Opinion: US trade agenda trumps fight against human trafficking

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dw.com/en/opinion-us-trade-agenda-trumps-fight-against-human-trafficking/a-18610856

The US State Department has given Malaysia a better grade on fighting human trafficking. That decision has more to do with the president's trade agenda than human rights, says DW's Spencer Kimball.

Opinion: US trade agenda trumps fight against human trafficking
Spencer Kimball
27.07.2015

~snip~

In June, the United States Congress prohibited President Barack Obama from concluding trade deals with countries that are non-compliant with basic standards on preventing and punishing human trafficking. Malaysia was one of the worst offenders - until the State Department released its 2015 Trafficking in Persons report on Monday (press conference pictured).

The Southeast Asian nation has been upgraded from the worst ranking possible to a State Department "watch list." Reuters broke the news of Malaysia's pending change in status in early July. In response, 178 members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry criticizing the upgrade as unwarranted based on Malaysia's human rights record. NGOs such as Human Rights Watch agree that Malaysia has not made enough of an improvement to deserve an upgrade.

So why did the State Department give Malaysia a better grade? The Obama administration would simply argue that Kuala Lumpur has made modest improvements. But the upgrade also conveniently allows the president to secure Malaysia's place in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), the cornerstone of his trade agenda. The TPP includes 12 nations and will cover 40 percent of the global economy.

President Obama recently won fast-track authority to finish negotiating the deal. But he had to fight a bitter battle with members of his own party. American progressives have argued that the TPP will jeopardize American jobs and weaken environmental and labor standards.

[djean111]

1. Hey, what's a little human trafficking between friends and trade partners, right?

Hell, maybe ending human trafficking threatens someone's profits - and we all know what THAT means.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Why is Malaysia even in this?

Seriously, they're going to be a tiny market. If they don't meet the standards, why not just kick them out of the treaty?

[djean111]

3. IMO it is not really about countries at all, but corporate control over groups of

countries. The "trade" thing is just a diversion; we are trading with all of these countries already.