Trafficking in Humans: Social, Cultural and Political Dimensions

Human trafficking is the recruitment and transportation of human beings through deception and coercion for the purposes of exploitation. This volume aims to deepen our understanding of its social, economic, and political contexts. The book considers whether an understanding of these underlying structural factors can inform both policy discussion and strategic intervention in the fight against trafficking. Human trafficking generally flows from poorer to more prosperous countries and regions. However, it is not necessarily the poorest regions or communities which are most vulnerable. This book seeks to identify the factors that explain where and why vulnerability increases. It also looks at how modern forms of transportation and communication have aided the movement of people and enabled transnational organized crime groups and trafficking rings to exploit vulnerable people for profit. The book includes the views of critics who argue that trafficking challenges are inseparable from broader debates about human rights and migration. While the idea of protecting the rights of victims is uppermost, protecting the rights of people to seek a living and make decisions for themselves regarding migration is also important.

Sally Cameron is a consultant on governance and gender issues based in Sydney, Australia, and a former policy analyst for the Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations. Edward Newman is the director of studies on conflict and security in the Peace and Governance Program of the United Nations University.