteenth century, however this is far from the truth. The current system offers too many incentives to criminals and outlaw states to market humans, and promises too little in the way of sanctions: what matters most is the rate of profit and the risk involved in each set of transactions.

Risk depends on the police and socio-political pressure against the business. Since profits are high, slavers have plenty of money to pay off government officials and local police. However, human trafficking can be countered more easily than other criminal businesses, because it is very visible: the problem thus is not one of capability, but of political will.

By allowing slavery to go unpunished, states erode the foundations of the international system, which requires that governments be capable of enforcing bilateral and multilateral agreements and the rule of law. For abolition of slavery, they should elaborate national plans with timetables, resource mobilization figures and precise targets.