Olivia Swaak-Goldman: How the Wildlife Justice Commission Advances the Rule of Law
Olivia Swaak-Goldman is executive director of the Wildlife Justice Commission, a non-for-profit organization working to address wildlife trafficking globally by collecting evidence to hold perpetrators accountable.
On this episode of Rule of Law Talk, we discuss the impact and work of the Wildlife Justice Commission in the context of this large and growing rule of law challenge. Transnational organized crime often fuels related crime, corruption, violence, and conflict. With a scope of impact and implications far beyond that of the initial crime, crimes coordinated across borders are also notoriously difficult to combat. They are perpetrated by powerful and dangerous criminal networks, and pose complex, cross-border evidentiary and jurisdictional questions that hinder enforcement and prosecution.
Wildlife crime is a large and growing transnational criminal challenge, encompassing the illegal trafficking of protected wildlife, timber, and fish. In fact, it is the fourth-largest crime of this type globally. The Wildlife Justice Commission takes a new and innovative approach to combating wildlife crime by working to bring perpetrators to justice. Olivia Swaak-Goldman joins Rule of Law Talk to discuss this work and its impact on the rule of law.
