Human trafficking, the cruel and inhumane crime that it is, exploits the lives of millions of people around the world. My study explores the common vulnerabilities that exist for victims of cross-national human trafficking. First, I analyze literature discussing individual and country- level victim demographics to identify characteristics that predict recruitment or abduction into human trafficking. Using the 2017 Counter Trafficking Data Collaborative, I demonstrate the applicability of Cohen and Felson's 1979 Routine Activity Theory (RAT) to explain the vulnerabilities to victimization further. More specifically, I use VIVA to assess the methods of control and types of exploitation utilized by domestic and international traffickers. A sociological study that combines the work of RAT and VIVA in relation to human trafficking victimization is yet to exist, therefore I am seeking to fill this research gap. The overarching goal of this study is to form a victim profile through cluster analysis and logistic regression in order to locate the unique patterns of victimization. My findings demonstrate that there is a significant relationship between the three clusters formed, the methods of control used by the perpetrator (physical, psychological, and economic abuse), and the types of exploitation suffered by the victim (sexual and labor exploitation). / Master of Science / Human trafficking is the abduction and exploitation of individuals, in which victims are manipulated into sex or labor trafficking in unfamiliar environments without compensation. Trafficking occurs beyond national borders, therefore I look at victims originating from all over the globe. The literature I utilize looks at individual-level demographics and national-level characteristics. I then use a database to link certain social and theoretical elements of these demographics and characteristics to the methods of control and types of exploitation traffickers enforce upon their victims. Overall, this study forms a victim profile and locates the unique patterns of trafficking victimization through multiple data applications. My thesis concludes with findings on clusters that combine age, gender, recruiter relations, literacy rates, and trafficking laws and regressions that link these clusters to physical, psychological, and economic control as well as sexual and labor exploitation.

Human trafficking, domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST), and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) are complex and multifaceted occurrences in the United States. As the numbers of youth ensnared in sexually exploitive situations increase, organizations and communities are called upon to address the ramifications of this abuse; little research was located, however, that examined collaborative networks and partnerships that address victim identification and mitigation of DMST and CSEC. The purpose of this qualitative single case study was to determine whether strategic partnerships existed within the community under investigation. The theoretical framework was environmental theory, as first described by Florence Nightingale; the conceptual framework was centered on collaborative networks. Research questions focused on victim identification and organizational strategies for collaboration and mitigation of sex trafficking. The research population was composed of 8 individuals working in organizations in a metropolitan area on the West Coast that served victims of DMST and CSEC. Data obtained from interviews were coded, compared, and analyzed for major and emergent themes. Findings indicated that, in the effort to identify victims, these 8 individuals needed to consider all children involved in prostitution as victims and not criminals. Further, their efforts toward mitigation needed to center on widespread education across the broader social spectrum of the issues with DMST and CSEC. These workers identified strategies identified to address DMST and CSEC included the "5 Ps": prevention, protection, prosecution, partnership, and policy. These findings may inform organizations and policy makers about how to make informed decisions about the needs and challenges of addressing sexually exploited youth.

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) affects hundreds of thousands of youth every year. In the past, DMST youth were often viewed by law enforcement and the criminal justice system as "offenders" and were usually arrested for solicitation even though they were minors. While new laws have begun to identify youth as victims, it has not yet been ensured that social workers have adopted this perspective. This quantitative study's purpose was to examine Cal State University San Bernardino (CSUSB) Bachelor of Social Work (BASW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) students' attitudes toward DMST youth. Participants completed an online questionnaire using Qualtrics software. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21, using statistical tests including frequencies, Pearson's R, and ANOVA. The hypothesis that knowledge, exposure to curriculum, and past experiences impacted students' stigmatization of DMST youth was not supported by the data. Instead, results indicated that CSUSB social work students did not stigmatize the DMST population. Because these findings cannot be generalized to social workers in the field, future research should explore whether social workers currently working with DMST youth stigmatize this population. These findings also have implications for the CSUSB School of Social Work as they revealed that some students lacked education about this population and, consequently, felt unprepared to work with this population.

Kommersiell Sexuell Exploatering av Barn (KSEB) är ett ökande globalt problem,vilket är särskilt tydligt utvecklingsländer med en växande turistnäring. CostaRica har gjort omfattande insatser i det förebyggande arbetet mot dessa brott, menstudier visar att dessa ansträngningar är otillräckliga, särskilt rörande hjälpinsatsertill offer. KSEB har fått betydande uppmärksamhet under de senaste åren ochfrivilligorganisationer har anslutit sig till kampen mot dessa brott. Syftet meddenna studie är att förstå de nuvarande utmaningarna som frivilligorganisationeroch Costa Ricas regering står inför, i kampen att hjälpa offren och bekämpaKSEB, samt att undersöka samarbetet mellan Costa Ricas regering ochfrivilligorganisationer som arbetar för att förhindra dessa brott. Dessa frågor harbesvarats genom kvalitativa intervjuer med frivilligorganisationer och statligaorganisationer under en fältstudie i Costa Rica. Resultaten visar att det störstahindret i kampen mot KSEB är bristen på medvetenhet om förekomsten av dessabrott tillsammans med finansiella hinder i det förebyggande arbetet. Resultatrörande hindren av hjälp till offer visar att diskrepanser på hur hjälpen skaförmedlas är det allvarligaste problemet. Utöver detta saknas det fungerandeåteranpassningsprogram. När det gäller samarbete, visar resultaten attkommunikationen och samarbetet totalt sett är tillfredsställande. Det finns dock entydlig brist på organisatorisk samordning och resultaten visar att regeringen ärovetande om de frivilligorganisationer i landet som arbetar med att förhindradessa brott, vilket utpekades som ett stort hinder för samarbetet. / Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) is an increasing global issue, which is especially evident in developing countries with growing tourist industries. Costa Rica has made extensive efforts in the prevention work against these crimes, however, there is evidence that these efforts are insufficient, especially in terms of assisting victims. CSEC has received substantial attention over the last few years and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) has joined the fight against these crimes. The aim of this study is to understand the current challenges NGOs and the government is facing in helping victims and combatCSEC, as well as to investigate the collaboration between the Costa Ricangovernment and NGOs who work within counter-trafficking departments. Byusing a qualitative approach during a field study in Costa Rica, the questions ofissue has been answered by interviewing NGOs and government officials abouttheir experiences. The results show that the largest obstacle in combating CSEC isthe lack of awareness about the prevalence of these crimes along with financialstruggles in the prevention work. Moreover, the results regarding challenges inhelping victims was embedded in discrepancies on how to assist the victims,along with a lack of reintegration programs. Regarding collaboration, the resultsshow that the communications and collaboration is overall satisfying. However,there is a clear lack of organizational coordination and counter-trafficking NGOsare not known to the government, which is pointed out as major challenges interms of collaboration.

No description available.

After 1991 five countries emerged out of the fall of the Soviet Union to create a new region: Central Asia. No longer dominated by Soviet rule these countries fought to overcome barriers to independence and struggled to be seen by the international community as developed countries. However, these countries were far from developed and had to pay the high cost of human rights to get what they desired. This study researches and analyzes how Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan have traded the rights of women to achieve a placebo of development. Two of the largest violations of women’s rights that have manifested because of the government’s direct actions are domestic abuse and sex trafficking. The government’s structure and leadership, the economic opportunity for women, and the cultural acceptance have all been orchestrated by the government to create a society where women’s rights are unheard of. The actions taken by the three governments seem extensive on paper and international covenants yet are never implemented to help society. Through this research women’s rights in the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan are examined through the prevalence and acceptance of both domestic violence and sex trafficking. The international conventions, domestic policies, and actions taken by political leaders are examined to better understand the underlying reasons that contribute to the persistence of these attitudes.

This dissertation investigates the relationship between social engineering tactics and the facilitation of online sex trafficking, with a focus on prevention strategies. First, the impact of parenting strategies on adolescent run-away behavior, focusing on both physical and online dimensions is explored. Drawing on existing literature, we investigate how parental responsiveness and psychological control influence adolescents' perceptions and behaviors related to physical and online runaway tendencies. The study highlights the nuanced role of parental strategies, emphasizing the importance of coherence and alignment in parental communication to mitigate the risks associated with adolescent runaway behavior. Second, this research investigates how heuristic (e.g., social cues), systematic (e.g., informativeness, persuasiveness) factors and personality impact susceptibility to deceptive job posts. Using the heuristic-systematic model and an experimental design, it examines how these factors influence the likelihood of falling victim to fraudulent job offers on social media, particularly Instagram. Then, objectives are developed to combat online sex trafficking using standpoint theory and value focused thinking. This study prioritizes marginalized perspectives and employs value focused thinking to integrate stakeholder values in the decision-making process to ensure a safer digital environment.

Vår studie belyser hur hotellverksamheter arbetar med social hållbarhet kopplat till sextrafficking. Studien undersöker hur hotellen arbetar förebyggande mot sextrafficking, vilka utmaningar personalen upplever i verksamheten sett till förebyggandet av sextrafficking samt hur Corporate social responsibility (CSR) används i verksamheten kopplat till sextrafficking. Vårt syfte är att undersöka hur svenska hotellföretag arbetar med ärenden kring sextrafficking i sin verksamhet. För att möjliggöra detta genomförde vi intervjuer med åtta informanter anställda på tre olika hotell. Kriterierna för hotellen var följande: medelstora hotell (100–250 rum), belägna i en stad i mellansverige och att en ansvarig chef kunde ställa upp på expertintervju. Expertinformanten valde en eller flera i personalen från receptionen, restaurangen eller housekeeping som informanter till kvalitativa intervjuer. Huvudbegreppen som lyfts fram är sextrafficking och CSR. Det finns mycket forskning kring sextrafficking och CSR, men dessa fenomen satt i samma kontext alltså hur förebyggande av sextrafficking är en del av CSR visar att en teoretisk lucka finns. Utöver att använda sig av CSR finns olika certifieringar och checklistor som kan underlätta ett förebyggande arbete. Dock är det upp till ledningen eller chefer att implementera dessa arbetssätt för att arbeta mot sextrafficking. Studien visar att hotellen vidtar åtgärder för att förebygga sextrafficking, men det sker på olika nivåer och olika aktivt. Resultatet av studien visar att hotellen letar efter spår i bokningar från externa kanaler när de får en misstanke. Informanterna konstaterar även att personalen agerar på misstänkta fall utifrån den svenska lagen mot sexköp som är en skyddsaspekt för att vidta åtgärder mot sextrafficking. Utmaningar för personalen är olika typer av profilering av gäster, bristen på utbildning, tyst kunskap, och digitalisering som tar bort mötet med gäster. Informanterna belyser att polisen är en viktig resurs samt andra hotellaktörer på platsen. Resultatet visar att hotellen arbetar med CSR och har lokala samarbeten för att förebygga sextrafficking. / Our study highlights how hotels work with social sustainability linked to sex-trafficking. The study examines how the hotels work preventatively against sex-trafficking, what challenges they experience in the business and how corporate social responsibility (CSR) is used in the businesses linked to sextrafficking. The aim of the study is to investigate how Swedish companies in the hotel industry take measures to prevent sex-trafficking of people. To enable this, we conducted interviews with eight respondents employed at three different hotels. The criteria for the selected hotels were as follows: Medium size hotels (100 – 250 rooms), located in a city in central Sweden and that a responsible manager could provide an expert interview. The managers from the expert interviews chose one or more staff from reception, restaurant or housekeeping as respondents to the qualitative interviews. The main concepts highlighted are sex-trafficking and CSR. There is a lot of research on sex-trafficking and CSR as two separate terms, but these phenomena set in the same context show that there is a theoretical gap on how sex trafficking can be prevented as part of CSR. In addition to using CSR, there are different certifications and checklists that can facilitate preventative work. However, it is up to the management or managers to implement these working methods to work against sex trafficking. The study shows that the hotels take measures to prevent sex-trafficking, but it is done at different levels and the work is done differently. The results of the study show that the hotels look for different traces in the bookings coming from external channels. These traces help staff identify suspicions even before the guest arrives. The respondents also note that the Swedish law against sex purchases is a protection aspect to act on suspicious cases. Challenges identified by the companies are different types of profiling of guests, lack of education, tacit knowledge, and digitization that takes away the meeting with guests. The hotels highlight that the police and other hotels on the site are an important resource. The results also show that the hotels work with CSR and have local collaborations to prevent sextrafficking.

A presente dissertação, pautada no direito penal mínimo e no princípio da dignidade humana, discorre sobre o tráfico internacional de pessoas para fim de exploração sexual, tendo em vista o consentimento da vítima maior e capaz. Para tanto, foi feita uma análise introdutória do direito penal sexual e da prostituição, buscando identificar o bem jurídico tutelado hodiernamente sem a influência de conteúdo estritamente moral, pois no tráfico de pessoas deve prevalecer a proteção da liberdade sexual. Foram examinados os principais acordos internacionais afeitos à matéria, em especial o Protocolo de Palermo, e também a legislação de países como Alemanha, Portugal, Espanha, Itália, Estados Unidos e Argentina. Neste contexto, fez-se uma leitura crítica da legislação brasileira (mormente o art. 231 do Código Penal), que está em falta com a agenda internacional por se limitar a tutelar o tráfico internacional quando se trata de exploração de índole sexual. Além disso, o dispositivo se mostra falho em sua essência, por não enxergar o tráfico como um fenômeno, um processo delitivo complexo e multifacetado. À ineficácia legislativa se soma a insuficiência das políticas públicas nesta seara para o efetivo enfrentamento do tráfico de pessoas, visando a sua prevenção, punição e também a proteção às vítimas. / This paper which is based on the principles of minimum criminal law and human dignity, talks about the international human trafficking for sexual purposes, considering the consent of the adult and capable victim. For this, a preliminary analysis of the criminal sex and prostitution law was made, in order to identify the legal protected property, without the influence of the strictly moral context, because the protection of sexual freedom shall prevail in human trafficking. This paper also evaluates the more important international treaties with regard to this issue, with special regard to the Palermo Protocol as well as the legislation of countries such as Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, United States of America and Argentina. A comparative analyses of the Brazilian law was developed (Article 231 of the Brazilian Criminal Code), concluding that the Brazilian law is more restricted than the international rules, because it legislates that Human trafficking is only for sexual purposes and does not consider any other. Besides that, the aforementioned article has a flaw as it does not consider the traffic as a phenomenon, a complex and multifaceted wrongful process. The inefficient Brazilian legislative process is attributed to the insufficiency of public policies in this area to effectively face human trafficking, focusing on its prevention and punishment as well as the protection of the victims.

In spite of a paradigm shift redefining domestic minors trafficked through prostitution as victims instead of criminal offenders, many police officers experience uncertainty in the way they evaluate the nature of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) and assess the culpability status of prostituted minors. This problem often results in revictimizing children and hindering their ability to access needed services. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore police officers' perceptions of minors engaged in prostitution and derive an understanding of the experiences, beliefs, and values that underlie these perceptions. The study also focused on how these factors influence police decision making regarding DMST. Attribution theory provided the framework. Participants included 4 police detectives assigned to a youth sex trafficking unit in a large city in the western region of the United States. Data were derived from individual interviews and significant documents. Coding and category construction were utilized to analyze single cases, and content analysis was used to analyze documents. Through cross-case analysis, data from all cases and sources were examined for common themes and discrepancies. The study's findings indicated all respondents perceived minors involved in prostitution as victims and that police empathy influenced perceptions and police decision making. The results of the study will potentially facilitate positive social change through advancing a deeper awareness of the nature of DMST and informing law enforcement policy and practices.