Sociology Commons^™

Understanding The Determinants Of Police Identification Of Human Trafficking Cases, Amy Farrell

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

The passage of new laws criminalizing the trafficking of persons for labor and sexual services has raised public awareness about the problem of trafficking. In response, we expect local law enforcement to learn about the problem, identify trafficking victims and make arrests. The numbers of victims identified by the police, however, has paled in comparison to official estimates, leading some to question the existence of a trafficking problem. Missing from this debate is information about how frequently police encounter situations involving human trafficking and how well prepared officers are to deal with these cases. Analyzing survey responses from a national …

Where Are The Victims? Perspectives On U.S. Anti-Trafficking Policy: Funding & Practice, Johnny Mcgaha

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

There is a major problem in the domestic sex trafficking of minors and sufficient funds should be reallocated to address this issue.

Barriers between funding for foreign victims and domestic victims need to be removed. A victim is a victim.

The current BJA/OVC/DHH grants should allowed to end until a sound TIP policy developed along with a sound implementation strategy based on real documented assessments with built in external accountability. We should not be leaving this to GAO/IG otherwise the whole movement will lose credibility along with funding.

Will the baby will be thrown out with the bath water unless …

Unintended Consequences: Understanding Human Trafficking In The United States, Lyndsey Christoffersen

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

Human trafficking became a major issue in the United States in 2000 with passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. In 2001, border security was tightened in response to terrorism. While some efforts have been made to eradicate trafficking, the U.S. federal government has largely ignored the immigration aspect of trafficking. This paper aims to examine the intersection of U.S. human trafficking and immigration policy. The study of international illegal flows is still in the early stages. Thus, this paper is exploratory in nature. Information was obtained from government documents, nongovernmental organizations, and academic articles. What is trafficking? Is it …

Stories Of Sex Trafficking: Rescue, Victimization, And Silence, Donna M. Bickford

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

Human trafficking is a crime and human rights violation that has received increasing attention over the past 10-15 years. Of the hundreds of thousands of individuals trafficked across the globe each year, the vast majority are women and children forced or coerced into commercial sexual exploitation (CSE). In my home state of North Carolina, anti-trafficking activists continue to face disbelief in our broad attempts to educate and raise awareness, as well as resistance from law enforcement in our efforts to encourage increased identification and referral of potential survivors.

My presentation will discuss examples of news coverage, survivor narratives, and filmic …

A Social Ecological Framework For Addressing Social Issues, Alexis Jaclyn Hickman, Lyndsey Christoffersen, Mo Sami, Chitvan Trivedi

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

The School of Social Ecology at University of California, Irvine (UCI), teaches students to conduct research that is socially valid. This implies a problem-posing approach to global issues such as human trafficking. Applying a social ecological lens to such a multi-dimensional issue, allows us to systematically address the effective context of the problem. This framework assists in better targeting policies and programs that are not only aimed at the victims of trafficking, but also address the enabling environment (political, social, built) and demand side of trafficking. A social ecological framework for addressing social issues such as human trafficking was developed …

Rehabilitation And Reintegration Of Trafficked Girls: The Laura Vicuna Foundation Experience, Maria Victoria Palomo Sta. Ana

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

This paper presents the Laura Vicuna Foundation, Inc. (LVFI) of the Daughters of Mary of Help of Christians’ Integrated Development Program for the disadvantaged children like those on the streets, the sexually abused, exploited, trafficked and working minors. It is a multi-staged comprehensive program known as the Journey of Hope approved by the academe in 1994. The Journey of Hope utilizes community-based and center-based programs as drop-in centers, technical-vocational centers, residential center for healing and recovery of abused, exploited and trafficked girls, group homes and LINK Center. The Preventive System of Education of St. John Bosco is the moving force …

Chab Dai Usa Mapping Project: U.S. Based Agencies Working Against Trafficking & Exploitation, Tania Docarmo

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

Trafficking in persons (TIP) and commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) are a growing global phenomenon, co-conspiring in the further development of modern day slavery. Though trafficking has traditionally been viewed as a problem “overseas”, the United States government acknowledges that the U.S. is no stranger to TIP, with tens of thousands believed to be trafficked into and within U.S. borders.

Though national efforts to fight TIP and CSE have increased in recent years, there remain several gaps and challenges if modern day slavery is to be brought to an end in the U.S. and across the globe. One such challenge is …

Human Trafficking Legislation Across The States: The Determinants Of Comprehensiveness, Vanessa Bouche, Dana Wittmer

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

To date, 40 U.S. states have passed human trafficking legislation; however, the comprehensiveness and stringency of the legislation significantly varies from state to state, and there remains significant ambiguity as to why this is the case. This study examines a number of factors that may impact the comprehensiveness of human trafficking legislation at the state level, focusing on the gender makeup of the legislature, the partisan makeup of the legislature, and policy diffusion based on geographic proximity. To test these hypotheses, we develop a comprehensive data set, including a uniquely designed dependent variable measuring legislative comprehensiveness for each state. We …

Religious Conviction And Human Trafficking: Motive Matters, Nathan Adams, Julia Bingman, Jared Littleton, Jeremy Scott

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

Individuals and groups acting primarily out of a sense of religious conviction form the backbone of a great deal of anti-human trafficking work being done today. Religious groups of many differing faiths have undertaken various projects both to free victims and to provide services to survivors. Funding and resources for these projects typically come from appeals to congregations, temples, and individuals using imagery and illusions to shared religious practice. This paper aims to analyze how these convictions affect the stated and practiced goals of religiously based groups, focusing on how such convictions and foci manifest in: gender issues, religious diversity, …

Integrating Modern-Day Slavery Into Interdisciplinary First-Year Seminars, Keisha L. Hoerrner, Ruth Goldfine

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

One of the contributing causes of trafficking is its seeming invisibility, especially in the United States. Traditional-age college students arrive on campus having been taught a pervasive cultural myth throughout their years of education. That myth is that slavery was abolished in the United States in the 1800s. It is no longer a social issue demanding concern or attention. It can't happen here -- for a myriad of issues. Yet, conservative estimates point to at least 200,000 individuals being enslaved in the United States at any moment in time. Part of the role of the academy is to make these …

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference On Human Trafficking: Final Program Schedule

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

No abstract provided.

On The Road To Victory In America‘S War On Human Trafficking: Landmarks, Landmines, And The Need For Centralized Strategy, Valerie Payne

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

America is at war. Declared by the Clinton Administration in the late 1990s, then prioritized by the Bush Administration, the ―war‖ on human trafficking represents America‘s struggle to eradicate the phenomenon of modern-day slavery within its borders. An army of legislators, law enforcement agents, and everyday abolitionists fight on legal, social, and political battlefields to liberate the hidden victims who suffer in bondage. The recent enactment of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 20082 ("2008 TVPRA"), heralds significant victories in the battles to achieve better victim protection and increase prosecution of traffickers. But even as legislative battles …

Sex Trafficking Needs Assessment For The State Of Minnesota, Mary C. Ellison

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

Sex trafficking is a form of slavery and involuntary servitude resulting in grave human rights violations. Minnesota was a place of origin, transit, and destination for sex trafficking operations even before federal or state law defined the crime of “sex trafficking.” In September 2008, The Advocates for Human Rights published the Sex Trafficking Needs Assessment Report at the request of the State of Minnesota Human Trafficking Task Force. The Report focuses on trafficking of persons for commercial sexual exploitation or prostitution as defined in federal law and Minnesota law. The qualitative research conducted by The Advocates compliments data by the …

Which Comes First, The Smuggling Or The Trafficking?, Linda Brandmiller, Elizabeth Crooks

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

The Immigration Services Department of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc., is seeing more and more women which we believe are by definition statutorily eligible to be considered “trafficking” victims but who are nevertheless being denied certification and are therefore falling through the cracks of the immigration system.

One of our clients, discovered in the trunk of a car by immigration officials after enduring three months of being beaten, raped, starved and sold for sex, cannot get certified for trafficking- because the perpetrators were only charged with “smuggling”. Another who was purchased by a couple to be their sex …

Development In The Debate Over Diplomatic Immunity For Diplomats Who Enslave Domestic Workers, Usama Kahf

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

On December 23, 2008, President George W. Bush signed into law the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. This Act was hailed by human rights advocates as a great stride ―towards preventing the abuse, exploitation and trafficking of domestic workers employed by foreign diplomats in the United States. Acknowledging the particular vulnerability of these workers, the law contains specific provisions to enhance their protection and sanction their employers for exploiting the situation. These provisions seek to ensure that domestic workers are made aware of their rights in this country directly by consular officers who will be trained …

Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of American Indian Women And Girls, Suzanne Koepplin, Alexandra (Sandi) Pierce

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

This paper describes the findings of a preliminary study of the involvement of American Indian women and girls in commercial sexual exploitation in the state of Minnesota. The study was conducted by the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center in Minneapolis, and funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Though several studies have been conducted in Canada, there has been no published research on the domestic sex trafficking of American Indian women in the U.S. Anecdotal data from providers of direct services to high-risk American Indian women and girls strongly suggest that this is a significant and rapidly growing problem. Several data …

Understanding Human Trafficking: Development Of Typologies Of Traffickers Phase Ii, Noël Busch-Armendariz, Maura Nsonwu, Laurie Cook Heffron

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

Perpetrator typologies have been useful in understanding other crimes, such as do-mestic violence, and serve a similar purpose in enhancing our knowledge base about human trafficking. Typologies of human traffickers can be useful in improving our understanding about elements needed for successful investigations and prosecu-tions; developing appropriate services for victims and survivors; preventing human trafficking; and increasing community awareness.

The goal of this project is to explore the types of traffickers based on key characteris-tics found in the literature and in prosecuted cases. The initial two phases of this re-search, reported here, involve a review of literature, government reports, and …

Estimating The Extent Of Out-Migration Human Trafficking In Ukraine, Ron Hampton, Dwayne Ball, Julie Pennington, Anh Nguyen

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

The problem of estimating the true extent of human trafficking has yet to be well-solved. The study we will report used three estimation methods to estimate the number of persons trafficked out of the Ukraine. One was a small (N~1300) survey of randomly-selected families, another was a large (N~13,000) survey of households, and a third was a survey of key neighborhood informants. The three methods, while varying in questionnaire wording, sampling frame, and other methodological considerations, converged roughly on an estimate of the number of persons trafficked out of the Ukraine. The estimated number was much higher than statistics from …

Shattered Hearts (Full Report): The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of American Indian Women And Girls In Minnesota., Alexandra (Sandi) Pierce

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

Table of contents

Acknowledgements iii

Background 1

Organization of the report 3

I The context 4

Native women’s experiences during colonization 5

Native women’s experiences during national expansion 7

Native girls’ boarding school experiences 8

Impact of assimilation policies on Native women 10

The damage caused by life in prostitution 14

II Methods and definitions 16

III Prevalence 28

Involvement in prostitution 28

Involvement in the Internet sex trade 35

IV Patterns in entering the sex trade 36

Age of entry 36

Modes of entry 39

V Factors that facilitate entry 53

Generational trauma 53

Runaway, thrown away, and/or homeless …

Estimating The Extent Of Human Trafficking From Ukraine: Final Report, Dwayne Ball, Ronald Hampton

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

This report summarizes the results of three studies done to estimate the extent of human trafficking from Ukraine. The studies were designed and reported by Dr. Ronald Hampton, principal investigator, Dr. Dwayne Ball, and (for one study) Ms. Julie Pennington, all of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration Marketing Department.

Our intent in doing multiple survey studies was to attempt to converge on an estimate. Each method used has different and inevitable threats to validity, and there is no perfect method for estimating the extent of such a rare, hidden, and sometimes shameful event. Therefore, by using methods …

Call For Papers And Presentations: First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference On Human Trafficking, Unl Human Trafficking Team

First Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Human Trafficking, 2009

PAPER AND PRESENTATION TOPICS: We solicit papers from all academic disciplines, including all social sciences, economics and business, law, journalism, womens’ and gender studies, public health, math and statistics, education, etc. We solicit speakers and researchers from government, NGO, and foundations to present papers or talks.