In spite of mass media attention and implementation of international laws in the last two decades, modern-day slavery is still active in communities across the globe. Individuals trapped in forced labor situations endure devastating physical and mental illnesses, with dire consequences that extend into families and neighborhoods. The call has been made for every citizen to join in the anti-human trafficking movement. Lawmakers, police, and border patrol officers are on alert in each major U.S. city. Yet, training some of the most valuable stakeholders who work among some of the most vulnerable populations has been largely overlooked. Rural public health workers, specifically promotoras, serving in Texas-Mexico border communities are a key component to activate in the anti-trafficking awareness and prevention efforts in this region. The current research examined the geographic and socioeconomic situation of the colonias in the Rio Grande Valley and the effect of the drug cartel conflict directly across the border. Through an online survey, this study assessed rural public health workers’ knowledge and awareness of human trafficking and educational needs on human trafficking issues. Results of this research indicate that limited education and training of rural public health workers on the topic of human trafficking contribute to the low rate of victim identification in the rural clinic and community settings. Recommendations for immediate training of this strategic population located on our southernmost U.S. border is proposed along with future research.

The question regarding what makes child trafficking persistent in conflict and post-war settings has been subject to intense debate. The human trafficking literature makes general conclusions that trafficking is a by-product of civil wars, and in the process child traffickers exploit the breakdown of the rule of law. As such it is perceived that the governance of the problem of child trafficking can be effective whenever peace and stability is realised and when legal frameworks for protecting children are in place. Prompted by these assertions, I conducted a field study in South Sudan, a country emerging from one of Africa’s longest running and most brutal civil wars fought between the government in Khartoum and Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A). The Sudan’s civil wars ended after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005. Whilst the termination of the war raised expectations that the international anti-trafficking conventions, treaties and customary laws protecting children would have enforcement powers and would guarantee the rights and safety of the child, the peace failed to deliver on these expectations. Based on empirical data obtained through an intensive micro-level qualitative research conducted in South Sudan over three months, the research findings reveal that a number of challenges pose serious difficulties in enforcing international counter-trafficking legislations and child protection instruments. These challenges are compounded by the interplay of the emerging socio-economic and political development in the post-independent South Sudan.

Sujeitas de Direitos: história de vida de mulheres bolivianas, peruanas e paraguaias na cidade de São Paulo é uma pesquisa de história oral, guiada por seu conjunto de procedimentos em todas as etapas do trabalho. As entrevistas, a partir da história de vida de cinco mulheres migrantes, seguiram seus pressupostos e formaram o corpo do documento. Baseado nessas narrativas, feitas de forma colaborativa, buscou-se abordar a história do tempo presente a partir da migração de mulheres que vieram da Bolívia, Paraguai e Peru, e escolheram viver na cidade de São Paulo. A conquista de espaços urbanos, a liberdade relativa na escolha da profissão e a mobilidade como saída da opressão familiar foram discutidas, ao lado da criação de transnacionalização familiar e das atividades que exploram as vulnerabilidades da pessoa, como o trabalho escravo e o tráfico de pessoas / Subject of Rights: the life stories of Bolivian, Peruvian and Paraguayan women in São Paulo is an oral history research project, guided in its entirety by the methods guidelines. Focused on the life trajectories of five migrant women, the interviews follow the oral history procedures, and interviews also structure the core of the present document. Grounded on the narratives of these migrants, conducted in a collaborative manner, this projected aimed to tackle the present history of women from Bolivia, Paraguay, and Peru who chose to live in the city of Sao Paulo. We discuss the seizure of urban spaces, the relative freedom of choice of occupation and mobility as an exit from family oppression, in addition to the conception of household transnacionalization, and finally the activities that endanger the individual, such as slave labor and human trafficking

Researchers have described human trafficking as a complex, multi-layered crime. South Africa, including the Eastern Cape Province, is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked people. However, a dearth of research on human trafficking exists in the province. Furthermore, traditional, modernist research using reductionist methods to investigate complex phenomena has proven unable to capture the complex interrelationships between the myriad of interrelated elements inherent in complex phenomena. In this qualitative study, I explore and describe the human trafficking system in the Eastern Cape via participants’ perspectives through a complex systems approach that consists of two complementary theories, namely Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory of human development and complexity theory. The participants, who were knowledgeable about human trafficking in the province, were obtained through purposive and snowball sampling. Data collection took place through open-ended interviews with individual participants. I analysed the data according to Miles and Huberman’s data analysis process and Braun and Clarke’s thematic data analysis process. The findings demonstrate that the complex systems approach successfully facilitated the mapping and conceptualisation of an in-depth, multi-level picture of the complex interrelationships within and between multiple system components in the human trafficking system and its environment in relation to the Eastern Cape Province. Participants’ perspectives revealed two main themes, namely, the prominence of the nonlinear interactions between traffickers and trafficked persons in the holistic human trafficking system and the major obstacle regarding the lack of witness credibility for human trafficking prosecutions to be successful. Utilising complex systems theory to conduct further human trafficking research could assist counter-trafficking stakeholders with an alternative approach to generating effective planning and executing counter human trafficking strategies in a rapidly changing and increasing complex interconnected world.

Florida is ranked as one of the United States' top three destination states for human trafficking; many of those victims originate from Mesoamerica--Southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Human trafficking is a growing problem which hinders universal human rights for hundreds of new victims in Florida every year. Mesoamericans have a high risk of becoming victims due to the situations in their home countries. The issue of human trafficking has only recently gained the national and state attention of law makers and law enforcement officers. This study uses several human trafficking cases to educate and exemplify why Mesoamerican victims are selected and how human trafficking takes place in Florida. The results of this study demonstrate that traffickers use their knowledge of victims and victims' societies to lure and then enslave them into sex and labor trafficking. This research uses criminal cases to illustrate the conditions of the enslavement of human trafficking victims, the methods used by the traffickers, and the culmination of the court cases for both victims and perpetrators. Furthermore, it provides points of discussion to initiate future research and to guide legislature and law enforcement in methods to end this barrier to universal human rights.

Global slavery includes human trafficking, debt bondage, forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation of children, and organ trafficking. Despite its official abolishment within the international community, global slavery continues to thrive in many parts of the world. The various types of slavery do not restrain themselves in a mutual exclusive manner; rather, they transcend and merge to create inter-connectedness within the illegal world of slavery. For instance, a person that is trafficked for the purpose of labor -- domestic or forced -- can also become sexually exploited and prostituted. This thesis discusses the nature and scope of the different faces of contemporary slavery, including human trafficking, debt bondage, and the sex tourism industry. While pervasive worldwide, human trafficking remains a major problem, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, the former republics of the Soviet Union, and Asia. Higher levels of unemployment, the demand for "exotic" women and the existence of well-organized trafficking routes and international criminal organizations has led to the development of this slavery. In short, human trafficking is said to exist in virtually every country of the world. The abundance of beautiful beaches and resorts, as well as the supply of cheap women and children in Southeast Asia and Latin America has led to a thriving sex tourism industry. In Central Asia and Africa, a high demand for manual labor, as well as certain religious and cultural factors, has given rise to the largest type of slavery in the world: debt bondage. An empirical aggregate-level analysis using OLS regression is performed to examine why certain countries have more indigenous people (native to that country) who become enslaved than others. Overall, a lack of human development proves to be a major factor in determining the number of enslaved peoples across countries.

Human trafficking exists domestically and internationally, and each year thousands of men, women, and children are trafficked into lives of involuntary servitude. Law enforcement efforts to investigate human trafficking across the United States are similar in nature; yet, prior research had not investigated the possible causes of these similarities. Utilizing institutional theory, this research investigated whether institutional isomorphic pressures have any impact on the formalization of human trafficking investigations. Data were collected from 26 municipal police organizations in a mid-Atlantic state on departmental human trafficking policies and practices via Farrell's understanding law enforcement responses to human trafficking survey instrument. Logistic regression analysis was used to predict the probability of human trafficking investigations occurring when institutional coercive, mimetic, and normative isomorphic pressures are introduced. The results indicated no significant relationship between institutional isomorphic pressures and the formalization of human trafficking investigations for the 26 municipal police departments in a mid-Atlantic state. Nonetheless, this study provides an understanding of municipal police department responses to human trafficking and investigatory practices. Accordingly, the social change implications of the study may encourage municipal policing institutions to develop and implement responses based upon human capital and interagency collaboration.

The following study seeks to conceptualize the prevention of human trafficking from the perspective of survivors. The study design was informed through a Public Health Framework and the application of Postmodernism, Social Constructionist Theory, Ecological Perspective and Empowerment Perspective. An integrative mixed-method, participatory research design was applied, namely Concept Mapping. Data was collected over approximately two-months, and included 35 survivors of human trafficking from 4 different states. Data collected from survivors resulted in a statement set (N = 108) and a 10-Cluster Final solution depicting the ways in which survivors conceptualized prevention. Additional outputs provide insight as to survivors’ perspectives on importance and feasibility of the prevention data.

Human sex trafficking of minors is generally thought of as a problem that occurs in third world countries; however recent incidents have begun to shine a light on domestic sex trafficking happening in the United States. Qualitative interviews were conducted with seven participants who work with this population and explored treatment approaches they have observed to be effective when treating victims. The common theme was the use of Trauma Focused-Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), especially when gathering information surrounding the trauma. It is important to note that although TF-CBT has been observed to be effective it does not meet all of the complex needs of the victims as reported by the participants. This population can be challenging to treat, but positive changes have been observed, such as increased use of coping skills to manage symptoms. There is a great need to educate service providers and the general public on this matter in order to boost advocacy, and improve and increase resources for this group.

Human trafficking of adolescents is estimated to be a multi-billion dollar industry in the United States and adolescents (ages12-18) are at a high risk for being the victims of human trafficking and being sexually exploited during the process of human trafficking. Social workers are ones of the human services practitioners who often encounter potential or actual victims of human trafficking in their social work practice. Thus, it is very important for social workers to be able to identify, intervene, and advocate for this population. The purpose of this study was to examine social workers’ knowledge about human trafficking and their awareness to identify human trafficking of young women and adolescents in the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside. The study utilized a survey questionnaire design with the use of online software, Qualtrics. Data were collected from 30 social workers who belonged to the National Association of Social Workers, Region F. Participants were asked of their knowledge and awareness about human trafficking and some demographic variables. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data collected. Participants in the study indicated various levels of knowledge regarding human trafficking, with 80% of the participants identifying forced labor or forced prostitution as a major part of human trafficking. Just over half of participants (53.3%) indicated that young children were not the most trafficked persons in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The study also found that there was an ethnicity difference in the level of knowledge about human trafficking. White participants were likely to have more knowledge about human trafficking than those of other ethnicities. In order to have better understanding of this crime, and to be better able to detect, and identify these victims, the findings of the study suggest that social workers need to increase their knowledge about human trafficking, as well as their skills to better build rapport, and trust. Another recommendation is that more training, and advanced comprehensive education should be provided to social workers to increase their knowledge, awareness about human trafficking, competence, and effectiveness.