STATUTORY FRAMEWORKS USED to CHARGE CHILDREN for COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION & ALTERNATIVES to PROSECUTION (Last Updated February 2012)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

STATUTORY FRAMEWORKS USED to CHARGE CHILDREN for COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION & ALTERNATIVES to PROSECUTION (Last Updated February 2012) STATUTORY FRAMEWORKS USED TO CHARGE CHILDREN FOR COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION & ALTERNATIVES TO PROSECUTION (Last Updated February 2012) This compilation contains legislation, session laws, and codified statues. All statutes, laws, and bills listed in this compilation have been signed by the pertinent governor and enacted into law. This report was complied using Westlaw Services. This compilation is up-to-date as of the month it was created. However, please note we recommend checking both case law and current legislation for any possible modifications to the statutes listed below. Scope: This compilation contains legislation, session laws, and codified prostitution statutes most of which criminalize both adults and children. Statutes criminalizing the promotion of prostitution were also included because some victims of human trafficking have been charged for being forced to prostitute others. Finally, this compilation includes state laws which expressly immunize children from prosecution for prostitution and prostitution-related offenses and/or provide an affirmative defense, defense or diversion program. SUMMARY CHART...................................................................................................................10 ALABAMA...................................................................................................................................25 ALA. CODE § 13A-12-121 (2011). Prohibited Activity ......................................................25 ALA. CODE § 13A-12-110 (2011). Definitions. ....................................................................25 ALA. CODE § 13A-12-111 (2011). Promoting prostitution; first degree...........................25 ALA. CODE § 13A-12-112 (2011). Promoting prostitution; second degree. .....................26 ALA. CODE § 13A-12-113 (2011). Promoting prostitution; third degree. ........................26 ALA. CODE § 13A-6-159 (2011). Affirmative Defense.......................................................26 ALASKA.......................................................................................................................................26 ALASKA STAT. § 11.66.100 (2011). Prostitution ................................................................26 ALASKA STAT. § 11.66.110 (2011). Promoting prostitution in the first degree..............27 ALASKA STAT. § 11.66.120 (2011). Promoting prostitution in the second degree..........27 ALASKA STAT. § 11.66.130 (2011). Promoting prostitution in the third degree ............27 ALASKA STAT. § 11.66.135 (2011). Promoting prostitution in the fourth degree ..........28 ARIZONA ....................................................................................................................................28 ARIZ. REV. STAT. ANN. § 13-3214 (2011). Prostitution ..................................................28 ARIZ. REV. STAT. ANN. § 13-3206 (2011). Taking child for purpose of prostitution; classification .............................................................................................................................29 ARIZ. REV. STAT. ANN. § 13-3212 (2011). Child prostitution; classification; increased punishment ...............................................................................................................................29 ARIZ. REV. STAT. ANN. § 13-3552 (2011). Commercial sexual exploitation of a minor; classification .............................................................................................................................31 ARKANSAS .................................................................................................................................31 ARK. CODE ANN. § 5-70-102 (2011). Prostitution; penalties............................................31 ARK. CODE ANN. § 5-70-101 (2011). Definitions. ..............................................................32 ARK. CODE ANN. § 5-70-104 (2011). Promoting prostitution in the first degree. ..........32 ARK. CODE ANN. § 5-70-105 (2011). Promoting prostitution, second degree.................33 ARK. CODE ANN. § 5-70-106 (2011). Promoting prostitution, third degree ...................33 1 ARK. CODE ANN. § 5-27-305 (2011). Transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct......................................................................................................................................33 CALIFORNIA..............................................................................................................................33 CAL. PENAL CODE §647 (2011). Disorderly Conduct ......................................................33 CAL. PENAL CODE § 266 (2011). Procurement.................................................................36 CAL. PENAL CODE § 266h (2011). Pimping and pimping a minor; punishment...........37 CAL. PENAL CODE § 266i (2011). Pandering ....................................................................37 CAL. PENAL CODE § 266k (2011). Additional fine on conviction for pimping, pandering, procurement of child under 16, or abduction of person under 18 for the purpose of prostitution; deposit or grant of funds; administrative cost of collection.......38 CAL. PENAL CODE § 267 (2011). Abduction; person under 18 for purpose of prostitution; punishment.........................................................................................................39 COLORADO................................................................................................................................39 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-201 (2011). Prostitution Prohibited........................................39 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-1-604. (2011). Exemptions from liability based upon behavior of another..................................................................................................................................39 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-401 (2011). Definitions.............................................................39 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-402 (2011). Soliciting for child prostitution...........................40 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-403 (2011). Pandering of a child.............................................40 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-403.5 (2011). Procurement of a child. ....................................41 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-404 (2011). Keeping a place of child prostitution. ................41 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-405 (2011). Pimping of a child. ...............................................41 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-405.5 (2011). Inducement of child prostitution.....................41 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-407 (2011). Criminality of conduct. .......................................41 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-408 (2011). Severability...........................................................42 COLO. REV. STAT. § 18-7-409 (2011). Reports of convictions to department of education...................................................................................................................................42 CONNECTICUT .........................................................................................................................42 CONN. GEN. STAT. ANN. § 53a-82 (2011). Prostitution: Class A misdemeanor............42 CONN. GEN. STAT. ANN. § 53a-85 (2011). Promoting prostitution: Definitions. ..........42 CONN. GEN. STAT. ANN. § 53a-86 (2011). Promoting prostitution in the first degree: Class B felony. ..........................................................................................................................43 CONN. GEN. STAT. ANN. § 53a-88 (2011). Prostitution: Class A misdemeanor............43 CONN. GEN. STAT. ANN. § 53a-90a (2011). Enticing a minor. Penalties........................43 DELAWARE................................................................................................................................44 11 DEL. C. § 1342(2011). Prostitution; class B misdemeanor.............................................44 11 DEL. C. § 1106 (2011). Unlawfully dealing with a child; class B misdemeanor ...........44 11 DEL. C. § 1108 (2011). Sexual exploitation of a child; class B felony............................44 11 DEL. C. § 1112A (2011). Sexual solicitation of a child; class C felony ..........................45 11 DEL. C. § 1353 (2010). Promoting prostitution in the first degree; class C felony. .....46 11 DEL. C. § 1352 (2011). Promoting prostitution in the second degree; class E felony. .46 11 DEL. C. § 1356 (2011). Definitions relating to prostitution............................................46 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA......................................................................................................47 D.C. CODE § 22-2701 (2011). Engaging and soliciting for prostitution prohibited.........47 D.C. CODE § 22-2704 (2011). Abducting or enticing child from his or her home for purposes of prostitution; harboring such child.....................................................................47 2 D.C. CODE § 22-2705 (2011). Pandering; inducing or compelling an individual to engage in prostitution...........................................................................................................................48 D.C. CODE § 22-2706 (2011). Compelling an individual to live life of prostitution against his or her will............................................................................................................................49 FLORIDA.....................................................................................................................................49
Recommended publications
  • The Chapter 30B Manual: Procuring Supplies, Services and Real Property
    Notice This manual supersedes the 2014 edition of The Chapter 30B Manual. The contents of older editions may not reflect current law or interpretations of the Office of the Inspector General. You may download this manual from our website at www.mass.gov/ig or purchase copies from the State Bookstore, Room 116, State House, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 727-2834. Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General Address: Room 1311 John McCormack State Office Building One Ashburton Place Boston, MA 02108 Contact Information: (617) 727 - 9140 (Main Office) (617) 722 - 8838 (Chapter 30B) (617) 727 - 9140 (MCPPO Program) (800) 322 - 1323 (Confidential 24-Hour Hotline) (617) 723 - 2334 (FAX) www.mass.gov/ig Copyright 2016 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General, Boston, Massachusetts All rights reserved First edition published 1990, revised 1995, 1998, 2000, 2006, 2011, 2014, 2016 Printed on recycled paper November 2016 Dear Reader: I am pleased to issue this updated edition of The Chapter 30B Manual: Procuring Supplies, Services and Real Property. The manual is one component of the Office of the Inspector General’s ongoing efforts to prevent fraud, waste and abuse in the expenditure of public funds. It provides comprehensive guidance and information about complying with the Uniform Procurement Act, M.G.L. c. 30B (Chapter 30B). This new edition of the manual incorporates statutory changes to Chapter 30B that are effective November 7, 2016, including the new thresholds and requirements in Chapter 218 of the Acts of 2016, An Act Modernizing Municipal Finance and Government. It also includes updated forms and checklists, as well as practical advice on conducting a wide range of procurements.
    [Show full text]
  • SELF-FLAGELLATION in the EARLY MODERN ERA Patrick
    SELF-FLAGELLATION IN THE EARLY MODERN ERA Patrick Vandermeersch Self-fl agellation is often understood as self-punishment. History teaches us, however, that the same physical act has taken various psychologi- cal meanings. As a mass movement in the fourteenth century, it was primarily seen as an act of protest whereby the fl agellants rejected the spiritual authority and sacramental power of the clergy. In the sixteenth century, fl agellation came to be associated with self-control, and a new term was coined in order to designate it: ‘discipline’. Curiously, in some religious orders this shift was accompanied by a change in focus: rather than the shoulders or back, the buttocks were to be whipped instead. A great controversy immediately arose but was silenced when the possible sexual meaning of fl agellation was realized – or should we say, constructed? My hypothesis is that the change in both the name and the way fl agellation was performed indicates the emergence of a new type of modern subjectivity. I will suggest, furthermore, that this requires a further elaboration of Norbert Elias’s theory of the ‘civiliz- ing process’. A Brief Overview of the History of Flagellation1 Let us start with the origins of religious self-fl agellation. Although there were many ascetic practices in the monasteries at the time of the desert fathers, self-fl agellation does not seem to have been among them. With- out doubt many extraordinary rituals were performed. Extreme degrees 1 The following historical account summarizes the more detailed historical research presented in my La chair de la passion.
    [Show full text]
  • Globalizing Sexual Exploitation: Sex Tourism and the Traffic in Women
    Leisure Studies ISSN: 0261-4367 (Print) 1466-4496 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rlst20 Globalizing sexual exploitation: sex tourism and the traffic in women Sheila Jeffreys To cite this article: Sheila Jeffreys (1999) Globalizing sexual exploitation: sex tourism and the traffic in women, Leisure Studies, 18:3, 179-196, DOI: 10.1080/026143699374916 To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/026143699374916 Published online: 01 Dec 2010. Submit your article to this journal Article views: 5017 View related articles Citing articles: 60 View citing articles Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at https://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=rlst20 Globalizing sexual exploitation: sex tourism and the trafc in women SHEILA JEFFREYS Department of Politics and Science, University of Melbourne Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia Introduction Today there are many forces at work in the normalization of the international sex industry (Jeffreys, 1997). The sex industry has become immensely protable, providing considerable resources, not just to individuals and networks involved in trafcking women but to governments who have come to depend on sex industry revenue. One aspect of the industry in particular that governments have come to depend upon for revenue is sex tourism (Bishop and Robinson, 1998). It is the concern of this paper to present a critical analysis of the arguments of the normalizers, whether sex in- dustrialists or their spokespersons, that sex tourism or other forms of prostitution should come to be seen as a legitimate leisure industry, one in which women and children are literally ‘men’s leisure’.
    [Show full text]
  • The French Law of April 13 2016 Aimed at Strengthening the Fight Against the Prostitutional System and Providing Support For
    The French law of April 13 2016 aimed at strengthening the fight against the prostitutional system and providing support for prostituted persons Principles, goals, measures and adoption of a historic law. 1 CAP international, March 2017 www.cap-international.org Authors: Grégoire Théry, Executive director of CAP international Claudine Legardinier, Journalist Graphic design: micheletmichel.com Translation: Caroline Degorce Contents Presentation of the law of April 13, 2016 > Introduction ................................................................................................................................................p.5 > Content of the law ....................................................................................................................................p.5 French law following the adoption of the new Act > The fight against procuring and pimping .......................................................................................p.8 > Prohibition of the purchase of sex acts .......................................................................................... p.9 > Protection, access to rights and exit policy for victims of prostitution, pimping and trafficking .......................................................................................................................p.10 The spirit of the law > Philosophical foundation ....................................................................................................................p.13 > Adoption of the parliamentary resolution of December
    [Show full text]
  • Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect
    STATE STATUTES Current Through March 2019 WHAT’S INSIDE Defining child abuse or Definitions of Child neglect in State law Abuse and Neglect Standards for reporting Child abuse and neglect are defined by Federal Persons responsible for the child and State laws. At the State level, child abuse and neglect may be defined in both civil and criminal Exceptions statutes. This publication presents civil definitions that determine the grounds for intervention by Summaries of State laws State child protective agencies.1 At the Federal level, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment To find statute information for a Act (CAPTA) has defined child abuse and neglect particular State, as "any recent act or failure to act on the part go to of a parent or caregiver that results in death, https://www.childwelfare. serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse, gov/topics/systemwide/ or exploitation, or an act or failure to act that laws-policies/state/. presents an imminent risk of serious harm."2 1 States also may define child abuse and neglect in criminal statutes. These definitions provide the grounds for the arrest and prosecution of the offenders. 2 CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-320), 42 U.S.C. § 5101, Note (§ 3). Children’s Bureau/ACYF/ACF/HHS 800.394.3366 | Email: [email protected] | https://www.childwelfare.gov Definitions of Child Abuse and Neglect https://www.childwelfare.gov CAPTA defines sexual abuse as follows: and neglect in statute.5 States recognize the different types of abuse in their definitions, including physical abuse, The employment, use, persuasion, inducement, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse.
    [Show full text]
  • Katherine Fernandez Rundle State Attorney
    KATHERINE FERNANDEZ RUNDLE STATE ATTORNEY ELEVENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 8 IN AND FOR MIAMI-DADE COUNTY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 2 Charged in Separate Human Trafficking Cases Arrests focused on procuring for prostitution activities Miami (August 13, 2021) - Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle, City of Miami Police Chief Art Acevedo and City of Hialeah Police Chief Sergio Velazquez announce the arrest of two individuals for their independent involvement in the alleged procuring and facilitating of prostitution services in the City of Miami and in the City of Hialeah. In both cases, information and police assistance supplied to the Miami- Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force proved pivotal in the arrests of 32-year-old Aleksandra S. Soboleva A/K/A Karina and 31-year-old Brian Rodriguez. “Sadly, there are still individuals in our community who feel that forcing young women into prostitution is an acceptable way to make a living,” said State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle. “Such activity demeans the women involved, reducing their humanity to the level of walking cash machines. Rescuing these victims is the goal of the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office Human Trafficking Task Force.” In the City of Miami case, Aleksandra S. Soboleva has been charged with: • 1 count of Deriving Support from the Proceeds of Prostitution • 1 count of Unlawful Use of a Two-Way Communications Device • 1 count of Renting Space to be Used for Prostitution • 1 count of Soliciting, Inducing or Procuring Another to Commit Prostitution • 1 count of Direct Another to a Place of Prostitution Soboleva’s charges arise from a City of Miami police operation at a massage parlor located at 4315 NW 7th Street, Suite #37B in Miami.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Trafficking: Issues Beyond Criminalization
    IA SCIEN M T E IA D R A V C M A PONTIFICIAE ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARVM SOCIALIVM ACTA 20 S A O I C C I I F A I T L I N V M O P Human Trafficking: Issues Beyond Criminalization The Proceedings of the 20th Plenary Session 17-21 April 2015 Edited by Margaret S. Archer | Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo Libreria Editrice Vaticana • Vatican City 2016 Human Trafficking: Issues Beyond Criminalization The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences Acta 20 The Proceedings of the 20th Plenary Session Human Trafficking: Issues Beyond Criminalization 17-21 April 2015 Edited by Margaret S. Archer Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo IA SCIE M NT E IA D R A V C M A S A I O C C I F I I A T L I N V M O P LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICANA • VATICAN CITY 2016 The Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences Casina Pio IV, 00120 Vatican City Tel: +39 0669881441 • Fax: +39 0669885218 Email: [email protected] • Website: www.pass.va The opinions expressed with absolute freedom during the presentation of the papers of this meeting, although published by the Academy, represent only the points of view of the participants and not those of the Academy. ISBN 978-88-86726-32-0 © Copyright 2016 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, pho- tocopying or otherwise without the expressed written permission of the publisher. THE PONTIFICAL ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES LIBRERIA EDITRICE VATICANA VATICAN CITY In recent years, the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, thanks to the efforts of its President, its Chancellor and a num- ber of prestigious external collaborators – to whom I offer my heartfelt thanks – has engaged in important activities in defence of human dignity and freedom in our day.
    [Show full text]
  • How the Criminalization of Procuring Affects Sex Workers in Canada
    217 Wagadu Volume 8 Fall 2010 TEN ILLEGAL LIVES, LOVES, AND WORK: HOW THE CRIMINALIZATION OF PROCURING AFFECTS SEX WORKERS IN CANADA Emily van der Meulen1 Abstract2: Based on interviews with sex workers and advocates of decriminalization in Toronto, Canada, this article argues that aspects of the Criminal Code’s procuring legislation has detrimental impacts on sex workers’ daily realities and relationships. While the direct exchange of sexual services for money is not illegal in Canada, the laws that surround prostitution-related activities criminalize common work situations as well as sex worker’s personal and business relationships. Sex workers’ lived and intimate knowledge lend them a greater awareness of the effects and consequences of the current legislative framework as well as a greater awareness of what social and legal changes are necessary to improve their lives. Introduction Sex workers have a unique insight and expertise regarding their industry, the role it plays in Canadian society, and the ways in which regulatory schemes will impact their business. Above all, law and policy makers should listen to sex workers in order to understand how the laws affect them, which is a necessary step in ensuring that Canada’s laws comply with the guarantees and protections enshrined in the Charter and other human rights instruments (Childs et. al., 2006, p. 9) Over the past two decades, research on sex work in Canada has largely focused on the effects of the Criminal Code on the vulnerability of, and violence towards, sex working communities (Allinott et al., 2004; Betteridge, 2005; Childs et al., 2006; Hanger & Maloney, 2006; Lewis, Maticka-Tyndale, Shaver & Schramm, 2005; Jeffrey & MacDonald, 2007; Lowman, 1998; Lowman, 2000; Lowman & Fraser, 1995; Maticka-Tyndale, Lewis, Clark, © Wagadu 2011 ISSN: 1545-6196 Demystifying Sex Work and Sex Workers 218 Zubick & Young, 1999; Miller, 1993; Pyett & Warr, 1997; Star, 2006; van der Meulen & Durisin, 2008).
    [Show full text]
  • IDL-56493.Pdf
    Changes, Continuities, Contestations:Tracing the contours of the Kamathipura's precarious durability through livelihood practices and redevelopment efforts People, Places and Infrastructure: Countering urban violence and promoting justice in Mumbai, Rio, and Durban Ratoola Kundu Shivani Satija Maps: Nisha Kundar March 25, 2016 Centre for Urban Policy and Governance School of Habitat Studies Tata Institute of Social Sciences This work was carried out with financial support from the UK Government's Department for International Development and the International Development Research Centre, Canada. The opinions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect those of DFID or IDRC. iv Acknowledgments We are grateful for the support and guidance of many people and the resources of different institutions, and in particular our respondents from the field, whose patience, encouragement and valuable insights were critical to our case study, both at the level of the research as well as analysis. Ms. Preeti Patkar and Mr. Prakash Reddy offered important information on the local and political history of Kamathipura that was critical in understanding the context of our site. Their deep knowledge of the neighbourhood and the rest of the city helped locate Kamathipura. We appreciate their insights of Mr. Sanjay Kadam, a long term resident of Siddharth Nagar, who provided rich history of the livelihoods and use of space, as well as the local political history of the neighbourhood. Ms. Nirmala Thakur, who has been working on building awareness among sex workers around sexual health and empowerment for over 15 years played a pivotal role in the research by facilitating entry inside brothels and arranging meetings with sex workers, managers and madams.
    [Show full text]
  • Selected Legal Tools for Maintaining Government Contractor Accountability
    Selected Legal Tools for Maintaining Government Contractor Accountability September 26, 2018 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R45322 SUMMARY R45322 Selected Legal Tools for Maintaining September 26, 2018 Government Contractor Accountability David H. Carpenter Federal procurement statutes and the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) establish largely Legislative Attorney uniform policies and procedures applicable to government contracts “to deliver on a timely basis the best value product or service to the [government], while maintaining the public’s trust and Kathleen Ann Ruane fulfilling public policy objectives.” To meet these ends, federal agencies have a number of legal Legislative Attorney tools at their disposal to help ensure a contractor adequately performs a contract or, if warranted, to hold a contractor accountable for performance failures or misconduct: Corrective Actions. In many instances, the FAR requires procurement contracts to include “inspection clauses” that explicitly authorize procuring agencies to require contractors to remove, correct, or replace rejected goods, or reperform services (together, to take “corrective actions”) for failing to conform to contract specifications and requirements. Relatedly, inspection clauses often authorize agencies to make equitable cost reductions or seek repayment to account for all of the costs associated with deficient services that cannot be reperformed or goods the agency received and accepted despite the deficiencies. Incentive Fees. Under certain circumstances, procuring agencies are permitted to incentivize contractors with performance- based payments. These “incentive fees” can be an effective contractor accountability measure because they can be paid to reward contractors for meeting or exceeding goals or standards contemplated in the contract or withheld or reduced when contractors fail to meet or exceed those goals or standards.
    [Show full text]
  • The Procurement of Goods
    Annex I _________________ Standard Bidding Document for Request for Quotations (Shopping) __________ The Procurement of Goods 1 Notice to Users The use of this Request for Quotations (RFQ) Standard Bidding Document is mandatory for all procurement of Goods through Limited/Selective Tendering procedure, with an estimated value between BZD 1,000 - 20,000, when the procurement is funded by the Government of Belize. The guidelines for the procurement of goods are described within this shopping process document in the italic text into brackets [ ]. Users are also encouraged to refer to Section 20 Standard Bidding Documents & Important Clauses of the Public Procurement Procedures Handbook (PPPH) (Volume I) and to the relevant Guidance Notes for SBDs (Annex VII a, in Volume II). All goods procurement with an estimated value above BZD 10,000 can be advertised in the English language in a national newspaper of wide circulation that has been continuously published for a period of not less than two years, and on the Government of Belize’s official website, with all who express interest invited to submit a sealed quotation and a public opening held. a) Any interested party may obtain the bidding documents and submit a quotation, including foreign firms, free of charge. b) In addition to those who express interest, a shortlist of not less than three (3) national or international firms may be invited. c) The time period between the appearance of the advertisement and the opening of sealed quotations will be at least 14 days and no more than 35 days. This RFQ Standard Bidding Document shall be also used for the procurement of General support Services, as defined in the PPP Handbook Glossary of Terms and in Sub-Section 38.7 of the PPPH Part II, with minor appropriate modifications.
    [Show full text]
  • Abolition in Context: the Historical Background of the Campaign for the Abolition of the Slave Trade
    Abolition in context: the historical background of the campaign for the abolition of the slave trade Jeffrey HOPES Université du Mans The abolition of the slave trade by the British Parliament in 1807 was one of a series of legislative measures which led progressively to the abandonment of the slave economy in British held territories, culminating in the abolition of the legal framework of slavery in 1833 and in 1838 when the apprenticeship system was ended.1 The whole process whereby first the slave trade and then slavery itself were abolished can only be understood if all the different contexts, economic, military, political, ideological, cultural and social in which it took place are taken into account. The constant inter-connection of these contexts precludes any simple reliance on single explanations for the abolition of the slave trade, however tempting such explanations may be. In briefly summarising the nature of this multiple contextualisation, I do not wish to enter the on-going and fraught debate on the reasons for the abolition of the slave trade but simply to present it as a multi-faceted question, one which, like so many historical events, takes on a different appearance according to the position – in time and space – from which we approach it. Abolition and us In this respect, the first context which needs to be mentioned is that of our own relationship to the issue of slavery. The bicentenary of abolition in 2007 has seen the publication of a flood of articles, books, exhibitions and radio and television programmes in Britain and abroad.
    [Show full text]