Anti-trafficking Policies Research Articles

Unveiling Shadows: Understanding the Multi-Dimensional Challenges and Perspectives of Reintegrating Women Survivors of Trafficking in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Human trafficking, and more precisely, its very core – the trafficking of women – is an increasingly sophisticated phenomenon in Bangladesh. However, there is a much-neglected area of research that concerns the post-trafficking socio-economic reintegration of women survivors. While there is a growing body of work regarding the experience of the victim, very little is known about the experiences of service providers who provide social and economic assistance for the protection and reintegration of women survivors. Employing an embedded thematic analysis in a qualitative study approach and utilizing interview methods, this study included 30 in-depth interviews with stakeholders. This study makes some key findings that stakeholder perspectives shed light on anti-trafficking policies, addressing complexities for effective interventions and policies. Women survivors of trafficking were vulnerable to socio-economic conditions in their post-trafficking repatriation phases due to prejudice and discrimination, particularly from community members. The social context in Bangladesh shows gender inequality, with high levels of patriarchal dominance denying women survivors access to social facilities and inclusion in society. The discriminatory practices meted out by community members through multiple forms of discrimination, circumnavigating challenges embedded in their post-trafficking lives, and being treated with less valued social roles.

Factors that influence the criminal justice response to human trafficking: a systematic review of North American and European studies

Human trafficking, the recruitment and transportation of persons by use of force, coercion, or deception for exploitation is one of the largest illicit industries worldwide. In the execution of anti-trafficking policies to combat this phenomenon, nation-states have assigned a decisive role to criminal justice actors as they are not only responsible for the detection, investigation, and prosecution of perpetrators but also for the identification and (legal) protection of victims of human trafficking. However, research has shown that criminal justice actors encounter many challenges whilst carrying out their tasks, which is also reflected in the low numbers of successful prosecutions and identified victims. To our knowledge, the reasons behind this observation have never been studied systematically. This systematic review aims to collect and synthesise empirical literature on factors that influence the criminal justice response to human trafficking to better understand and identify gaps in knowledge. In total, 35 empirical studies were included. Findings were discussed in light of theory and previous research and were used to provide recommendations for policy and future research. These studies suggest that factors such as prevailing stereotypes, an absence of legal guidance and a lack of capacity and expertise interact and even amplify each other and that strengthening the criminal justice response to human trafficking requires a multi-layered approach that simultaneously addresses several challenges.

Trafficking on Trial: The Judge, the Pimp and the Victim

Based on an ethnography of French trials for trafficking in human beings and aggravated procuring, this article seeks to contribute to the analysis of the reframing, in penal terms, of the struggles engaged in the name of social justice and women’s rights, of which anti-trafficking policies are particularly emblematic. Studying the judging practices and logics at stake during trials reveals how fantasized representations of the pimp and the victim take on substance. In particular, I argue that judges invoke a set of gendered, sexualized and racialized extra-legal norms, which, along with their legal foundations, constitute their knowledge base and impose a moral and penal hierarchy among litigants. Therefore, not only does this analysis contribute to defining the contours of the elusive figures of the pimp and the victim in the penal arena, it also exposes how maintaining public order is based on the perpetuation of a gendered and sexual national order in the name of gender justice.

Stakeholder perceptions of gaps and solutions in addressing child trafficking

IntroductionGovernments, researchers, and community-based organizations have mobilized to develop interventions and programs addressing child trafficking, resulting in large amounts of financial resources allocated to awareness-raising campaigns, crisis services for survivors, and increasing judicial responses to trafficking. Low-resource and low-income countries face the dual challenge of addressing child trafficking within an environment where extreme poverty is pervasive and customary norms might conflict with national anti-trafficking policies. The purpose of this study is to understand challenges faced in addressing child trafficking and identify interventions that are community-driven and contextually relevant. MethodologyThe study used a qualitative community-based participatory research approach by collaborating with local researchers, government, and NGOs to examine how key stakeholders perceive existing gaps in policies and programs aimed at countering child trafficking in Sierra Leone. ResultsSix gaps in policies and services were identified by stakeholders: access to and availability of local programs and services for families; access to and affordability of schooling and vocational training in local communities; lack of policy implementation and enforcement of existing laws, especially at the local level; inadequate funding for anti-trafficking service providers; lack of community support for survivors of trafficking, and a lack of coordinated and consistent community response. In a demonstration of the trauma-informed and survivor-centered study design, participants also suggested possible ways to bridge these gaps. Discussion and conclusionAn ecological approach is critical in designing policies and programs responsive to the complex problem of child trafficking within an environment of low resources and potential conflicts between cultural norms and national policies. Practitioners in such contexts must be culturally-competent and prepared to seamlessly work across the micro-mezzo-macro continuum to enhance the best interest of the child.

Human Organs Trafficking: Perspective from Criminal Matters, Business and Human Rights

Background: The trafficking of human organs has evolved over the years. At first it appeared across isolated cases, but over time it has increased the curiosity of organised crime due to the high benefits and the small possibility of the perpetrators being pursued with an international character. The perpetrators of this criminal act start this criminal activity with the trafficking of sperm, but they can also continue with the tissues and organs from corpses. Also, human rights have evolved in recent decades. Today, human rights are at the epicentre of global poli- tics. In addition, security issues, poverty, social inequality, non-respect of human rights, lack of adequate laws, and lack of law enforcement are prerequisites for a particular impact on the trafficking of human organs. Methods: This paper provides a comparative look at the topic with a special emphasis on hu- man organ trafficking by analysing in different and interrelated perspectives, including the social aspect, criminal aspect, the benefits of criminal groups, and the violation of basic human rights. Results and Conclusions: As part of the concluding remarks, suggestions for future actions by law enforcement institutions in terms of anti-trafficking policies and practices.

Conspiracy Theories and Human Trafficking: Coercive Power, Normative Ambiguity and Epistemic Uncertainty

ABSTRACT Conspiracy theories have become a prevalent feature of public discourse, with human trafficking featuring as a key component of contemporary populist conspiracy claims. This paper examines the impact of trafficking conspiracy theories and concludes that rather than challenging the accounts of relevant powerful actors, they reinforce the dominant narratives and institutions that shape anti-trafficking policies, and rather than democratizing knowledge, they undermine such efforts. I further argue that trafficking conspiracies are not simply symptomatic of normative and epistemic uncertainty, but actively elevate the coercive power of the state by undermining normative and epistemic sources of constraint. Ultimately, conspiracy theories on trafficking seek to control borders and police sexuality, to protect powerful actors from criticism, and to marginalize the voices of those most affected by trafficking and anti-trafficking initiatives. I conclude that countering conspiracy theories requires normative clarification in the realm of human trafficking and a commitment to inclusive, transparent, and firm epistemic foundations. The paper supports progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goal 5, by empowering women and girls – particularly marginalized women and girls – to contribute to public discourses on trafficking and Goal 16 by challenging discourses and institutions that contribute to unjust, violent and exclusive societies.

'They Just Have to Adopt These Conventions’: Anti-child Trafficking Policies and Politics in Nigeria

ABSTRACT Child domestic workers are among those in need of rescue according to popular discourse because they are often victims of exploitation. There are a wide range of international policy documents and actors working to rescue these children. Based on a study conducted in Nigeria, this article unpacks the politics around existing policies and operations to rescue these children. It argues that anti-trafficking policies are often accompanied with surveillance powers in ways that ‘rescue missions’ become more about meeting ‘global standards’—rather than what is relevant or problematic in local settings. Intervention policies need to reflect and address local realities for such UN Sustainable Development Goals as ending modern slavery, trafficking, and child labor and promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies to be realized.

The phenomenon of human trafficking:theoretical and methodological bases of research

The problem of human trafficking is very relevant in the modern world and causes concern for both the international community and individual states. A comprehensive study of the problem requires different approaches and methods to produce results that reflect its current status. Scientific works of foreign and domestic authors, international and national legal framework that provides the legislative framework for the activities of state and public institutions in the implementation of anti-trafficking policies play an important role in the study of the phenomenon of human trafficking. However, despite the efforts made by the international community in the fight against human trafficking, it continues to exist due to the presence of macro-level factors of an economic, political, social, and moral nature. Алистратова Оксана

Migration, Trafficking, and the Greek Economy: A comment on ‘the trafficker next-door’

This article interrogates the manifestations and implications of the intertwining of migration policies and the global prohibition regime against human trafficking in Greece. In a dramatic reversal of long historical patterns, post-cold war Greece became a migration destination country, receiving a large number of migrants. While Greece’s policies approached the phenomenon as an administrative embarrassment, migrant populations joined the country’s productive structures and arguably made a decisive contribution to the country’s economic boom. The restrictive regime on migration took a further twist as Greece aligned with the global prohibition regime established with the 2000 UNTOC and Trafficking Protocol. The combination of migration and anti-trafficking policies has engendered a punitive overreach that severely disadvantaged migrant populations in Greece. Drawing on our research, we reflect on several common cases where the precarious status of the migrant meshes potentially with the punitive effects of anti-trafficking policies. We argue that the obfuscation of extremely harmful conditions typically experienced by migrants involved in Greece’s economic structures has been the most distinctive effect of the intertwining of migration and anti-trafficking policies.

Exploration of the Nexus between Corruption and Implementation Failures in Anti-Trafficking Policies and Laws in South Africa

Exploration of the Nexus between Corruption and Implementation Failures in Anti-Trafficking Policies and Laws in South Africa

Gender, Political and Economic Instability, and Trafficking into Forced Marriage

This article showcases the lived experiences of Afghan women and girls trafficked into forced marriage in Balochistan province of Pakistan and identifies the processes that lead to their exploitation. Situating forced marriage within the ambit of human trafficking, the study highlights the gendered/aged/classed aspects of the phenomenon and unveils how it is linked to other forms of trafficking. Women and girls trafficked into forced marriage experience multiple forms of exploitation, stigmatization, and social isolation throughout their lives. The study pinpoints that this form of trafficking generally remains outside the radar of anti-trafficking policies which further enhance the vulnerabilities of trafficked victims.

Anti-Trafficking in the Time of FOSTA/SESTA: Networked Moral Gentrification and Sexual Humanitarian Creep

Globally, sex workers have highlighted the harms that accompany anti-prostitution efforts advanced via anti-trafficking policy, and there is a growing body of social science research that has emerged documenting how anti-trafficking efforts contribute to carceral and sexual humanitarian interventions. Yet mounting evidence on the harms of anti-trafficking policies has done little to quell the passage of more laws, including policies aimed at stopping sexual exploitation facilitated by technology. The 2018 passage of the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the corresponding Senate bill, the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA), is a case study in how efforts to curb sexual exploitation online actually heighten vulnerabilities for the people they purport to protect. Drawing on 34 months of ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with sex workers and trafficked persons (n = 58) and key informants (n = 20) in New York and Los Angeles, we analyze FOSTA/SESTA and its harmful effects as a launchpad to more broadly explore how technology, criminalization, shifting governance arrangements, and conservative moralities cohere to exacerbate sex workers’ vulnerability.

Victims or suspects? Identifying and assisting potentially trafficked fishermen: A qualitative study with stakeholders and first responders in Thailand

Prompted by reports of ‘sea slavery’ in the fishing industry and threats of sanctions, Thailand has faced pressure to eradicate human trafficking the fishing sector. Although the Thai government has responded with anti-trafficking policies, there remains little understanding about their implementation. Specifically, little is known about how government agencies, NGOs or industry perceive “trafficking”, and no research examines how trafficked fishermen are identified and assisted. This study aimed to: 1) explore how stakeholders described trafficking in the fishing sector and their perceptions of trafficking indicators; and 2) identify challenges encountered by frontline responders to identify and assist trafficked fishermen. We conducted interviews with 33 key informants, which were analysed thematically. Findings indicate that authorities and industry representatives believed migrant brokers caused employers to “inadvertently” traffic men. Trafficking was perceived to take place primarily outside of Thai waters, beyond the government's jurisdiction. Most stakeholders considered violence and being confined as key indicators of trafficking. Officials expressed confusion about whether debt bondage and document confiscation “counted” as indicators. Ambiguity and confusion about trafficking indicators in screening forms, combined with perceived “deservingness” of official victim status, underpinned frontline responders’ decisions about who was a victim of trafficking (VoT). Practical and structural constraints included interpreter shortages, and expanded civil servant remits without commensurate staff increases, which hindered officials’ responses to trafficking. This study addresses a critical knowledge gap on the implementation of anti-trafficking policies and offers findings to assist policymakers to address the challenges faced by frontline responders to improve victim identification and assistance.

Survivor’s Perceptions of Human Trafficking Rehabilitation Programs in Nigeria: Empowerment or Disempowerment?

ABSTRACT While disagreements about the value of rehabilitation programs persist, these programs are still largely seen as essential for the protection of the human rights of survivors of human trafficking, and the facilitation of their recovery and empowerment after trafficking. Consequently, it is not surprising that rehabilitation programs are a core component of the Nigerian government’s anti-trafficking policies. However, only limited efforts have so far been directed at ascertaining the extent to which these rehabilitation programs result in the empowerment of survivors in Nigeria. To address this gap, this paper explores the extent to which survivors’ perceptions and experiences in the rehabilitation programs reflect the ideals of empowerment. Drawing on qualitative data, we show that the government’s conceptualization of human trafficking influences their collaborative rehabilitation efforts, and that such efforts seem to simultaneously empower and disempower survivors.The paper concludes by considering the policy implications in the African context.

Community-Based Responses to Negative Health Impacts of Sexual Humanitarian Anti-Trafficking Policies and the Criminalization of Sex Work and Migration in the US

System-involvement resulting from anti-trafficking interventions and the criminalization of sex work and migration results in negative health impacts on sex workers, migrants, and people with trafficking experiences. Due to their stigmatized status, sex workers and people with trafficking experiences often struggle to access affordable, unbiased, and supportive health care. This paper will use thematic analysis of qualitative data from in-depth interviews and ethnographic fieldwork with 50 migrant sex workers and trafficked persons, as well as 20 key informants from legal and social services, in New York and Los Angeles. It will highlight the work of trans-specific and sex worker–led initiatives that are internally addressing gaps in health care and the negative health consequences that result from sexual humanitarian anti-trafficking interventions that include policing, arrest, court-involvement, court-mandated social services, incarceration, and immigration detention. Our analysis focuses on the impact of criminalization on sex workers and their experiences with sexual humanitarian efforts intended to protect and control them. We argue that these grassroots community-based efforts are a survival-oriented reaction to the harms of criminalization and a response to vulnerabilities left unattended by mainstream sexual humanitarian approaches to protection and service provision that frame sex work itself as the problem. Peer-to-peer interventions such as these create solidarity and resiliency within marginalized communities, which act as protective buffers against institutionalized systemic violence and the resulting negative health outcomes. Our results suggest that broader public health support and funding for community-led health initiatives are needed to reduce barriers to health care resulting from stigma, criminalization, and ineffective anti-trafficking and humanitarian efforts. We conclude that the decriminalization of sex work and the reform of institutional practices in the US are urgently needed to reduce the overall negative health outcomes of system-involvement.

La importancia de los datos de trata de seres humanos. Una aproximación al sistema de recolección de datos de víctimas de trata en España

La Trata de Seres Humanos es un fenómeno de compleja delimitación conceptual, con frecuencia distorsionado por su naturaleza intrínsecamente oculta y un uso estereotipado de su contenido. Todos estos factores dificultan la tarea de valorar la extensión del problema, y por ende obstaculizan el proceso de toma de decisiones, tanto en la formulación de la política pública y su implementación, como en la evaluación de resultados. El propósito de este artículo es analizar los datos existentes en materia de trata de seres humanos, incluyendo los proporcionados por fuentes oficiales así como la aproximación a la cifra oscura de la trata, en particular para el caso de España. Del análisis de los datos se extraen las dificultades conceptuales y de contenido que afectan al problema en el caso de España, llegando a poner en duda la propia existencia de un sistema de recolección de datos de Trata de Seres Humanos hasta el año 2015.Recibido: 12 junio 2019Aceptado: 10 septiembre 2019Publicación en línea: 20 diciembre 2019

The Regionalism Paradox in the Fight against Human Trafficking: Indonesia and the Limits of Regional Cooperation in ASEAN

This paper examines the role of regional cooperation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the fight against human trafficking for Indonesia. ASEAN members have been collectively active in responding transnational security issues with series of talks and collaboration agreements since early 2000s. Lately in 2015, ASEAN agreed on ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons, particularly Women and Children (ACTIP) that requires each member to collaborate in information sharing and providing effective safeguard and protection of victims. Yet, the frequency of human trafficking crime occurrence remains high and tend to increase in Indonesia in 2017-2018. The objective of this paper is to examine the effectiveness and success of ACTIP implementation in the fight against human trafficking in Indonesia. Based on two years research (2017-2018) in three provinces with the largest number of victims in Indonesia, this paper shows the tendency of persisting crime despite the implementation of regional and national anti-trafficking policies. The research was conducted by archive study, literature study, discourse analysis, and depth interviews with local government officials, police, prosecutors, victims, and traffickers. This paper argues that the relative success of ASEAN in establishing convention at the high-level meetings has not been followed with the success in its implementation in the society. Three main factors have contributed to the ineffectiveness of the agreements, i.e. (1) ASEAN institutional arrangement as a collection of sovereign states instead of supranational organization with binding authority; (2) the lack of commitment of ASEAN sovereign member-states to the agreements; and (3) the complexity and variety of the nature of the crime in each member-state. In effect, these factors have contributed in generating the regionalism paradox in ASEAN where states tend to revert to national policies instead of seeking regional collective solution.

A Statewide Coalition’s Input in Human Trafficking Policy Implementation: Member Organizations’ Involvement and Perceptions

ABSTRACT During the last 10 years, many coalitions have been built at state and city levels in the U.S. to help implement anti-trafficking policies. Yet, sparse literature is available examining the ways coalitions are coordinated, the contributions coalitions make to trafficking policy implementation, and members’ perspectives on coalition’s effectiveness. This paper addresses this gap by examining (a) the involvement of member organizations in a statewide anti-trafficking coalition in one Midwestern state in the U.S. and (b) member organizations’ perceptions of the coalition’s effectiveness. This study employed an exploratory, quantitative research design, and collected data through a mailed survey. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants. Seventy-three of the 90 member organizations’ leaders recruited for the study completed the survey (81% response rate). The diversity of services and resources in this coalition show its potential to support the state’s responses to trafficking through interagency collaboration. Yet, few coalition members collaborated in providing assistance to trafficking victims. Limited commitment of members, failure to engage members, and lack of visible leadership, were some challenges perceived as affecting the coalition’s effectiveness. Member organizations providing direct services to trafficking victims appeared to have a more positive perception of the coalition’s achievements. Implications are discussed.

Editorial: Gains and Challenges in the Global Movement for Sex Workers’ Rights

Over the past two decades, there has been a growing body of excellent academic and community-based literature on sex workers’ lives, work, and organising efforts, and on the harmful effects of anti-trafficking discourses, laws, and policies on diverse sex worker communities. Importantly, a significant portion of this work has been produced by sex workers and sex worker organisations.[1] When we decided to devote this Special Issue of Anti-Trafficking Review to the theme of sex work, we acknowledged this reality. However, we also thought that, given that the discourses, laws, and policies that directly impact sex workers globally are continually changing, the production of new evidence-based research and critical perspectives is constantly needed.

Anti-trafficking Efforts and Colonial Violence in Canada

In Responding to Human Trafficking: Dispossession, Colonial Violence, and Resistance among Indigenous and Racialized Women, Julie Kaye offers a critical examination of how Canadian state and non-state actors understand human trafficking and implement anti-trafficking measures. Kaye examines Canada’s anti-trafficking policies and the efforts of non-government organisations (NGOs) through one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions. She demonstrates the way in which this politically charged issue has worked to conceal Canada’s violent colonial history and naturalise the inequalities and structural and material conditions in which trafficking and various forms of violence occur. Kaye argues that trafficking discourses position the colonial state as the saviour and therefore work to reinforce its power.