Blog 9:Estonia makes human trafficking illegal

Estonia’s parliament passed a legislation that banned human trafficking. This legislation was passed on Wednesday.  It is the last EU country to pass laws banning human trafficking. No lawmaker who voted opposed the passing of the law. President Toomas Hendrik Ilves  is expected to make the new bill a law and approve it in the upcoming weeks. The United States had put a lot of pressure on Estonia to pass a law that bans human trafficking. The U.S. Department has a list of countries that are considered lax on the issue of human trafficking and Estonia wanted to avoid being kept on this list. Estonia is a small country that considers the United States as a key ally. The country has now taken a step in preventing human trafficking. Where before human traffickers might get a short jail sentence or small fine, human trafficking in Estonia is now punishable up to 15 years in prison.

                Human trafficking is not to be taken lightly. In human trafficking, people can be forced into protection or work. I believe it is about time that Estonia passed a law that bans human trafficking in their country. People can make a large profit through the trafficking of humans.  Before in Estonia, those who were caught only were sentenced to a short time in jail or a small fine. This law helps to make this crime more punishable. Those who are caught can now spend 15 years in jail which will hopefully make those involved in human trafficking stop. It is not right that people force other humans into slavery and prostitution(mostly women).  Although it should have been passed sooner, I am glad that Estonia finally passed a law that bans this horrible crime. 

http://news.yahoo.com/estonia-makes-human-trafficking-illegal-165147641.htmlhttp://news.yahoo.com/estonia-makes-human-trafficking-illegal-165147641.html