ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how women, children, non-human animals, and nature more generally, are the victims of patriarchal actions, ideology, and philosophy. After some prefatory comments about human–animal relationships, this chapter sketches out how international conventions seek to prevent trafficking and trade in human and animal bodies. As the author explains, a major difference between the goal of the conventions and protocols pertaining to human trafficking and those relating to animal trafficking and wildlife trade is that the former—the UN Palermo Protocol (a voluntary supplement to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime) and the Council of Europe Convention—seek a total ban on the trafficking and trade in human victims, while the latter—the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats 1979 and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (or CITES)—seek only to control the trafficking and trade of animals, thereby preserving such activities and practices until the covered species have reached a critical state, at which time greater protections come into play. Drawing on ecofeminist theory, the author analyses why women, children, and animals are regarded as commodities or exploitable resources, rather than perceived and treated as beings with rights to freedom and lives without physical and psychical abuse. In so doing, the author contemplates why humans may benefit from legal instruments prohibiting them from trade and trafficking, while the instruments aiming to protect animals may have less power and efficacy.
