Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Bridging The Gaps: Leveraging Grassroots Data And Ai To Combat Human Trafficking In The Global South, Jarrett Davis

SMU Human Trafficking Data Conference

No abstract provided.

“From Depression, To An Overdose Of Crack, To Trying To Kill Myself”: Post-Trafficking Mexican Women Survivors’ Challenges And Ngo’S Strategies In Rehabilitation, Mariana Aboumrad

Senior Theses

Sexual trafficking in Mexico continues to be a significant crisis raising multiple challenges for women who exit this oppressive network. This study examines two sides of post trafficking: the interrelated needs and challenges these survivors face when they return or escape from a trafficking situation, and how NGOs strategize. A significant aspect of the study focuses on employment: the transition from sexual exploitation to securing legitimate employment and acquiring an independent life and how NGO staff work to support them. Drawing on survivor testimonies along with interviews (both published and two conducted for this project), the study delineates that they …

Migrants And Refugees

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

No abstract provided.

Migrants, Refugees And Human Trafficking, Angie Holzer

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

As the migrant and refugee numbers show a continual growth around the world, there is a pressing need to find solutions to end the suffering of migrant women, men, and children as they become victims of human trafficking. Understanding the current situation and the challenges that exist with migrants and refugees can lead to finding ways of developing preventive measures, including (1) prosecuting traffickers, (2) protecting victims and (3) cooperating in counter-trafficking efforts, according to the World Migration Report in 2022 and the Survivor Inclusion Initiative in 2021. New research needs to be pursued, policies and programs need to be …

The Quest To End Human Trafficking: An Educational And Practical Guide For Everyone Who Wants To Help Break The Bonds And Assist Survivors, Dennis W. Mccarty

Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security, and Cybersecurity Faculty Scholarship

People often assume that only legislators and law enforcement personnel can take meaningful steps to fight human trafficking, one of the most lucrative transnational crimes in the world. This inquiry sought to assess the validity of that belief. The study was informed by the author’s experience as a college instructor of human trafficking and the inspiration he drew from the range and quality of his students’ projects.

The methodology included examining the strategies that governmental and non-governmental organizations are using to fight trafficking and assist survivors. It also considered the work of individual activists and service providers such as social …

Cultural Factors Associated With Human Trafficking Of Girls And Women In Northern Tanzania: The Case Of Arusha Region, Rehema John Magesa

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Human trafficking is persistent in many regions of Tanzania despite different efforts to reduce the practice by the Government and other stakeholders. Girls and young women are more affected by this practice in violation of their human rights than men and boys. This study explored the cultural factors attributing to the trafficking of girls and women in Northern Tanzania. The study involved 400 girls and young women for a quantitative and qualitative study on cultural determinants of human trafficking. The study found the following cultural practices pushed girls and women towards situations in which they could be trafficked: female genital …

White Savior Projects: An Examination Of The Antitrafficking Social Movement, Jennifer A. Cheek

Theses and Dissertations

For this dissertation, I conduct an ethnography of three antitrafficking programs; interview 38 activists and survivors of trafficking; and analyze organizational texts, websites, and social media. I examine the history of the antitrafficking movement. Among the three organizations, activists provide housing; food, clothing, and hygiene items; medical services; mental health services and counseling; mentorship; education for survivors; a 24-hour hotline; outreach; case management and referrals; training for law enforcement; a drop-in center; and education and awareness events. I examine activists’ diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing of sex trafficking, and other framing tactics, such as frame alignment, frame diffusion, frame resonance, …

Human Trafficking: Physical And Non-Physical Force Factors And Their Links To Victim Industry, Mary Caroline Kerr

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper examines the occurrence of different types of physical and non-physical force factors with two distinct human trafficking industries: sex trafficking and labor trafficking. This research’s main goal is to identify if there are specific uses of force that are more likely to be used in either sex or labor trafficking. The Human Trafficking Study, a database housed at the University of Arkansas, is used as a sample for this study. Two-sided, two sample proportion tests were conducted to establish if there is a statistical significance between the amount of physical force used in sex trafficking and the amount …

The Role Of Female Offenders In Sex Trafficking Rings, Caroline Johnson

Sociology and Criminology Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study examines the role of female offenders in sex trafficking rings. Using the Human Trafficking Study database, I found 502 cases that had clear information coded about convictions, sentences, and genders. It was hypothesized that women typically receive a lower sentence than men do. Bivariate analysis revealed that to be true. In addition, I compared conviction rates between the two genders, finding that women are more likely to plead guilty in comparison to men.

Using a smaller sample with additional information, I also isolated the roles that women play in a sex trafficking ring. I found that 48% were …

Case Study 1: Trauma-Informed Care For Children And Young People Who Have Been Trafficked: From Theory To Practice

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Human trafficking is known as modern day slavery, and it is a human rights violation that impacts millions of children and young people (CYP) around the globe. “Research suggests a high prevalence of physical and mental health consequences from the trauma experienced, with potentially profound neuro-developmental and life-long health consequences for survivors. Trauma-informed care (TIC), which aims to meet the complex and unique needs of trauma survivors, is suggested as a way of working with trafficked CYP.” There is currently little research on the needs of trafficked children and young people and how to address these needs by implementing TIC …

A Critical Analysis On R. V. Orr In Understanding The Management Of Human Trafficking In Immigration And Refugee Claims In Canada, Rachel Tsz Yin Chan

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Labour exploitation is a form of human trafficking, which is a serious offence in Canada. More and more immigrants, refugees and migrant workers are vulnerable to labour exploitation. To further understand this issue on how the federal government manages such cases of human trafficking, a qualitative analysis was conducted by looking at the effectiveness of anti-human trafficking policies and practices to determine whether they are contributing more harm than good to the vulnerable population, or vice versa. By analyzing the significant R v. Orr case, it is observed that permit programs lack supporting services in monitoring the living of immigrants. …

Behind Closed Doors, Kaylee Inloes

University Honors Theses

Child sex trafficking is an increasing problem among Black, Indigenous, and girls of color and the media is ignoring them. Most child sex trafficking victims are girls and women of color. Minority women and children are being sold like they are property and used for sexual activities. Using content analysis, I analyzed three different forms of media, including Willamette Weekly article Portland Police's "Human Trafficking" Arrests Aren't What They Seem, the film Cuties (2020) and a young adult fiction book, The Life I'm in (2021). Through a critical race feminist lens, I analyzed the connections between race, gender, and …

Full Issue - Human Trafficking Awareness

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

What are the latest data points about human trafficking and the efforts being made to reduce it in our community? This issue addresses what's happening in the anti-trafficking community.

HUMAN TRAFFICKING DEFINED: The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (TVPA), defines “severe forms of trafficking in persons” as:

• sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age; or

• the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, …

Latest Research On Human Trafficking

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Learn more about human trafficking and the research being done and the impact it has in our communities.

“Female victims continue to be particularly affected by trafficking in persons. In 2018, for every 10 victims detected globally, about five were adult women and two were girls. About one third of the overall detected victims were children, both girls (19 per cent) and boys (15 per cent), while 20 per cent were adult men. Traffickers target victims who are marginalized or in difficult circumstances. Undocumented migrants and people who are in desperate need of employment are also vulnerable, particularly to trafficking …

Promoting Awareness Of Sex Trafficking In Tourism And Hospitality, Joshua Aston, Jun Wen, Edmund Goh, Oswin Maurer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Purpose: This cutting-edge short commentary is intended to raise awareness of sex trafficking in the tourism and hospitality industry. The purpose of this paper is to also advocate for further research to identify and hopefully prevent sex trafficking in related settings. Design/methodology/approach: This paper provides a descriptive overview of the current knowledge base on sex trafficking in tourism and hospitality. Based on gaps in the literature, future research agendas and directions are suggested. Findings: Academic research on sex trafficking in tourism and hospitality remains limited. More scholarly attention is needed to this matter. The tourism industry is directly and indirectly …

Human Trafficking Of People With A Disability: An Analysis Of State And Federal Cases, Andrea Nichols, Erin Heil

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

The current academic discourse examining human trafficking is lacking in focus on survivors with a disability. The increased likelihood of abuse experienced by people with a disability is well documented in the research literature, and a small body of research indicates heightened sex trafficking victimization of minor girls with a disability. Yet, very little research specifically examines sex and/or labor trafficking of people with a disability, and no systematic research analyzes prosecuted cases of trafficking with disability as the focal point of analysis. Drawing from a content analysis of 18 federal and 17 state cases of human trafficking, the current …

Taking A Survivor-Based Approach To Anti-Human Trafficking Initiatives In New York: An Educational Advocacy Toolkit, Madison Turunen

Women’s and Gender Studies

In this toolkit, readers will engage in a concise overview of current human trafficking initiatives in New York and how they can be transformed to better reflect the needs of survivors. Further, definitions will be provided for: human trafficking, survivor-based approach, and trauma-informed approach. This toolkit will also provide advocacy examples and resources for individuals to call for survivor-based initiatives.

Dossier: The Stateless Rohingya—Practical Consequences Of Expulsion, Fiza Lee-Winter, Tonny Kirabira

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

The international community has been called upon to ramp up efforts to end statelessness and provided with a guiding framework of 10 Actions. This dossier presents the practical consequences of expulsion, both direct and indirect outcomes of collective violence, directed towards the Rohingyas. Touching upon the nexus between children's rights, human trafficking, and practical challenges associated on-the-ground, the dossier also discusses the imperative need for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states—collectively as a region—to take steps in fulfilling Action 7 of the Global Action Plan through the birth registration of Rohingya children as part of their existing efforts …

Toward A Gender-Responsive, Participatory Community-Based Child Protection System – Lessons From Victim-Survivors And Service Providers Of A Safe Home And A Community In The Philippines, Gundelina Velazco

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

This research project gathered from victims, survivors and community people their experience and knowledge of sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, their perception of circumstances that lead to exploitation, as well as measures that can stop it. From their responses, the aim was to formulate a framework of a gender responsive, participatory community-based child protection system, test this framework, and formulate a position statement based on the findings and lessons learned.

A survey instrument with content, age, and gender validation and a communityvalidated checklist of indicators of being sexually exploited, were the tools used to gather data from victims and …

“You Have To Be Strong And Struggle”: Stigmas As A Determinants Of Inequality For Female Survivors Of Sex Trafficking In Cambodia, Todd W. Morrison, Lim Vanntheary, Nhanh Channtha, James Havey, Glenn M. Miles

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Across the globe, human trafficking survivors have reported facing stigma and discrimination after reintegrating into communities. What makes stigma particularly dangerous is that it threatens what is “most at stake” in our lives, our close personal relationships and our personal life values. This paper explores longitudinal data from the Chab Dai Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project to document and describe forms of stigma and discrimination faced by survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking living in Cambodian communities. Our research suggests stigmas associated with sex trafficking are a “fundamental determinant” of social inequality for many female survivors following reintegration. In this study, …

Introduction: Dignity's Special Issue On The Chab Dai Coalition's Butterfly Longitudinal Research Project, Leslie M. Tutty

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Communicating With Muted Groups: The Case Of Human Trafficking, Amy Matzke-Fawcett

Communication & Theatre Arts Theses

The problem of human trafficking is global, affecting men and women, adults, and children, with exploitation of various forms including (but not limited to) sex work, hospitality and entertainment, labor, agriculture, soldiering, forced begging and organ removal. While it has been the focus of movies, news articles, documentaries, legislation and research, the discussion of the communication surrounding human trafficking is still in the formative stages. What is the messaging about human trafficking in legislation, both historically and in the present day, and how did news and popular media help to frame the discourse around trafficking in the United States? Using …

Early Survivor Voices And Primary Sources. Modern Slavery: A Documentary And Reference Guide By Laura J. Lederer, Sandra Morgan

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Fighting Human Trafficking And Exploitation Through The Power Of Local Policy And Programs: Analysis And Recommendations, Abby Torrice

Community Engagement Student Work

While the United States has made great strides since 2000 to combat human trafficking federally, there is still much to be done. This capstone project provides a comprehensive understanding of key terms related to human trafficking. These terms are then used to provide context to the reality of the issue of human trafficking and exploitation in our world today, and specifically the United States. Although human trafficking legislation has made swift advances at the federal level since 2000 and states have followed suit in creating their own policies, local municipalities and communities have an immense amount of power in creating …

Welcome To The New Dignity, Donna M. Hughes

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

No abstract provided.

Sorting Out Concern: European Attitudes Toward Human Trafficking, Jennifer A. Cheek, Lindsey Peterson

Societies Without Borders

Human trafficking is a global phenomenon, which is sometimes conflated with other cross-national social problems. While trafficking certainly occurs within countries, much of it occurs across borders. In this paper we examine one of the only available datasets that addresses individual concern about human trafficking: the Eurobarometer 2003. Individual concern about human trafficking matters, especially in democracies, because government policy is in part shaped by citizen preferences. When democratic governments are not responsive to citizens, they risk being voted out in the next election cycle. What we find is that concern for human trafficking varies by gender, age, marital status, …

“Child Witches”: Sexual Exploitation And Abuse Of Homeless Girls In South-Southern Nigeria, Chima Agazue

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Sexual exploitation and abuse of girls is one of the endemic social problems in Nigeria. Although this problem has attracted much research attention in recent times, some newly emerged factors contributing to the problem have been mostly ignored. This study explored how the abandonment of children following their stigmatization as witches contributes to sexual exploitation and abuse of the girls in the Akwa Ibom and Cross River states of Nigeria. The study was based on the qualitative research paradigm. Data was collected via semi-structured interviews of three senior staff members of the Child’s Rights and Rehabilitation Network (CRARN)—a children’s charity …

Human Trafficking And Gender Inequality In Remote Communities Of Central Vietnam, Bich Ngoc Nguyen, Mark Gordon

Journal of Sustainable Social Change

Human trafficking crime is rising globally at an alarming rate. Vietnam has one of the highest prevalence of trafficking female victims for forced sex and marriages and of girls abandoning school for unskilled work. In this study, we explored human trafficking awareness in remote communities of central Vietnam and the factors for young girls leaving school for work at an early age. The study also investigated a link between gender inequality and child labor. Gender inequality and vulnerability theories provided theoretical constructs and context for face-to-face interviews with 19 villagers, mothers of the child labor victims, teachers, human services workers, …

On Exiting From Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Insights From Sex Trade Experienced Persons, Andrea Heinz

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

As a woman who exited after seven years in licensed commercial sexual exploitation in Canada, I share my reflections on my experience, which led to the development of the Insights from Sex Trade Experienced Persons (InSTEP) Model. The model was constructed based on interviews with “service providers” in the sex trade. Twelve exited women share their experiences inclusively. InSTEP is geared toward a population of quasi-autonomous providers who have alternate economic options. Three levels are introduced in the InSTEP model to describe the continuum of agency among service providers; Level 1: trafficked/controlled; Level 2: quasi-autonomous; Level 3: autonomous. The InSTEP …

Promote Healing And Restore Lives: Clinicians’ Reflections On Their Experiences In Working With Survivors Of Trafficking, Brittany Burch

McNair Scholars Research

Humans are shaped by their personal beliefs, values, and individual philosophies of life. Personal ideologies of humanitarian aid can root a deep desire to provide help and assistance to the vulnerable within our community. This desire often manifests itself specifically in clinicians seeking to provide healing, hope, and restoration in the lives of women and men. (Thullesen, 2019). Human trafficking is a prominent human rights and social justice issue that is embedded within our society. This study focused on clinicians’ experiences and perspectives in working with victims of human trafficking.

The data was collected through interviews of clinicians working directly …