Search results

The purpose of this paper was to explore the health of trafficking survivors in Spain, which is relatively unstudied (Sweileh, 2018). Therefore, the objectives of this study are to describe the health conditions, access to health-care facilities, COVID-19 protection and health challenges in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic reported by women survivors of human trafficking in Spain.

Due to the pandemic situation, limited research and the complexity of the issue, the authors took a qualitative approach. A cross-sectional study was carried out through interviews with women survivors of human trafficking for sexual exploitation in Spain. Prior to the interviews, the researchers conducted written interviews with social workers to understand the most important challenges that the women survivors were experiencing during confinement. As a result of these written interviews, the interview script for the survivors was modified.

To sum up, the COVID-19 situation poses several challenges, including social difficulties (food insecurity; violence; terrible housing conditions; working pressure; poor sleeping habits; and cultural, linguistic and religious challenges), medical insecurity (due to lockdowns, negative experiences in care, lack of official documents, collapse of hospitals, telephone monitoring and fear of contagion), great emotional distress reported by women (anxiety, fear, sadness, post-traumatic stress disorder, stigma and substance use) and physical health problems (serious weight loss, muscle pains, dental problems and sexual and reproductive health-care limitations).

As is usual in qualitative research, rather than obtain generalizable results, the main objective was to delve deeper into under-researched or complex issues (Polit and Beck, 2010). While this report provides a timely overview marked by COVID-19 of an important population, there are some limitations. The major limitation of this research was the sample representativity, because the sample was conducted with only one non-governmental organization and only individuals who voluntarily agreed to make the interview; as such, other victim profiles may not be represented.

The findings can provide information for detecting victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation and contribute to understanding the pandemic’s impact. Furthermore, the paper emphasizes the need to adopt measures for the recovery of victims, such as medical and psychological assistance, in accordance with the Palermo Protocol. As people transition out of the pandemic, it is crucial for Spain, along with other European countries, to guarantee that all residents, particularly the victims of human trafficking, have access to social and health-care protections during times of crisis.

As already mentioned, further investigation should be done to fill the gaps on health of human trafficking (Sweileh, 2018) and improve the recovery of victims of trafficking (García-Vázquez and Meneses-Falcón, 2023 0; Sweileh, 2018). The paper acknowledges the existing research gap in the field and emphasizes the importance of future studies to delve deeper into the challenges faced by victims, calling for a more nuanced understanding of health.

The Coronavirus pandemic has increased and reinforced the vulnerability of sex-trafficked victims, especially creating different mental health problems. One of the biggest concerns for this group has been the difficulty of access to basic goods such as food. Furthermore, psychological distress impacted the well-being of trafficking victims, and many suffered from eating disorders. Less than half of the women who were forced to continue in prostitution did not have the means to protect themselves against COVID-19 and did not have easy situations to overcome illness.

The market in trafficked children bought and sold for sexual exploitation is one of the most inhumane transnational crimes that appear to have been facilitated by globalisation and its many effects, such as growing disparity in wealth between North and South. Child sex trafficking (CST) in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is an extremely complex problem, deeply rooted in historical injustice, gender inequality and poverty. In addition to the complexities of the child trafficking issue, the organisations that seek to combat CST are themselves not always a united force and display their own internal and inter-agency complexities. The purpose of this paper is to examine some of the key complexities of responding to CST in Thailand and Cambodia.

The methodology for this research consisted of 22 semi-structured interviews with anti-child trafficking experts in Thailand and Cambodia, in addition to field observations in various child sex tourism hubs in Southeast Asia.

The complexities of the CST problem in Thailand and Cambodia are discussed as well as analysis of the internal and inter-agency barriers faced by the organisations that seek to combat CST. The research finds that, due to limitations in donor funding, anti-trafficking organisations face difficulties in effectively responding to all aspects of the CST problem. The recommendation is made for improved advocacy networking against this transnational crime. Recent success stories are highlighted.

The research for this paper involved semi-structured interviews with staff from non-government organisations and United Nations agencies, but not with government representatives. The lack of available data from Thai and Cambodian government representatives limits the ability of the researcher to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-trafficking organisations’ response to the child trafficking issue. Also lacking is the voice of child trafficking victims, the key beneficiaries of anti-trafficking organisations’ aid and advocacy efforts.

There is an abundance of literature on the subject of CST but a dearth in scholarly literature on the subject of advocacy and policy responses to CST in Southeast Asia. This paper provides a valuable contribution the knowledge base on child trafficking by analysing both the complexities of the CST issue and the complexities, for anti-trafficking organisations, of effectively combating CST in the GMS.

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the difficulty of measuring and monitoring of human trafficking within the context of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The challenges that come with monitoring an invisible crime such as human trafficking within the SDG context are due to the fact that the indicators pertaining to human trafficking fall into the category of “difficult to define and collect” type of data. This paper sheds light on these measuring difficulties and makes recommendations how to overcome them.

The methodology used is a policy analysis drawing on secondary literature and surveys and interviews with victims of human trafficking reported in publicly available documents. Comparative analysis also draws on laws and institutional agreements and treaties on human trafficking developed by governments, international organizations and regional organizations.

The different ways that have been proposed to collect and analyze data on trafficking victims highlight the complications of monitoring trafficking in both national and global contexts in situations where human rights violation and crime are situated at the nexus of the poverty, injustice, development and weak institutions. The paper brings to the attention of the international community that the current SDG indicators are inadequate for measuring human trafficking and need to be urgently improved.

This paper makes new contributions to the study of human trafficking in the context of the SDGs and proposes seven points of future action in order to create intersectoral linkages and better data collection in order to gain a fuller picture on human trafficking.

This paper aims to explore the factors leading to the phenomenon of child trafficking in Egypt, how deeply it runs through the Egyptian society and evaluate the state’s efforts to combat it.

This research paper uses a case study method applied to the phenomenon of child trafficking in the Arab Republic of Egypt, and how the State is fighting it. The general policy approach is also used to clarify the State’s plans, programs and legislation in addressing the phenomenon of child trafficking, evaluate those policies and analyze the international documents.

The research paper concluded that child trafficking in Egypt represents a serious phenomenon, which stems from social, economic and cultural reasons. Even though the Egyptian Government exerts relentless efforts to fight this crime, all attempts have proven insufficient due to the lack of coordination between the concerned parties and low funds, in addition to the feeble services offered to the victims.

This study sheds light on a very perilous phenomenon in the Egyptian society; an international one with intricate magnitudes, upon which the State must concentrate more and eradicate it.

The study contributes to drawing the attention of decision makers in Egypt to the dangers of this phenomenon, and to the points of strength and weaknesses of the government’s efforts against it.

This paper aims to establish the existence and enforceability of State responsibility for human trafficking, making special reference to children and Malta. Given that trafficking has been described by the European Court of Human Rights as a form of modern slavery, the paper's hypothesis is that the State has a responsibility to ensure that all possible steps are taken to combat the practice and to protect possible victims.

The paper is divided into three parts: the first part makes a concise review of the international criteria applied in response to human trafficking, the second part examines the pertaining situation relating to human trafficking in Malta and the final part makes an analysis of the recent judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Rantsev v. Cyprus and Russia.

The paper demonstrates that the affirmation of State responsibility to combat human trafficking is enforceable, with reference to the Rantsev judgement which clearly attributes a positive obligation on States under Article 4. It also highlights the difficulty in tracing judgments related to human trafficking as evidenced by the review of the Maltese position, although this appears to be an issue common to a number of States which indiscriminately put together all cases for trafficking (drug trafficking and human trafficking).

The paper only uses first‐hand sources and Maltese judgements are supplemented with original research into cases as reported in the press. The third part of the work analyses the recent judgement of the European Court of Human Rights in Rantsev v. Cyprus and Russia (2010), speculating as to its impact on all member states of the Council of Europe, including Malta.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the pattern and attitude of the UK government towards international frameworks that promotes humane treatment of domestic workers and the respect of their human rights. This paper also examines the UK government continued refusal to adopt ILO Convention 189 that consolidates the framework for regulating domestic work.

Using the concept of human rights, this paper conducts an extensive literature review on domestic workers; migrants in particular.

This paper concludes that the best way to deal with the problems faced by domestic workers in the UK is the inclusion of them in all aspects of employment and health and safety protection, the regulation of domestic work, and a review of the domestic workers visas.

The Home Office has commissioned a panel to look into the effect of the current domestic workers visa on the vulnerability of the workers. The panel’s report is yet to be released as at the time of drafting this viewpoint.

This paper contains useful informational for policy makers, NGOs, and academics.

This papers is a useful tool for a symposium, seminar, or conference.

This paper contains original work of the author; except where copyright is acknowledged.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the correlation between trafficking in children and child labour in Europe. The paper focuses on the scope of these issues and specific feature of child trafficking as the cause of the worst forms of child labour. Child labour and trafficking constitutes not only violations of children's rights, but also acts of transnational organised crime through which criminal groups acquire considerable amounts of money. The paper also identifies the shortcomings of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and European Union (EU) regulations.

Based on available statistical data, the paper seeks to identify the worst forms of child labour, in particular, the sexual exploitation of children as a consequence of child trafficking, and define the implications of child trafficking for the European Common Market.

The trafficking of children expressis verbis should be identified as a cause of the worst forms of child labour, in particular of sexual exploitation of children. Coherent activity of EU member state authorities, cooperation in the field of internal affairs and criminal matters, and development of effective supranational criminal law framework must become a priority of a society oriented towards the highest standards of protection of children's rights as a separate human rights category. The paper critically comments on the problems of relevant definitions contained in the ILO Convention No. 182.

The EU went the furthest with its activities; its supranational character proved to be much more effective in developing but also using the existing international instruments as compared to slow and passive child protection mechanisms within other international entities, ILO in particular.

Human sex trafficking is a global rights violation prevalent nationally and globally. This study aims to contribute to the limited research conducted directly with survivors with the goal of building sustainable aftercare from their feedback.

For this qualitative, retrospective study, 15 adult female survivors completed open-ended interviews, took photos and participated in online focus groups to explore identity, sexuality, relationships and factors of community reintegration. Data analysis included multi-level conceptual and thematic coding.

Participants identified with all aspects of complex trauma and domains of post-traumatic growth. Participants highlighted relationship development as the primary source of healing and growth, emphasizing the value of peer-based support and survivor leadership.

The findings affirm the need for ecological and relational perspectives in care of survivors and approaches using a trauma-informed, victim-centered lens. Findings affirm the value of understanding the nuances of complex trauma as well as celebrating the capacity for post-traumatic growth. Furthermore, while relationships are most significantly impacted from the trafficking experience, they are also considered the greatest instrument of healing, offering long-term commitment and belief in the individual. This research excluded males and international trafficking survivors. Participants were recruited through service organizations, and many participants are active in advocacy work, which may hinder generalizable data for all trafficking survivors. Finally, this study did not distinguish data between geographic location or range or length of time since exiting trafficking.

This study highlights the voices of survivors throughout research design and data findings. Their lived experiences provide key recommendations for interaction and intervention. Data include rich expression through photography.

Using a qualitative approach, this cross-disciplinary study integrating modern slavery, tourism and marketing expertise outlines Chinese outbound tourists' perceptions of and reactions to issues related to child sex tourism.

In total, 27 in-depth interviews were conducted, and data were analysed. Manual coding was chosen as an efficient method to process qualitative interview data given the relatively small sample size in this study.

Three main themes emerged from analysis: (1) tourists' negative perceptions of child sex tourism; (2) tourist boycotts against child sex tourism destinations and activities as reactions to this socially deviant and illegal phenomenon and (3) tourist advocacy to enhance public awareness of child sex tourism. These themes suggest that tourists, as key tourism stakeholders, have difficulty accepting that child sex tourism occurs and would like to identify solutions to end illegal activities. Tourist boycotts would positively affect sustainable tourism development by eliminating illegal businesses, including those involving child prostitution, from the tourism industry. The qualitative method is applied here to develop a conceptual framework explaining tourists' perceptions of and reactions to child sex tourism.

A conceptual framework of Chinese individuals' perceptions of and reactions to child sex tourism has been devised using a qualitative approach. Although this framework takes child sex tourism as its focus, it can also be applied to better understand tourists' perspectives of other socially deviant or illegal behaviours within the tourism industry. The findings of this study provide valuable implications for various tourism stakeholders.

The current study makes significant theoretical and practical contributions to an under-researched topic – child sex tourism. A conceptual framework of Chinese individuals' perceptions of and reactions to child sex tourism has been devised using a qualitative approach. Findings from this study may inspire campaigns to protect children from being drawn into sex tourism. Efforts should also be undertaken to rescue children who have already been victimised by illegal businesses.

The physical and psychological effects of human trafficking1 can be severe and long‐term (Zimmerman et al, 2006). Yet with appropriate support at all stages of the trafficking process women can be rehabilitated and re‐integrated within society (Zimmerman et al, 2003). This article highlights the unique needs of trafficked women and explores the work of the POPPY Project (the sole UK government‐funded dedicated service for women trafficked into prostitution) in helping trafficked women integrate into UK society successfully.