Human Victimization Research Articles

Examining Individual and Contextual Correlates of Victimization for Juvenile Human Trafficking in Florida.

Despite extant literature on individual-level risk factors for sex trafficking among children and adolescents, little is known about the impact of social and ecological contexts on risk of human trafficking victimization. The purpose of this study was to examine the correlates signaling risk of human trafficking victimization at the individual, family, social, and community levels utilizing a sample of 40,531 justice-involved male and female youth, a small fraction of whom were suspected or verified victims of human trafficking between 2011 and 2015 (N = 801, including 699 female and 102 male youth). Using this sample, we examined differences across individual, family, social, and community characteristics of youth involved in the juvenile justice system who have a history of trafficking victimization and youth without such histories. Series of logistic regression analyses were conducted using varying control groups, created through exact matching and randomized matching groups to address sample imbalances. These analyses indicate that, at the individual level, youth who had experienced childhood adversities were more likely to report human trafficking victimization. Sex differences were found regarding risk factors pertaining to the family and broader socio-ecological contexts. Female youth who had witnessed family violence had an antisocial partner or antisocial friends, or resided in a community with a greater proportion of the population being foreign-born or speaking English less than very well were at heightened risk for human trafficking victimization. Little evidence was found for community-level risk factors of victimization in this specific sample of justice-involved youth. These findings encourage more research to unpack the multilevel correlates of victimizations at the individual, family, social, and community levels, recognizing potential differences between female and male youth regarding the factors that put them at heightened risk for juvenile sex trafficking victimizations. Practice and policy should direct awareness and prevention measures to social and ecological contexts.

A state-wide analysis of characteristics and predictors of dual system involvement among child victims of human trafficking

BackgroundThe child welfare system is pivotal in identifying and responding to child (younger than age 18) human trafficking victims. Children who have experienced human trafficking—or are at risk of victimization—are increasingly recognized as also being served in the juvenile justice system. Yet little is known about human trafficking victimization among children in the juvenile justice population or among children with child welfare and juvenile justice involvement. ObjectiveBuilding on previous research with child welfare–and juvenile justice–involved children, we investigated characteristics and system experiences among children who have experienced a human trafficking abuse allegation in Florida. Participants and settingThe overall study population included all children born on or after January 1, 1993, who had at least one DCF-documented maltreatment allegation before March 1, 2020. This study examined a total of 12,167 allegations in the first set of analyses and the first human trafficking allegation for each child (N = 9300) in the second set of analyses. MethodsAnalyses are based on linked administrative data for a cohort of children involved with Florida's Departments of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) and/or Children and Families (DCF). We used descriptive and multivariate logistic regression analyses to document the characteristics of single and dual system–involved children and examine predictors of child welfare, juvenile justice, and dual system involvement. Results(1) Nearly half of children with a human trafficking abuse allegation are involved in DCF at the time of the allegation, (2) females who experienced trafficking are more likely to be involved in DCF (with or without DJJ involvement) than involved in no system, (3) Black children with an alleged trafficking incident were more likely than White children to be involved in both systems compared with DCF only, and (4) children who experienced labor trafficking abuse allegations were less likely than those who experienced sex trafficking to be involved with either system. ConclusionsThis study depicts child victims of sex and labor trafficking who are involved with one or both systems in one state.

Educational consequences of firsthand exposure to armed conflict: The case of the Sri Lankan Civil War

This study examines the educational consequences of exposure to conflict using the case of the 1983–2009 Sri Lankan Civil War. Based on a strategy of within-sibling comparison, we estimate the educational impacts of households’ firsthand experiences of different types of conflict events: human victimization, property damage, and war-induced migration. The estimation results show that the impacts of conflict exposure vary depending on the type of conflict event and the timing of exposure. In a worst-case scenario in which a household experiences two events that cause human victimization and property damage when a child is school-aged, the probability that the child completes upper secondary or higher education decreases by 97.2 percentage points, lowering educational attainment by 3.49 years (29.4 % of the sample mean). Furthermore, the prolonged and significant impacts of property damage that we found suggest that providing immediate assistance to children in damaged households could be an effective measure for mitigating the loss of human capital in the next generation.

대학생의 인권침해 경험이 행복에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study was to propose a way to promote happiness by applying hope and a growth mindset by verifying whether the growth mindset moderates the influence of the human rights victimization experience of university students on happiness through hope. The subjects of this study were 233 university students who were conveniently sampled from two universities in Chungnam and Jeonnam, and the data were analysed by using SPSS PC+ Win ver. 25.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro ver. 4.0. Applied statistical techniques were descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and moderated mediating effect analysis. Bootstrap was used to verify the moderated mediating effect. For verification, the confidence level was 95%, the number of samples was set to 5,000, and the conditional effect was analyzed based on three conditions (M±SD, M). In the analysis of moderated mediating effects, the independent and moderating variables were average-centered. As a result of the study, first, human rights victimization showed a significant negative correlation with growth mindset, hope, and happiness. Growth mindset showed a significant positive correlation with hope and happiness. And hope showed a positive correlation with happiness. Second, the growth mindset moderated the mediating effect of human rights victimization on happiness through hope. Based on these results, a plan to promote happiness by applying the hope and growth mindset in the relationship between the human rights victimization experiences and happiness of university students was suggested.

Relationship between human rights victimization and happiness of university students

The purpose of this study was to provide an intervention model to prevent the decrease in happiness caused by human rights victimization by analyzing the moderated mediating effect of the growth mindset on the path of human rights victimization to happiness through grit for university students. A total of 233 university students who took part in this survey were selected through purposive sampling. We did data analysis using SPSS PC + Win. Ver. 25.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro Ver. 4.0. Frequency, reliability, correlation, and moderated mediating effect analysis were applied. First, human rights victimization was negatively and significantly correlated with grit, growth mindset, and happiness. Second, the moderated mediating effect of a growth mindset on the path from human rights victimization to happiness via grit was verified. The human rights victimization of university students affects happiness through grit, and the growth mindset increases the effect of human rights victimization → grit → happiness path. This result will be used a new model to enhance happiness for university students.

Human Trafficking in Correctional Institutions: A Survey of Correctional and Anti-Trafficking Leaders

ABSTRACT Growing awareness of the overlap between justice involvement and human trafficking victimization has led to calls for correctional institutions to prevent, identify, and respond to trafficking. However, it is unclear how correctional facilities (i.e., jails and prisons) are responding to such calls to action. To examine current efforts to address human trafficking in U.S. correctional facilities, this study surveyed correctional and anti-trafficking leaders (n = 46) about their perceptions and experiences with human trafficking screening, response, and training in correctional facilities. Although the majority of leaders (89%) agreed individuals in their state’s correctional facilities have experienced human trafficking, they generally did not perceive that correctional staff were prepared to respond. Bivariate tests revealed that correctional and anti-trafficking leaders differed on their perceptions regarding correctional staffs’ knowledge about human trafficking risk factors (p = .014), identification ability (p = .006), and response knowledge (p = .036), with anti-trafficking leaders perceiving correctional staff to be less prepared in these areas. Approximately 16% of leaders reported strategies to identify and respond to trafficking in correctional facilities, and about 27% reported human trafficking training for corrections staff. To promote a just society, study findings offer preliminary guidance for anti-trafficking correctional initiatives and future research.

Advances in Measurement: A Scoping Review of Prior Human Trafficking Prevalence Studies and Recommendations for Future Research

ABSTRACT Human trafficking victimization is harmful to individuals, families, institutions, communities, and nations. It is commonly understood that human trafficking is a widespread problem, yet the variation in global estimates is extreme, ranging from 12.3 million to 20.9 million to 45.8 million people worldwide. The wide variation in estimates has led some to argue that claims about the scope of the problem are unsubstantiated. Calculating an estimate of human trafficking victims has proven to be complex; there is growing recognition that it is necessary to improve the methodologies used to generate such estimates. This article addresses the need for a better understanding of the methodologies used in human trafficking prevalence estimation studies. We conducted a comprehensive scoping review of prior human trafficking prevalence studies, including an analysis of the methodologies utilized and the context in which they were used, and offer a set of recommendations for future research on human trafficking prevalence. The goal of this effort is to provide guidance to researchers planning to undertake prevalence estimation studies and to help advance and improve human trafficking prevalence estimation research.

Capturing Human Trafficking Victimization Through Crime Reporting, United States, 2013-2016 (ICPSR 37907)

Capturing Human Trafficking Victimization Through Crime Reporting, United States, 2013-2016 (ICPSR 37907)

Influence of Human Rights Victimization on Happiness of College Students : Mediating Effect Happiness of College Students: Mediating Effect Happiness of College Students: Mediating Effect Happiness of College Students : Mediating Effect of Self-esteem and grit

Background/Objectives: Our purpose in this study was to verify the mediating effect of self-esteem and grit in the link between human rights victimization and happiness. Methods/Statistical analysis: A sample of 233 students was purposively recruited from two universities in South Korea. SPSS PC + Win. Ver.25 and PROCESS macro Ver.3.5 were used for data analysis. Frequency analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis and multiple mediating effect analysis were performed. Findings: Results were as follows. First, human rights victimization had a significant negative effect on happiness, self-esteem and grit. Grit had a positive correlation between self-esteem and happiness. Second, self-esteem and grit mediated in the link between human rights victimization and happiness. This study can be applied as a new model to prevent college students from human rights victimization. Improvements/Applications: Our findings also demonstrated that self-esteem and grit are useful buffers to happy individuals.

Integrating Human Trafficking Data: A Case Study of Conceptual and Operational Variation in Ohio

ABSTRACT This paper describes the process and methods of integrating human trafficking data across agency record sources. This study focuses on the process of collecting and integrating comprehensive human trafficking data for research purposes. Using a case study framework for the state of Ohio, we first explore the variation in human trafficking definitions used across agencies and the implications for integrating data sources. Second, we describe how these disparate sources of data were integrated with the goal of estimating the prevalence of human trafficking. Third, we describe the need for conceptual and operational clarification in how agencies define and measure human trafficking victimization as we identified a lack of uniformity in definitions and variability in the types of measured items. In conducting this statewide prevalence study, we identified challenges to integrating agency record data across sources based on variation in definitions and variable inclusion which led to conceptual ambiguity. We offer three practical recommendations to improving conceptual and operational approaches to human trafficking measurement. In particular, attending carefully to the process of data collection can improve measurement to promote change in practice that facilitates more effective intervention.

“Who are the Victims, Who are the Traffickers?” University Students’ Portrayals on Human Trafficking

ABSTRACTAlthough human trafficking is a widely studied phenomenon, there is a lack of perceptions toward its victims and offenders. The purpose of this study is to analyze Portuguese university students’ portrayals of victims and traffickers. This study included 199 participants that answered an internet survey The participants’ mean age was 23.23 (SD = 6.24) years, with most of the participants being women (65%). Thematic analysis was used to determine dominant themes and subthemes. The results revealed three main themes: Victim portrayal and victimization dynamics; Traffickers portrayals and criminal dynamics; Trafficking dynamics. The participants reported, commonly, the socioeconomic status of the victim as an important reason to be trafficked. In the student’s perception, this enables the traffickers to be aware of the victim’s life conditions and, therefore, they are lured with false promises of a better life. Despite that, 17% of the participants sustained an undifferentiated victim and trafficker portrayal and 6% of them revealed that they had no knowledge of human trafficking and underlying causes. The implication for future research, practice and public policy (preventive and informative campaigns, disclosure of human trafficking victimization situations) are addressed.

Anti-immigration sentiment and public opinion on human trafficking

Prior research shows that anti-immigration sentiment affects public opinion about criminal justice problems and solutions. However, we know little about how these sentiments affect public opinion about human trafficking. This paper attempts to fill this gap by examining the role of anti-immigration sentiment in shaping public support for anti-trafficking efforts in the United States. Specifically, this research examines the effect of anti-immigration sentiment on the public’s understanding about vulnerabilities for human trafficking among migrant populations and corresponding support for policies directed at the protection of migrant trafficked persons. This is particularly important because public policies that safeguard migrant trafficked persons have been among the most difficult to pass despite strong support for the governmental prioritization of anti-trafficking efforts overall. Utilizing public opinion data from an original, nationally representative survey experiment of 2000 Americans, this study finds that anti-immigration sentiment (1) is associated with greater recognition of the vulnerability of immigrants to human trafficking victimization; (2) does not impact public support for a general governmental prioritization of human trafficking policies; yet (3) creates less public support for victim services for non-citizen trafficked persons; and (4) stems from differences in political views impacting support for services for immigrant victims. These findings contribute to an understanding of the role of anti-immigration sentiment in public opinion about crime and have implications for policies aimed at improving the identification of and outcomes for migrant trafficked persons.

Human trafficking victimization among youth who run away from foster care

Domestic minor human trafficking (HT) is a growing social justice concern, particularly among youth in the child welfare system. This paper uses administrative data to describe the characteristics and experiences of a population of youth in the child welfare system considered to be at particularly high risk of victimization: youth who have run away from foster care. Analyses are based on nearly 37,000 youth with at least one foster care placement in Florida at age 10 or older between 2011 and 2017. We examine the characteristics of youth with and without at least one foster care runaway episode, and the characteristics and experiences of youth with and without one or more HT allegations while on runaway status. Of the youth with at least one foster placement at age 10 or older, approximately 19% (n = 7039) had at least one foster care runaway episode, and of these youth, 7% (n = 542) had an HT allegation while on runaway status. Youth with HT allegations (compared to those without) during a foster care runaway episode were more likely to: be female, experience prior physical, psychological and sexual abuse, run from care at a younger age, experience more foster care placements since entry into the child welfare system, and experience more foster care runaway episodes. For most (70%) youth with a HT allegation during runaway status, the first identified trafficking allegation occurred during a foster care runaway episode. Most (67%) youth did not have another HT allegation up to a year later. Implications for research and child welfare policy and programs are discussed.

Human trafficking and the child welfare population in Florida

Human trafficking victimization is frequently associated with child abuse or neglect and out-of-home placements. This article presents the largest study to date of human trafficking allegations within a child welfare context, and one of the few to compare children with allegations of human trafficking to others in the child welfare population. It uses state administrative data to examine 4413 allegations of sex and labor trafficking involving 3420 children. These children were more than twice as likely as others to have experienced prior maltreatment. Among children with prior child welfare experience, those with trafficking allegations were twice as likely to have experienced out-of-home placements, >5 times as likely to have experienced congregate care, and >10 times as likely to have run away from placements. Although these data cannot be interpreted as representing the true prevalence of human trafficking within the child welfare population, they expand our understanding of known victims, with associated implications for research, practice and policy.

Human Rights Victimization and Self-esteem of University Students in Korea: The Mediating Effect of Hope

Human Rights Victimization and Self-esteem of University Students in Korea: The Mediating Effect of Hope

Human rights victimization and Self-Esteem of university students: Mediating effect of hope and moderating effects of human rights awareness

Human rights victimization and Self-Esteem of university students: Mediating effect of hope and moderating effects of human rights awareness

Global Human Trafficking and Child Victimization.

Trafficking of children for labor and sexual exploitation violates basic human rights and constitutes a major global public health problem. Pediatricians and other health care professionals may encounter victims who present with infections, injuries, posttraumatic stress disorder, suicidality, or a variety of other physical or behavioral health conditions. Preventing child trafficking, recognizing victimization, and intervening appropriately require a public health approach that incorporates rigorous research on the risk factors, health impact, and effective treatment options for child exploitation as well as implementation and evaluation of primary prevention programs. Health care professionals need training to recognize possible signs of exploitation and to intervene appropriately. They need to adopt a multidisciplinary, outward-focused approach to service provision, working with nonmedical professionals in the community to assist victims. Pediatricians also need to advocate for legislation and policies that promote child rights and victim services as well as those that address the social determinants of health, which influence the vulnerability to human trafficking. This policy statement outlines major issues regarding public policy, medical education, research, and collaboration in the area of child labor and sex trafficking and provides recommendations for future work.

Mediating effect of growth mindset and grit between human rights victimization and self-esteem

본 연구는 인권피해와 자아존중감의 관계에서 성장 마인드셋과 그릿의 매개효과를 검증하는데 목적이 있다. 자료는 임의표집한 대학생 233명을 대상으로 설문으로 수집하였으며, 자료 분석을 위하여 신뢰도 분석, 상관 분석 및 Macro Process을 수행하였고, 성장 마인드셋과 그릿의 매개효과를 검증하기 위하여 부트스트랩 방법을 사용하였다. 연구결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 인권피해는 자아존중감, 성장 마인드셋, 그릿과 유의미한 부적 상관관계가 있는 반면, 자아존중감은 성장 마인드셋 및 그릿과 정적 상관관계가 있었다. 둘째, Macro Process를 이용한 경로분석 결과 인권피해는 자아존중감, 성장 마인드셋 및 그릿에 부적 영향을 미쳤다. 반면에 성장 마인드셋과 그릿은 자아존중감에 정적인 영향을 미쳤다. 셋째, 성장 마인드셋과 그릿은 인권피해와 자아존중감과의 관계에서 매개효과가 있었다. 이러한 결과는 인권 피해를 당한 대학생들의 자아존중감이 성장 마인드셋과 그릿을 증가시킴으로써 향상될 수 있음을 시사하였다.

청소년의 학교폭력 피해경험이 자아존중감에 미치는 영향: 인권피해 인식의 매개효과

본 연구는 청소년의 학교폭력 피해경험과 자아존중감의 관계에서 인권피해인식의 매개효과를 파악하는 데 연구 목적을 두었다. 이를 위해서 2015년 9월부터 11월까지 청소년 554명을 대상으로 경상북도 B군에서 설문조사를 수행하였다. 주요 연구 결과를 보면, 첫째, 청소년의 학교폭력 피해경험은 일반적 특성 중 학교급에 따라 차이를 보였고 인권피해인식은 읍,면 지역에 따라 차이를 보였으나 자아존중감은 일반적 특성에 따라 차이를 보이지 않았다. 둘째, 상관분석 결과 학교폭력 피해경험은 인권피해인식과 정적 상관관계를 보였고 자아존중감과는 부적 상관관계를 보였다. 셋째, 회귀분석 결과 학교폭력 피해경험과 자아존중감과의 관계에서 인권피해인식이 완전매개하였다. 끝으로 학교폭력과 인권침해로 자아존중감이 저하된 학생들을 위한 정책적 함의를 하였다. This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of perception of human rights victimization between school violence victimization and self-esteem of adolescents. For this study, 554 adolescents were surveyed at B county of Korea from September to November in 2015. Main results of this study were as follows. First, it was found out that school violence victimization was significantly different depending on school level. And perception of human rights victimization was significantly different depending on regions. But self-esteem was not. Second, school violence victimization and human rights victimization were positively correlated. And school violence victimization and self-esteem were negatively correlated. Third, perception of human rights victimization was perfectly mediated between school violence victimization and self-esteem of adolescents. Lastly, policy implications for the students with lower self-esteem due to school violence victimization were suggested.

The Ecological Edges of Belligerency - Toward a Global Environmental History of the First World War

This article represents an initial foray into the global environmental history of the First World War and suggests new approaches that can change our understanding of the conflict. With ravaged farmlands, charred trees, and muddy quagmires as iconic images of the First World War, scholars have generally tended to overlook the place and the role of nature. Yet only by taking the environment into account can we fully understand the trauma of war and how this conflict in particular shaped the most basic levels of human existence for years to come. Armies in the First World War were both social and biological entities, which depended on a “military ecology” of energy extraction, production, and supply. To keep soldiers and machines in action, belligerent states commandeered food and fuel throughout the biosphere, extending the war's environmental reach far beyond the western front. Examining a number of the ways that war shaped the periphery—evolving disease ecologies in colonial Africa, tin extraction in Southeast Asia, and food production in Latin America—will show that the boundaries of belligerency were vast. These three regions also illustrate the different ways in which the preparation and pursuit of war transformed societies and the natural world. Seeing what George Kennan called the twentieth century's “seminal catastrophe” from an environmental perspective illuminates the global dimensions of the First World War. The conflict accelerated environmental change that had begun in the previous century and established the patterns of military-industrial production, human victimization, and environmental exploitation that defined the twentieth century.