So I am thinking of posting some of my references and the most poignant or useful information they have provided. I intend to pull the statistics within these articles from their original sources. There are so many organizations and relevant legislations that I need to look further into, including: US FBI, UNICEF, UNESCO, Human Rights Watch, Polaris Project, UNIFEM, Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court 2007, La Strada International, Violent Crimes Institute, UNDP, STOP Programme, DAPHNE Programme, Hague Ministerial Declaration on European Guidelines, Title VI of the Treaty of Amsterdam, European Council meeting in Tampere, Council Framework Decision, Brussels Declaration, 2000 UN Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime, IOM, LEFÖ, Conference on Trafficking, Slavery and Peacekeeping... etc. I am keeping track, and will get through it eventually.
Here are a few things I have pulled out:
Cummings, N., Parrot, A. (2008). Sexual enslavement of girls and women worldwide. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
The primary drivers differ depending on the specific situation, but education, religion, cultural values, family structure, socioeconomic status, traditional myths, geography, economics, employment status, discrimination, patriarchal government policies, criminal statutes, political unrest, and natural disasters all affect sexual slavery and the trafficking of women and girls. (p. 13)
Many economically unstable nations become source countries for the trafficking of women, sexual debt bondage, or prostitution. Human trafficking and the sexual enslavement of women for sexual exploitation are highly lucrative, second only to drug trafficking (Pallen, 2003). An estimated 700,000 women are trafficking each year for sexual purposes, and about a quarter of them come from eastern European countries in which there is political and economic instability (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2005) (p.21)
No single strategy, by itself, will eliminate sexual slavery and trafficking of girls and women. Removing migration restrictions, reducing poverty, eliminating discrimination, and supporting sustainable development are all pieces of a very complex solution (UNDP, 2005). Improving or reversing the social, political, and economic conditions that support sexual slavery and trafficking is critical, but it is not enough. Control measures, effective legislation, and appropriate legal approaches are also necessary. All of these measures need to take into consideration the sociocultural realities of specific countries. (p. 24)
Trafficking is a by-product of “supply and demand” where devalued, marginalized women and girls are used for profit by men and for men. “With the exception of the dynamic of former victims becoming recruiters,... women do not traffic themselves or organize themselves en masse to travel internationally to enter prostitution. Women do not voluntarily put themselves in situations where they are exploited, beaten, raped and enslaved” (Hughes, 2000a, p.644). (p.28)
It is the most vulnerable women in society who get trapped into being trafficked and forced into sexual slavery. They are exploited “because they can be” (Brown, 2001, p.3). While transnational attempts to stem the tide of trafficking are often highlighted in the media, the reality is that the crime thrives on conditions that leave women in the lowest ranks of society, with the least opportunity for social mobility. (p.28)
Goodey, J. (2004). Sex trafficking in women from Central and East European countries: promoting a ‘victim-centered’ and ‘woman centered’ approach to criminal justice intervention. Feminist Review, 76, 26. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.uvu.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=667611701&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1295129912&clientId=1673
Women suffer the bulk of economic discrimination in employment and, with the mainstay of childcare responsibilities, they are often pushed into desperate social situations that necessitate drastic responses. Seemingly legitimate offers of employment in affluent European Union countries attract women with the promise of being able to make sums of money that far exceed what they might earn at home. (p.2)
Nikolic-Ristanovic, V. (2003). Sex trafficking: The impact of war, militarism and globalization in Eastern Europe. Michigan Feminist Studies, 17, 1-28. Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.uvu.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=1054069911&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1297297181&clientId=1673
The International Organization for Migration estimates that up to 500,000 women are forced to work as prostitutes in Europe. The same source suggests that “120,000 women and children are being trafficked into the European Union each year, mostly through the Balkans.” Some estimates for the United Kingdom suggest that more than 70% of women working in brothels in Soho are from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. (p.2)
Your topic is very interesting, and one of the major problems in the world today. You have an awesome experience to go to Switzerland. When I think of human sex trafficing I'm curious as to who are the people who are doing the traffic? Such as what wealth class, and who do they target? Good luck with the rest of your project.
ReplyDeleteYes Jessica, one day at a time. You're doing well to gather your library research now. One question about the statistical side: you say you're planning to pull from published sources. Are you intending to collate data and re-present it tabled, or are you planning to do some reanalysis or even meta-analysis of the literature? Based on past experience with capstone students, I recommend settling on the exact plan for any use of stats early. It's important that you plan to tackle the stats in a manner with which you're comfortable and confident.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments, Drew, I am also interested in the traffickers themselves. It is another piece to a complex puzzle.
ReplyDeleteMark, I would like more input when it comes to the statistics. I am meeting with Jeff Torlina this Thursday to discuss my methodology, so I can get some advice from him, but I am not really sure how to go about this. I am not exactly sure of my options, where to get the most up-to-date and accurate stats, or what might be the most effective way to go about this. Any advice you have would be appreciated.
Jessica,
ReplyDeletehave you had a stats class or two already? Whether you gather published statistics and re-present them or go so far as to pool and re-analyze them will depend on whether you're already comfortable with the software and the principles. Either way will work; it's just important that you choose an approach commensurate with your current skill set so that you're not attempting to master statistics as you write your thesis.
I took stats for the behavioral sciences but we only used the software once (it didn't seem too difficult). I would be amenable to either option, depending on what I could handle and what would be most useful for the purposes of my thesis.
ReplyDeleteJessica, I am stoked to see the results of this project. Any difference you can make or awareness you can raise will be much needed. I know you are focusing more on European trafficking but I came across this article and thought of how interesting it is that when we think of sex trafficking we think of Iran and the Taliban but to read that it happens in Utah brings it a little bit closer to home. Sorry this doesn't really help your project along but I just thought you'd find it interesting. It says that since 2006, 100 human trafficking cases have been found in Utah, 150 children have been rescued through the Operation 61 program and that 10% of Utah's prostitutes are controlled by traffickers... interesting stuff, maybe you could somehow get involved with Operation 61?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=14015596
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI never had a stats class, so I'll defer all that to Mark.
But I have had experience working through large amounts of information and I can only second Mark's wise "one day at a time." You'll be amazed at your growing expertise if you add to it every single day.
A year or so ago I started researching advertising and literature dealing with barbed wire and now I (with my partner Lyn Bennet) am an expert on the subject.
And learning daily.
French will be the same: ten words/phrases a day and you'll be amazed at what you achieve.
Do you need any faculty help with the grant applications?
Thank you for your help, everyone. Tess, I was originally planning to write me senior thesis on the legal implications of sex trafficking/prostitution in America, so I am very interested in cases in Utah. Thank you for your reference to Operation 61, I will need to do more research on it. I am currently volunteering for Child Rescue, which is an organization based in America and Canada that works to eradicate child sex trafficking and prostitution. It has been a great experience.
ReplyDeleteScott,thanks for the encouragement, it is easy to get overwhelmed when it comes to such large amounts of information. I would really appreciate help with grant writing, as I have never taken a formal class. I am currently trying to come up with a more practical approach to my thesis, I want to make an actual difference rather than just making observations. I would love to meet with you at some point to get help in thinking through my options and the necessary steps I should take to get my grant applications rolling.