Abstract
Though the international community has attempted to carry out significant efforts to combat human trafficking, this form of modern day slavery continues to thrive. Human trafficking is the fastest growing illegal enterprise and its profitability has progressed to a level comparable to that of the international trade in illicit weapons and drugs. The current major international anti-human trafficking efforts ignore the disparity in levels of governance among nations, particularly those of Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union in implementing these measures. This inability to acknowledge the importance of governance coupled with the promotion of a “one size fits all” approach to combating human trafficking has impeded progress in the fight against the trafficking of human beings. This thesis supports the notion that human trafficking can be effectively combated through the fundamental establishment of good governance in those nations where it is lacking. The data for this study is both quantitative and qualitative and is comprised of secondary sources in the form of research reports conducted by the World Bank, U.S. Department of State and the United Nations. Additional sources of secondary data include academic research on human trafficking. There is evidence that nations with higher levels of governance implement a greater extent of anti-human trafficking efforts than nations with lower levels of governance.