“Curiosity and a Pimp”: Exploring Sex Trafficking Victimization in Experiences of Entering Sex Trade Industry Work Among Participants in a Prostitution Diversion Program

This mixed-methods study explored entry into the sex trade industry and experiences of sex trafficking victimization among 478 adult women enrolled in a prostitution diversion program in a large southwestern state. Written responses to several open-ended survey questions were coded using a template approach to content analysis wherein a priori codes were identified based on characteristics of sex trafficking victimization identified in the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (U.S. Department of State, 2000 U.S. Department of State. (2000). Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000. Retrieved from http://www.state.gov/j/tip/laws/61124.htm [Google Scholar]). Findings revealed that approximately one third of participants (n = 161) described sex trafficking experiences on entry into the sex trade industry, and quantitative analysis revealed that women who experienced sex trafficking as part of entering the sex trade industry were more likely to report abuse during childhood and adulthood, to report gang involvement, and to be involved in multiple types of sex trade industry work. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.     

Beyond the ‘Natasha’ story – a review and critique of current research on sex trafficking

A review of literature on sex trafficking since 2000 reveals that numerous articles have been published in scholarly journals but few are based on systematic primary data collection. Much of our current knowledge, including statistical estimates and characteristics of the trafficking business, derives from a handful reports issued by government and non-government agencies. With few empirical studies available, imagination seems to have filled the gaps of our knowledge. The problem was further complicated by a manifest (sometimes subtle) moral crusading agenda aimed at a deep-rooted and hotly debated social practice.

Also noticeable in the literature is an increasing number of authors who have begun to challenge the empirical premises claimed by these published reports. These sceptical authors find that many articles of questionable quality have been published in peer-reviewed journals, and claim that the current discourse on human trafficking is driven by mythology rather than empirical research.

Rather than dwelling on gaps in our knowledge or concerns over the moral overtone in academic research, this paper seeks to raise specific research questions and explore possible field strategies that can advance our knowledge on this topic. Regardless of one's moral compass, the future of research on sex trafficking cannot become credible without a solid empirical foundation.     

Sex trafficking in Latin America: dominant discourse,empirical paucity,and promising research

Much has been written in the English-speaking world on the topic of sex trafficking, but little is known about what researchers elsewhere have produced on this topic. An exhaustive literature search was conducted to locate publications on this topic from Latin America. A total of 74 publications were located and put through a systematic content analysis. Four main discernible patterns were noticed: (1) the vast majority of the publications were produced by individuals affiliated with international or non-government organisations; (2) the production of trafficking-related literature sharply declined after 2007; (3) of the small number of studies involving empirical data, most were qualitative in nature; and (4) the literature was primarily focused on the sexual exploitation of children. The discourse on sex trafficking in Latin America appeared to be dominated by advocacy groups. There were few scholarly articles, suggesting limited attention from the academic community. Despite limited empirical data, many Spanish-speaking authors made claims on the nature and extent of sex trafficking, with articles citing one another as source of evidence. This review finds a great need for the involvement of the academic community and for dispassionate and empirically grounded research on sex trafficking.     

“Kind regards”: an examination of one buyer's attempt to purchase a trafficked child for sex

A call to awareness regarding sex trafficking has increased research, bolstered social justice efforts, improved education, and influenced federal laws that protect victims and prosecute traffickers. Federal laws on sex trafficking are now being used through undercover sting operations via the Internet to arrest and prosecute buyers who attempt to engage in commercial sex with minors. A narrative analysis was completed to create an in-depth case study outlining the correspondences between a buyer and an undercover agent advertising trafficked children for sex. Readers are afforded a rare opportunity to examine actual emails related to the purchase of a child for sexual exploitation. The emails were used against the buyer as evidence within the court of law. The authors assert that the following case study will contribute to the body of literature on the victim selection processes and cognitive distortions employed by buyers of children for sex.     

人力资本及其视域下的农民工分析

人力资本是指通过对人的各种投资,使自然人具备改造自然和社会的价值,并通过一定的制度安排,使这种价值实现价值增值。人力资本作为资本的一种,首先是一种商品,是价值和使用价值的统一;是生产与再生产的统一;是与一定阶段的生产力水平相适应的,是具体的历史的统一;人力资本是内在本质和外在形式的统一,是生产力与生产关系的统一,是技术与制度的统一。结合人力资本的含义和农民工的自身特点看,农民工属于人力资本的范畴。确认农民工人力资本的存在具有重要的理论价值和现实意义。     

Methods of sex trafficking: findings of a case study in Turkey

The underground sex industry in Turkey has increasingly become dependent on the foreign women, predominantly coming from the former Soviet Union. Some of these women became victims of sex trafficking. However, little is known about how they are recruited, transferred to, and exploited in Turkey. This article attempts to enlighten this process and makes use of police-recorded victim interviews (N?=?430), as well as key personnel interviews (N=?18) as primary data. Various methods and tactics are found to be used in sex trafficking operations in Turkey. Most victims are recruited by persons known to them proposing attractive job possibilities, especially in the entertainment business. The majority of victims enter Turkey with legal documents and with various transportation means. Traffickers obtain girls and sell them to customers in public and private settings using methods to control the victims, such as debt bondage, violence, confinement, confiscation of travel documents, and threats.     

Human trafficking in the Netherlands: trends and recent developments

Notwithstanding the lift on the ban of brothels in the Netherlands during 2000, the introduction of the integral approach and other efforts to fight human trafficking; this trade still continues to exist within the licensed sector. Simultaneously, prostitution increasingly moved to Dutch cities with less strict regulations or control, and also to more invisible realms (escort services, internet). ICT facilitate this backstage informal sex work by offering a fluid, flexible, dynamic podium that is difficult to control. The internet is increasingly used by traffickers in order to recruit potential victims, to blackmail victims with images or by exploiting victims through webcam exposure. In 2005, human trafficking was extended in law towards exploitation in all labor sectors and, in 2011, illegal stay was criminalized in the Netherlands. This criminalization could hinder the fight against human traffickers.     

Assessing the Relationship between Immigration Status and Drug Use

The immigration–crime connection has been the basis for numerous immigration policy decisions. However, there are theoretical arguments and empirical evidence both for and against the positive relationship between immigration and crime. Moreover, much of this research has failed to focus specifically on illegal immigrants. The current study examines drug use patterns among 3,050 recently booked arrestees in Maricopa County, Arizona, from April 2007 to September 2008. Using logistic regression, the authors isolate the effects of immigration status on several types of drug use while controlling for relevant individual and situational characteristics. Findings show that illegal immigrants are generally less likely to use drugs when compared to US citizens, with the exception of powder cocaine use. The paper concludes with a discussion of the study's implications for the larger body of research on immigration and crime, as well for immigration and enforcement policy and practice.     

Border Enforcement,Organized Crime,and Deaths of Smuggled Migrants on the United States – Mexico Border

In response to ever increasing numbers of illegal immigrants entering the United States from Mexico, the United States adopted a border enforcement strategy in the 1990s that sought to bring the problem under control. This strategy relied primarily on increasing the number of Border Patrol agents directly on the border, the erection of walls at heavy traffic areas, and insertion of electronic surveillance systems. While these efforts succeeded in making it more difficult for illegal migrants to gain entry into the United States undetected, it also resulted in an increased reliance on human smugglers. Thus, the nature of the problem has shifted from one of illegal immigration to one of human smuggling. In an effort to gain entry successfully, smugglers have continued to lead migrants through hazardous terrain along the border where surveillance is less intense. Anecdotal evidence is presented which suggests that smugglers' drive for profit often results in the abandonment and death of migrants. Implications for future border policing strategy and research are discussed. An earlier draft of this paper was presented at the International Conference on Organized Crime and Humanitarian Disasters at the initiative of the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme (ISPAC) in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Italy, December 3–5, 2004.     

Estimates of a Model of Male Participation in the Market for Female Heterosexual Prostitution Services

In this paper a simple model is presented that considers the factors influencing male decisions concerning whether or not to consume, at the margin, female prostitution services. Data from an extensively piloted and sophisticated national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles were used to test the predictions. Health risks of consumption, religious denomination and factors signalling variations in inherent risk disposition are shown to explain consumption of such services.     

非法行医罪的认定及立法完善

近年来,危害公共卫生犯罪案件数量不断上升,其中非法行医罪占较大比例。面对非法行医犯罪的高发态势和出现的新情况,人们都在关注解决这一问题的有效途径。但是,在几年来的司法实践中,学术界和实务界对非法行医罪的认定尚存在较大的认识差异,而相关部门又未及时作出相应的司法解释,这对严厉打击非法行医行为、有效维护公共卫生秩序、保障全民身体健康极为不利。因而,对非法行医罪的犯罪构成作出正确认定,加强非法行医罪的立法完善,十分重要。     

论非法传销行为的司法定性与立法完善

最高人民法院以《批复》的形式将情节严重的非法传销行为定性为非法经营罪。但是该定性会使非法经营罪成为“口袋犯罪”。而且该定性不符合非法经营罪的本质特征,不符合罪刑相适应的基本要求,不能适应非法传销行为的演变趋势。对情节严重的非法传销行为应专门立法。     

Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings: The Phenomenon, The Markets that Drive It and the Organisations that Promote It

This article will define the concepts of smuggling and trafficking in human beings and discuss the difficulty in applying the definition. The magnitude and scope of the problem will be examined as well as its causes. Trafficking in human beings will be analysed as an illegal market, particularly with reference to its relationship with other illegal markets and the involvement of organised crime groups. The phenomenon will be discussed in more depth focusing on countries and regions where projects are currently being implemented under the auspices of the United Nations Global Programme against Trafficking in Human Beings. The discussion closes with an overview of situations which facilitate the practice, and current measures and recommendations to stem the tide of smuggling and trafficking.