Human Trafficking : Exploring the International Nature, Concerns, and Complexities

Edited by three global experts, this text examines techniques used to protect and support victims of trafficking as well as strategies for prosecution of offenders. The book discusses data collection and analysis, the importance of harmonization and consistency in legal definitions and interpretations within and among regions, and the need for better cooperation between the various actors involved in combating human trafficking. It also explores problems with victim identification, erroneous assumptions about the scope of victimization, and controversy over linking protection measures with cooperation with authorities.

Human trafficking is a crime that undermines fundamental human rights and a broader sense of global order. It is an atrocity that transcends borders—with some regions known as exporters of trafficking victims and others recognized as destination countries. Edited by three global experts and composed of the work of an esteemed panel of contributors, Human Trafficking: Exploring the International Nature, Concerns, and Complexities examines techniques used to protect and support victims of trafficking as well as strategies for prosecution of offenders.

Topics discussed include:

• How data on human trafficking should be collected and analyzed, and how data collection can be improved through proper contextualization
• The importance of harmonization and consistency in legal definitions and interpretations within and among regions
• The need for increased exchange of information and cooperation between the various actors involved in combating human trafficking, including investigators, law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, and social workers
• Problems with victim identification, as well as erroneous assumptions of the scope of victimization
• Controversy over linking protection measures with cooperation with authorities

Highlighting the issues most addressed by contemporary scholars, researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers, this volume also suggests areas ripe for further inquiry and investigation. Supplemented by discussion questions in each chapter, the book is sure to stimulate debate on a troubling phenomenon.