Human Trafficking

Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by Peacekeeping Operations in Contemporary Africa

Citation:

Utas, Mats, and Fanny Ruden. 2009. Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by Peacekeeping Operations in Contemporary Africa. 2. Uppsala, SE: The Nordic Africa Institute.

Authors: Fanny Ruden, Mats Utas

Abstract:

In international peacekeeping operations (PKOs) some individuals are involved in sexual exploitation and abuse of the host country’s population, buying of sexual services and trafficking of prostitutes. Far from being a new phenomenon it goes back a long time, and reports on the issue have increased over the years. All too frequently we read about peacekeepers visiting prostitutes, committing rape, or in other ways sexually exploiting host populations. Some peacekeepers are taking advantage of the power their work gives them, and becoming abusers rather than protectors in situations where the host population is powerless and in dire need of protection. Peacekeepers’ abuse of their mandate is inflicting severe damage on host societies and often results in a number of unintended consequences such as human rights violations, rapid spread of HIV, decreased trust in the UN as well as other international aid agencies, and harmful changes to gender patterns. Women and children, both girls and boys, are especially exposed. Having already suffered from war and instability they risk becoming even more physically and mentally wounded. Peacekeeping operations risk doing more harm than good in African war zones, and if they cannot learn from previous mistakes maybe they ought to stay at home. We do not argue for the latter; rather, we point towards the urgent need to change explicit and implicit patterns and habits in international peacekeeping operations in relation to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in Africa. In this Policy Note we focus predominantly on military staff, but acknowledge that the civilian staff of PKOs, and international aid workers, are also implicated. On the other hand it should initially be pointed out that most PKO staff are not sexual exploiters and abusers.

Topics: Armed Conflict, Gender, Health, HIV/AIDS, Humanitarian Assistance, International Organizations, Livelihoods, Sexual Livelihoods, Peacekeeping, Rights, Human Rights, Sexual Violence, Rape, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Africa

Year: 2009

Human Trafficking, Labor Brokering, and Mining in Southern Africa: Responding to a Decentralized and Hidden Public Health Disaster

Citation:

Steele, Sarah. 2013. “Human Trafficking, Labor Brokering, and Mining in Southern Africa: Responding to a Decentralized and Hidden Public Health Disaster.” International Journal of Health Services 43 (4): 665–80. doi:10.2190/HS.43.4.e.

Author: Sarah Steele

Abstract:

Many southern African economies are dependent on the extractive industries. These industries rely on low-cost labor, often supplied by migrants, typically acquired through labor brokers. Very little attention has so far been paid to trafficking of men into extractive industries or its connection with trafficked women in the region’s mining hubs. Recent reports suggest that labor brokering practices foster human trafficking, both by exposing migrant men to lack of pay and exploitative conditions and by creating male migratory patterns that generate demand for sex workers and associated trafficking of women and girls. While trafficking in persons violates human rights, and thus remains a priority issue globally, there is little or no evidence of an effective political response to mine-related trafficking in southern Africa. This article concludes with recommendations for legal and policy interventions, as well as an enhanced public health response, which if implemented would help reduce human trafficking toward mining sites.

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Migration, Economies, Extractive Industries, Gender, Health, Livelihoods, Sexual Livelihoods, Rights, Human Rights, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Africa, Southern Africa

Year: 2013

Trafficking, Trade, and Migration: Mapping Human Trafficking in the Mekong Region

Citation:

Feingold, David A. 2012. “Trafficking, Trade, and Migration: Mapping Human Trafficking in the Mekong Region.” In An Atlas of Trafficking in Southeast Asia the Illegal Trade in Arms, Drugs, People, Counterfeit Goods and Natural Resources in Mainland Southeast Asia, edited by Pierre-Arnaud Chouvy. London: I.B. Tauris.

Author: David A. Feingold

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Gender, Women, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Asia, East Asia Countries: China

Year: 2012

‘Settled in Mobility’: Engendering Post-Wall Migration in Europe

Citation:

Morokvasic, Mirjana. 2004. “‘Settled in Mobility’: Engendering Post-Wall Migration in Europe.” Feminist Review 77 (1): 7–25.

Author: Mirjana Morokvasic

Abstract:

`The end of the bi-polar world and the collapse of communist regimes triggered an unprecedented mobility of people and heralded a new phase in European migrations. Eastern Europeans were not only 'free to leave' to the West but more exactly 'free to leave and to come back'. In this text I will focus on gendered transnational, cross-border practices and capabilities of Central and Eastern Europeans on the move, who use their spatial mobility to adapt to the new context of post-communist transition. We are dealing here with practices that are very different from those which the literature on 'immigrant transnationalism' is mostly about. Rather than relying on transnational networking for improving their condition in the country of their settlement, they tend to 'settle within mobility,' staying mobile 'as long as they can' in order to improve or maintain the quality of life at home. Their experience of migration thus becomes their lifestyle, their leaving home and going away, paradoxically, a strategy of staying at home, and, thus, an alternative to what migration is usually considered to be - emigration / immigration. Access to and management of mobility is gendered and dependent on institutional context. Mobility as a strategy can be empowering, a resource, a tool for social innovation and agency and an important dimension of social capital - if under the migrants' own control. However, mobility may reflect increased dependencies, proliferation of precarious jobs and, as in the case of trafficking in women, lack of mobility and freedom.

Annotation:

Quotes:

“Mobility and the capacity to be mobile play an important part in the strategies of these migrants. Rather than trying to immigrate and settle in the target country, migrants tend to 'settle within mobility,' staying mobile 'as long as they can' in order to improve or maintain the quality of life at home.” (11)

“Thus, although the cross-border trading trips engage both men and women, their functioning relies on unquestioned gender relationships and hierarchies which assign to women and men different expectations and positions, to the point that every younger good-looking woman on the 'Polish market' or in the train is considered as a potential prostitute.” (15)

“Besides enabling women a transnational, double presence, combining life 'here' and 'there', the rotation system yields other opportunities for agency. First, women avoid being captured in an institutionalized form of dependency vis-d vis a single employer, which is the case with live-in maids, for instance… Third, in the sector where upward mobility is impossible, and where most of the East European women are de-classed and de-skilled, the experience in a rotation system can be a stepping stone to setting up a business, that is, one's own rotation group, using established local connections and building up a new network.” (17)

“Trafficked women are coerced into a totally dependent status vis-a-vis the trafficker or their employer who usually confiscates their passports and their return tickets. This makes independent mobility impossible and leaves them at the mercy of a rotation scheme across European borders, being transferred from one city to another at intervals within the limits of their three-month tourist visas. The three- month limit means that women are unable to establish long-term connections with the outside world.” (18)

Topics: Displacement & Migration, Migration, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Hierarchies, Trafficking, Human Trafficking Regions: Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe

Year: 2004

Understanding and Improving Law Enforcement Responses to Human Trafficking: Final Report

Citation:

Farrell, Amy, Jack McDevitt, Stephanie Fahy, Scott Decker, Vince Webb, and Nikos Passas. 2008. Understanding and Improving Law Enforcement Responses to Human Trafficking: Final Report. Boston: Northeastern University: Institute on Race and Justice.

Authors: Amy Farrell, Jack McDevitt, Stephanie Fahy, Scott Decker, Vince Webb, Nikos Passas

Topics: Civil Society, Gender, Globalization, Health, International Law, International Human Rights, International Organizations, NGOs, Sexual Violence, Sexual Slavery, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Labor Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Americas, North America Countries: United States of America

Year: 2008

Trafficking in Human Beings and the 2006 World Cup in Germany

Citation:

Hennig, Jana, Sarah Craggs, Frank Laczko, and Fred Larsson. 2007. Trafficking in Human Beings and the 2006 World Cup in Germany. 29. Geneva: International Organization for Migration.

Authors: Jana Hennig, Sarah Craggs, Frank Laczko, Fred Larsson

Abstract:

The trafficking of women for the purpose of sexual exploitation received considerable attention prior to the 2006 World Cup in Germany. It was widely suggested that this sporting event would contribute to an increase in prostitution and a sharp increase in the number of women trafficked to Germany for sexual exploitation.

This report investigates whether there is any evidence to suggest an increase in the number of women trafficked to Germany for the purpose of sexual exploitation during the 2006 World Cup. It further examines the measures taken by the authorities and non-governmental organizations to counter trafficking in Germany during the event.

Recommendations are provided to help combat the trafficking in persons during similar major events and to provide a tool for future event organizers, policymakers and relevant authorities and NGOS.

Topics: Gender, Women, Governance, Health, International Organizations, NGOs, Sexual Violence, Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Sexual Slavery, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Europe, Central Europe Countries: Germany

Year: 2007

Power, Gender and Human Trafficking

Citation:

Hart, Amanda. 2007. “Power, Gender and Human Trafficking.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, New York, August 11.

Author: Amanda Hart

Abstract:

The purpose of this meta-analytic research was to determine the gender and power influences at play within the phenomenon of international human trafficking. Utilizing a lens of Gender Relations Theory and an array of previously conducted research, the push, pull, and facilitating factors influencing these migrant's immigration are examined. The emotional and physical stresses of the trafficked persons (primarily women and children) as well as trafficking techniques are presented through a variety of cases. The concepts of gender and power relations tie together to form a startling conclusion: many times underprivileged and susceptible men, women, and children are trafficked simply because they can be. Unfortunately, the government's response to human trafficking has not been extremely successful, with only 46 trafficked migrants having been served and rehabilitated as of September 2005 under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. This research concludes that merely rehabilitating trafficked persons will not solve the root of the problem: the deep-seeded gender and power inequality still existing between men and women.

Topics: Economies, Poverty, Gender, Women, Girls, Boys, Gender Analysis, Gendered Power Relations, Patriarchy, International Law, International Human Rights, International Organizations, NGOs, Rights, Human Rights, Sexual Violence, Sexual Slavery, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking

Year: 2007

Data and Research on Human Trafficking: A Global Survey

Citation:

Gozdziak, Elzbieta, and Frank Laczko, eds. 2005. Data and Research on Human Trafficking: A Global Survey. Offprint of the Special Issues of International Migration 43 (1/2). Geneva: International Organization for Migration.

Authors: Elzbieta Gozdziak, Frank Laczko

Abstract:

Human trafficking has become a global business, reaping huge profits for traffickers and organized crime syndicates, generating massive human rights violations, and causing serious problems for governments. Despite the magnitude of the problem, however, it has only recently seized policy makers’ attention.

During the last decade there has been a considerable increase in the number of studies about human trafficking. This review of research and data on trafficking shows that despite the growing literature on trafficking around the world, relatively few studies are based on extensive or empirical research, and information on the actual numbers of people trafficked remains very sketchy. The book, which includes 9 regional chapters, and 3 chapters dealing with methodological issues, suggests a number of ways in which to enhance research and data on human trafficking.

The study includes papers from more than a dozen experts. These papers were first discussed at an international conference sponsored by the Italian government which was held in Rome in May 2004. The volume is edited by Dr. Frank Laczko, Head of Research, IOM Geneva, and Dr. Elzbieta Gozdziak, Research Director, Institute for the Study of International Migration, Washington.

Topics: Gender, Health, International Law, International Human Rights, International Organizations, NGOs, Rights, Human Rights, Sexual Violence, Sexual Slavery, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Labor Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Africa, MENA, West Africa, Americas, Caribbean countries, Central America, North America, Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, Oceania

Year: 2005

Combating Human Trafficking: Transnational Advocacy Networks between Thailand and the United States

Citation:

Bertone, Andrea. 2008. “Combating Human Trafficking: Transnational Advocacy Networks between Thailand and the United States.” Paper presented at 49th Annual International Studies Association Convention, San Francisco, March 24 – March 28.

Author: Andrea Bertone

Topics: Gender, International Law, International Human Rights, International Organizations, NGOs, Sexual Violence, Sexual Slavery, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Americas, North America, Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Thailand, United States of America

Year: 2008

Trafficking of Women and Children in Indonesia

Citation:

Agustinanto, Fatimana, Jamie Davis, Anis Hamim, Ketut Ika Inggas, Ranggoaini Jahja, Farida Mahri, Neha Misra, Anna Puspita Rahayu, Ruth Rosenberg, Ira Soedirham, Rebecca Surtees, and Yuyan Wahyuningrum. 2003. Ruth Rosenberg, eds. Trafficking of Women and Children in Indonesia. Jakarta: International Catholic Migration Commission.

Authors: Fatimana Agustinanto, Jamie Davis, Anis Hamim, Ketut Ika Inggas, Ranggoaini Jahja, Farida Mahri, Neha Misra, Anna Puspita Rahayu, Ruth Rosenberg, Ira Soedirham, Rebecca Surtees, Yuyan Wahyuningrum

Abstract:

Information about trafficking of Indonesian women and children is limited. Many newspaper articles have been written and research on related topics conducted, but it has not yet been consolidated or analyzed as a whole. The purpose of this report is to consolidate the information that already exists about trafficking in Indonesia into one comprehensive report and disseminate this information widely.

It is anticipated that this report will be helpful for people working on counter trafficking in Indonesia, as well as people interested in trafficking worldwide. Not only does the report provide a fairly comprehensive overview of the problem, but it also includes a variety of resources to help combat trafficking, including: a review of existing Indonesian legislation; a list of international agreements which contain articles relevant to combating trafficking; an overview of the Indonesian National Plan of Action for the Elimination of Trafficking of Women and Children; a list of our Indonesian partner organizations working on trafficking in Indonesia; a list of Internet-based resources for trafficking; and a bilingual glossary of trafficking–related terms. It is our hope that a better understanding of the nature of trafficking in women and children in Indonesia will lead to more effective interventions to prevent trafficking and to assist trafficking survivors.

This report was produced by the staff of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) and the American Center for International Labor Solidarity (Solidarity Center). ICMC and the Solidarity Center are jointly implementing a project to counter trafficking of women and children in Indonesia, with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). More information about the project is included in Appendix C.

Topics: Civil Society, Gender, Women, Girls, Boys, International Law, International Organizations, NGOs, Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Sex Trafficking Regions: Asia, Southeast Asia Countries: Indonesia

Year: 2003

Pages

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