Sex-trafficking has been known as an international crime of violence against women and children. Social work professionals unknowingly encounter sex trafficking victims among their clients for potential identification and intervention. In a crisis setting, social workers play a fundamental role in assessing and providing treatment services to the victims of sex-trafficking that range in age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Victim identification presents a challenge for social workers because victims are a part of a hidden population. Although the sex-trafficked individuals can be reported to authorities if identified, attention needs to be focused as to how social worker professionals identify the sex-trafficking victims they may potentially to encounter.

The creation, implementation, and ratification of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), as well as the growth of parallel private initiatives against human trafficking, have emerged from a neoliberal political agenda that focuses on redefinitions of labor, sexuality, securitization of humanitarian campaigns, and immigration policies. In this thesis, I explore some of the meanings and effects of those redefinitions by focusing on the affective registers of pity and panic in their ability to mobilize publics toward restrictive forms of assistance to real and imaginary victims of the so-called phenomenon of “modern-day slavery.”

The creation, implementation, and ratification of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), as well as the growth of parallel private initiatives against human trafficking, have emerged from a neoliberal political agenda that focuses on redefinitions of labor, sexuality, securitization of humanitarian campaigns, and immigration policies. In this thesis, I explore some of the meanings and effects of those redefinitions by focusing on the affective registers of pity and panic in their ability to mobilize publics toward restrictive forms of assistance to real and imaginary victims of the so-called phenomenon of “modern-day slavery.”

Thesis (M.A. (Social Development))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and Community Development, 2017. / Human trafficking has been called modern day slavery, and is affecting numerous countries worldwide. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) (2012), there are approximately more than 20 million people classified as victims of human trafficking. Thus, it is evident to see that this is a global social problem that needs a collective inter-sectoral response involving social workers as well. This research aimed to investigate social service provision to adult victims of human trafficking. The research approach of the study was qualitative. The research design applied was a case study. Non probability purposive sampling was used to select eight participants for the study. Data was collected using one-on-one in depth interviews. All interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. The study found that social workers, employed at shelters that provide services to adult human trafficking victims, have a good understanding of what human trafficking entails. The services at the shelter addresses basic needs like safe accommodation, food and clothing, and also access to health services. Court support to the victims of human trafficking, and skills development to empower victims with a skill to facilitate economic empowerment, are also provided. The social worker further provides therapeutic support to victims, as well as facilitates reintegration back into society. The research identified the following challenges: security concerns for the victim as well as the shelter, complicated trauma symptoms presented by the rescued human trafficking victim and lastly the lengthy court case subsequently impacting on service delivery. Social development at its core refers to the well-being of the most vulnerable in our communities, by addressing both social and economic development (Midgley, 1995). The research study attempted to understand how social workers, as part of the social service professions, assist vulnerable adult victims of trafficking in their journey to restoration and healing. / XL2018

Thesis (M.A. (Health Social Science))--Mahidol University, 2008. / LICL has E-Thesis 0039 ; please contact computer services.

Human Trafficking in Florida is a growing issue that affects individuals and communities on a micro, mezzo, and macro level. Although legislative efforts and changes in agency policies have raised awareness about this problem, limited awareness and research examines awareness of labor trafficking as one form of human trafficking. This exploratory-descriptive study used a convenience sampling technique to explore the perceptions of 45 Bachelors (BSW) and Masters (MSW) level social work students on the prevalence and nature of labor trafficking. The findings from the research show students have a general idea of labor trafficking and believe in equal access to human rights for victims. However, majority of students were unaware of current legislation to aid victims in Florida, and the prevalence of men as victims. Implications from this study show a need for further education within social work policies that aid labor trafficking victims, and a need for additional research to identify specific ways students can learn about human trafficking.

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) is a severe form of child sexual exploitation. Thus far, DMST studies have been qualitative or relied on secondary data. There has been no quantitative attempt to directly identify victims in a methodical way in order to determine the prevalence of DMST at a local level or the nature and strengths of its correlates. The present study used a three-tiered screening process to identify victims of DMST in a juvenile detention center. All youth taken into custody over a three and a half month period (N = 738) received a short assessment to identify those most at risk and in need of additional screening. During the study, six youth were identified as DMST victims and statistically significant differences were found between youth referred for additional screening (N = 47) and youth who were not. The results suggest that detention and probation staff identified the presence of DMST risk factors in youth screen interviews and were making referral decisions based on the presence of those risk factors. Practical implications of the findings are discussed along with suggestions for future research.

Sex trafficking is a grossly misconstrued and increasing issue within the United States. The purpose of this study was to extend current knowledge regarding the public’s education on domestic sex trafficking and perceptions of domestic sex trafficking victims. The public’s awareness of domestic sex trafficking and perceptions of domestic sex trafficking victims were examined through the utilization of a 31 closed-ended question survey. The survey included questions about domestic sex trafficking and prostitution myths, domestic sex trafficking victim characteristics, domestic sex trafficking legislation, law enforcement’s involvement in domestic sex trafficking cases, and demographics. The sample consisted of 195 Criminal Justice and Criminology students at East Tennessee State University, located in Northeast Tennessee. The results showed that, despite having a mostly empirical based view on domestic sex trafficking, students misconceived domestic sex trafficking victims when comparing the age of victims, such as child victims versus adult victims.

The U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) was the first piece of legislation designed to combat human trafficking on all fronts, both domestically and internationally, and was upheld as a model worldwide. Although human trafficking as an issue seemed to appear out of nowhere onto the congressional agenda and a number of heated debates ensued during .the making of the TVPA, the legislation passed quickly by an unlikely coalition of players. The purpose of this dissertation research was to gain insight into the forces which led to the making of the TVPA through the lens of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) model of the policy making process.The ACF's focus on belief systems in order to increase one's understanding of the policy making process makes it an interesting model to use to examine policy making in arenas dominated by issues that involve deeply held beliefs. The human trafficking policy subsystem is one such arena, in which beliefs and attitudes regarding sexual behavior, prostitution, morality, sexual deviancy, immigrants and immigration policy, feminist issues, and public health concerns come into play. In addition, human trafficking, widely acknowledged as a public evil, is a valence issue. This dissertation research also serves as a case to examine how the ACF "holds up" as a model used to examine valence issues.This study was a dual-method study in which in-depth interviews of twenty-one key policy players involved in the making of the legislation and a content analysis of congressional hearings related to human trafficking during the 1995-2000 time period were used as methodologies.Findings reveal that advocacy coalitions did exist within the human trafficking policysubsystem and that the primary coalition responsible for the focus on human trafficking as a legislative issue was a left/right coalition made up of radical feminists, conservativeChristians, and human rights organization representatives, which was built from a pre-existing coalition. With the support of my research findings, I pose the question: was the TVPA created to protect victims of human trafficking or was the issue of human trafficking used to push a greater moral agenda including abolishing prostitution worldwide?

Recent concern in the United States about human trafficking has been directed primarily on the foreign victims that are brought into the United States rather than on U.S. citizenship who become involved. However, the topic has broadened and has significant impact on the daily lives of U.S citizens. Taking a human rights perspective, this dissertation explores how human trafficking has been used as a “brand” to achieve political and/or economic objectives. Human trafficking has taken away the human rights for individuals and threatens their security. This dissertation is grounded in Critical Theory and uses narrative analysis as a methodological framework. Using 99 public documents from Global Report on Trafficking in Persons by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, International Labor Organization, and Office for Victims of Crime and other Departments of the U.S working on human trafficking issues, with the support of Nvivo software, the dissertation insists that human trafficking violates human rights, has no capacity to support human emancipation, and causes human beings to be treated as animals or objects or commodified a brand. Even though a brand is a mark and logo in economic development and refers to objects, not human beings. Human development is the objective that everyone wants to achieve. Regardless of development, the welfare of all human beings must be the chief concern; every effort to halt all human emancipation must be initiated immediately. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection