Prof Jean Allain charts early history of human trafficking
Professor Jean Allain recently returned to Monash Law from University of Nottingham where he was a Leverhulme Visiting Professor in the Rights Lab for full semesters in 2023 and 2024. To mark his return, Professor Allain presented Law Faculty academics with an overview of the Leverhulme Lectures – The Early Evolution of the International Anti-Trafficking Framework.
The Leverhulme Lecture series delves into the historical evolution of the international anti-trafficking framework, offering insights into its complex origins and development.
This series of Lectures is also available as a podcast, with each episode offering a unique perspective on the challenges and developments that have shaped current anti-trafficking efforts.
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Episode 1: The Source of Anti-Trafficking
In the inaugural episode, Professor Allain explores the roots of the ‘white slave traffic’ concept, tracing it origins to Josephine Butler's campaign against the UK Contagious Disease Acts. This episode highlights the pivotal 1880 Brussels Affair, a significant event in the history of anti-trafficking efforts.
Episode 2: The Origins of Anti-Trafficking
This episode examines the impact of the 1885 Maiden Tribute to Modern Babylon scandal, which sparked social panic and led to the formation of the National Vigilance Association. Professor Allain discusses how these events laid the groundwork for the international anti-trafficking framework.
Episode 3: Collusion at the League of Nations
Professor Allain delves into the League of Nations' role in shaping the anti-trafficking framework. This episode reveals how the League, through collusion, established the 1921 Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Women and Children, marking a significant milestone in international efforts against trafficking.
Episode 4: Anti-Trafficking as Trope: The League and International Prostitution
The final episode of the series explores the League of Nations' expansion of the anti-trafficking framework under the influence of US philanthropy. Professor Allain discusses how the League's efforts extended beyond traditional understandings of trafficking to address global issues of vice and international prostitution.
Jean Allain is Professor of International Law, Faculty of Law, Monash University, Australia. In 2023 and 2024, he was Leverhulme Visiting Professor at the University of Nottingham, UK. Professor Allain is also Adjunct Professor, Universitas Padjadjaran, Bandung, Indonesia; and Extraordinary Professor, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
He holds a doctorate from the University of Geneva (HEI), and clerked for the first President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. Between 2015-2021, while at Monash, he held concurrent positions as Professor of International Law at the Wilberforce Institute, University of Hull, UK; and Special Adviser to Anti-Slavery International, the world’s oldest international human rights organisation.
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