One of the greatest tragedies imaginable today is the phenomenon known as human trafficking. Young people are sold into a modern form of slavery, often into lives of prostitution at home and abroad.

The American Bar Association is working with a number of nations to eliminate this dreadful injustice. Last month, I had the honor and privilege to see these efforts close up during a presidential trip to Ecuador.

This inaugural President’s Journal is devoted to the issues raised by that trip. Organized by the ABA’s Latin America & Caribbean Law Initiatives Council (LALIC), the visit revealed that dramatic progress is being made.

Barely a year ago, human trafficking was not even a crime in Ecuador. With the help of the ABA, legislation has been enacted, and prosecutors are being empowered to crack down on human traffickers. The significance of our work is outlined in an e-mail from an Ecuadorian prosecutor.

Human trafficking was one of the key topics during visits with Ecuador’s president, Alfredo Palacio; Supreme Court President Jose Vicente Troya; Director General for Human Rights Augusto Saa; Solicitor General Jose Maria Borja; and Attorney General Cecilia Armas......read more