International experience of crime investigation in the field of human trafficking

The paper aims to define an effective anti-human trafficking system in Ukraine. On the basis of theoretical information and international experience systematic analysis, the peculiarities of investigating crimes in the field of human trafficking are identified: timely receipt of information concerning crimes commission, assigning a case of human trafficking to an investigator or prosecutor with positive experience in detecting such crimes, cooperation of law enforcement agencies with each other and law enforcement agencies of other states in regard to effective ways of such crimes investigation, an effective system of human trafficking victims support. It is possible to increase the effectiveness of combating human trafficking through activities in the following areas: training of law enforcement officers in accordance with international standards; exchange of experience between Ukrainian law enforcement officers with the employees of relevant institutions of other countries; enshrinement at the statutory level of stricter responsibility for such crimes commission; monitoring the compliance of the Ukrainian anti-human trafficking system activities with international standards; creation of a comprehensive support system for human trafficking victims.

"You Are Never Truly Free" Social Stigma in India and its Impact Upon Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Advocacy for Survivors of Sex Trafficking

<p>This research examines how social stigmas related to sex work and sexual activity in India contribute to the creation of environments conducive to gender discrimination and the erosion of female rights. It seeks to understand, through the work of anti-trafficking staff and the lived experience of sex trafficking survivors in Kolkata, how this subsequently impacts survivors' ability to be successfully rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities. Human trafficking directly limits the human rights and freedoms which development aims to facilitate and realise; it is fundamentally a development concern. Violations of human rights are a cause and a consequence of trafficking in persons, making their universal promotion and protection relevant to anti-trafficking. Females constitute 80 per cent of all sex trafficking victims, demonstrating that it is a significantly gendered crime. India is home to 40 per cent of the estimated global slave population, and operates as a destination, transit and origin country for all forms of human trafficking. This research involved semi-structured interviews focused on experiences and understandings of social stigma with eight staff of the anti-trafficking NGO Sanlaap, one staff member of a partnering Government-run shelter home, and one focus group with eight sex trafficking survivors. Data were analysed thematically through concepts of human rights, social stigma, gender discrimination and vulnerability. The results indicated that prioritising the protection and promotion of their human rights was integral to Sanlaap's success in rehabilitating and reintegrating survivors. This research, therefore, reinforces conceptual links between human rights violations and sex trafficking, and argues that preventative action needs to have a more central role in current anti-trafficking efforts. The results demonstrate that stigma is a manifestation of power, which enables the subordination and displacement of vulnerable groups, reinforces inequality and power imbalances, and continues to undermine survivor rights to reintegration. This study also highlights where there is a need to advance discourse about cultural rights and sexuality within anti-trafficking work in India, and to implement broader approaches to women's development as part of sex trafficking prevention strategies.</p>

"You Are Never Truly Free" Social Stigma in India and its Impact Upon Rehabilitation, Reintegration and Advocacy for Survivors of Sex Trafficking

<p>This research examines how social stigmas related to sex work and sexual activity in India contribute to the creation of environments conducive to gender discrimination and the erosion of female rights. It seeks to understand, through the work of anti-trafficking staff and the lived experience of sex trafficking survivors in Kolkata, how this subsequently impacts survivors' ability to be successfully rehabilitated and reintegrated into their communities. Human trafficking directly limits the human rights and freedoms which development aims to facilitate and realise; it is fundamentally a development concern. Violations of human rights are a cause and a consequence of trafficking in persons, making their universal promotion and protection relevant to anti-trafficking. Females constitute 80 per cent of all sex trafficking victims, demonstrating that it is a significantly gendered crime. India is home to 40 per cent of the estimated global slave population, and operates as a destination, transit and origin country for all forms of human trafficking. This research involved semi-structured interviews focused on experiences and understandings of social stigma with eight staff of the anti-trafficking NGO Sanlaap, one staff member of a partnering Government-run shelter home, and one focus group with eight sex trafficking survivors. Data were analysed thematically through concepts of human rights, social stigma, gender discrimination and vulnerability. The results indicated that prioritising the protection and promotion of their human rights was integral to Sanlaap's success in rehabilitating and reintegrating survivors. This research, therefore, reinforces conceptual links between human rights violations and sex trafficking, and argues that preventative action needs to have a more central role in current anti-trafficking efforts. The results demonstrate that stigma is a manifestation of power, which enables the subordination and displacement of vulnerable groups, reinforces inequality and power imbalances, and continues to undermine survivor rights to reintegration. This study also highlights where there is a need to advance discourse about cultural rights and sexuality within anti-trafficking work in India, and to implement broader approaches to women's development as part of sex trafficking prevention strategies.</p>

The Obligations of Prevention, Protection and Assistance to Victims of Trafficking

The emphasis on the prevention of the crime and the protection and assistance to victims of crime in international and European anti-trafficking instruments is a prominent example of the human rights-based approach to human trafficking. However, there is room for further improvement. This article reflects on the needs of trafficking victims in light of theoretical and practical implications of relevant international and European instruments with the aim of defining future action.

Seen Yet Unseen: A Case of Human Trafficking at Harris High School

Although anyone can become a victim, commercial exploitation and human trafficking disproportionately affect women, girls, and communities of color within the United States. Despite its prevalence, misinformation and a widespread lack of understanding on this issue create barriers to identifying and supporting trafficking victims. School staff are critically positioned to both identify and support the needs of trafficked youth. This article offers a fact-based case example of human trafficking in a small town in New York State, including one principal’s challenges and opportunities in addressing human trafficking in her school. Programming and practice frameworks that utilize trauma-informed care, cultural and linguistic responsiveness, and human rights approaches are offered as strategies for engagement with this topic.

“Always Know Where the Gun Is”: Service Providers Perceptions of Firearm Access, Violence, and Safety Planning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Given the heightened risk for fatality and known non-fatal harm firearms pose in abusive situations, it is critical to consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on firearm-related abuse and safety planning—particularly considering the surge in firearm sales in 2020. This study documented the impact of the pandemic on firearm access and violence, advice and safety planning surrounding firearms, and firearm-related abuse tactics through the perspective of victim service providers across the US participants included victim service professionals from both rural ( n = 93) and urban/suburban (i.e., non-rural; n = 78) areas who worked with victims of gender-based violence (i.e., intimate partner abuse and dating violence, child abuse, elder abuse, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking victims). Results revealed that nearly half of participants reported that abusers threatening to shoot victims or others became more frequent since the start of the pandemic, while nearly 30% reported that homicide involving firearms became more frequent during the pandemic. Further, nearly 40% of participants indicated an increase in firearm sales during pandemic—with higher sales in non-rural versus rural areas. Common themes related to safety planning with firearms included advising the victim to contact the system for help, assessing the location of firearms and/or remove the firearms, and leaving the abuser. The results stress the importance for safety planning around firearms when victims are isolated with an abuser at home and potential impact of abuser firearm access on public safety.

Closing the Accountability Gap in Corporate Supply Chains for Violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act

Over 40 million people around the world are victims of modern forms of slavery: forced labour and human trafficking. People are tricked into working under onerous conditions, and unable to leave or return home due to physical, psychological or financial coercion, and many of these trafficking victims produce goods for United States (US) and other multinational corporations that profit by relying on the lower wages earned by workers in their global supply chains. Well-developed legal standards prohibit these practices, and governments, intergovernmental organizations, business associations and non-governmental organizations have developed mechanisms to prevent, detect and provide redress to victims. Some businesses lead or comply with the standards and enforcement mechanisms, but too many do not. US law offers a powerful but under-utilized tool to address trafficking: the 2008 Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), which imposes civil liability on those who ‘knew or should have known’ about forced labour or human trafficking in their corporate ventures. Unfortunately, courts have ignored or misinterpreted this standard, at times confusing civil and criminal provisions of the statute. Correct and vigorous legal enforcement is key to addressing the accountability gap between the well-developed standards and the continuing use of forced labour and human trafficking. This article is the first to demonstrate that, with regard to the TVPRA standard, corporations have long been on notice of both the obligation to effectively monitor labour conditions and the mechanisms that would accomplish that task. US courts must enforce the ‘knew or should have known’ standard to protect workers – the most vulnerable people in the supply chain – and to prevent an unfair competitive advantage over companies that have established compliance programmes that actually prevent and punish human trafficking and forced labour.