By Michelle Madden Dempsey
Journal of Human Trafficking, Published online 27 February 2017

Abstract: This article, a contribution to a special issue of the Journal of Human Trafficking examining “data wars” amongst empirical researchers who purport to study the prevalence of human trafficking, explores how closer attention to legal methods may improve the validity and reliability of research regarding the prevalence of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The author hopes to illuminate and motivate two conclusions. First, some researchers have failed to accurately analyze the legal definitions of trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and instead have used inaccurately narrow definitions in their research. By so doing, they have undercounted the prevalence of trafficking and have produced scholarship that is of limited relevance to legal and policy debates regarding the regulation of prostitution. Second, some researchers have provided inadequate application of the facts in particular cases to the legal definitions of trafficking for sexual exploitation. As a result, their scholarship suffers from a lack of clarity regarding why they fail to count some cases as trafficking—and this lack of clarity contributes to a lack of reliability, since the reader is unable to discern their method for determining which cases count as trafficking and which do not. As a result of these problems, the empirical research critiqued in this article is of limited value in guiding law and policy debates regarding the regulation of prostitution.

By Lloyd Goldsamt, Michael Clatts, Gary Yu, Bao Le & Donn Colby
Journal of Human Trafficking, Published online 08 October 2016

Abstract: Young male sex workers (YMSWs) in Vietnam have high rates of HIV and STIs, yet have poor access to health care due to low knowledge, stigma, and economic constraints. In the process of implementing a Sexual Health Promotion intervention to engage YMSWs in Ho Chi Minh City in health care, we identified a unique sex work venue, known as a “Shared House,” in which YMSWs provide sex under the direction of a manager who negotiates the terms of the transaction directly with the client. Survey data reveal that compared with YMSWs recruited in other locations, those interviewed in Shared Houses reported lower levels of substance use, less contact with the police, and fewer nights spent sleeping in public places. However, observational data and informal interviews with YMSWs in Shared Houses revealed that the majority were trafficked through third-party brokers who connect youth with Shared House managers for the explicit purpose of sex work. These YMSWs had little or no control over their sex-work transactions and very low levels of knowledge regarding transmission of HIV and STIs. Further research is needed in these and other venues in which young men are trafficked for sex work. This research was funded by a grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

By Hanni Stoklosa, Mary Beth Dawson, Francisca Williams-Oni & Emily F. Rothman
Journal of Human Trafficking, Published online: 08 Oct 2016

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to characterize and assess human-trafficking (HT)
identification, treatment, and referral protocols of U.S. health care service provider institutions. A total of 30 protocols from 19 states and 2 national organizations were analyzed. Across the protocols, the most commonly listed indicator of HT victimization was patient history of physical- or sexual-abuse victimization, Which was included in 73% of the protocols. In addition, the majority (70%) of the protocols listed ≥ 1 medical-symptom indicator of HT victimization (e.g., bruises, scars, frequent injuries), ≥ 1 indicator based on a patient’s apparent dependence on another person (e.g., patient not in control of personal identification), and ≥ 1 indicator related to how the patient communicates (e.g., inconsistencies in the patient’s story about his or her medical condition). A smaller proportion of protocols included indicators of HT that pertained to housing (60%), the patient’s appearance (47%), the patient’s mental health (63%), sexual history (63%), or technology-related indicators such as the patient possessing explicit digital photos of himself or herself with another person (20%). We conclude that additional research is needed to establish ideal protocol content but propose that in the interim protocol developers consider using practice-informed and evidence-based information that pertain to six areas of victim identification and assistance.

By Amanda West
Journal of Human Trafficking, Published online 05 October 2016

Abstract: The purpose of this article is to gain an increased understanding of the role of child welfare in relation to the child-trafficking population. Fifteen service providers, from multidisciplinary backgrounds, working in the community with victims of child trafficking were interviewed through individual, semi-structured interviews. Exploratory in nature, this study employed a phenomenological methodology. The coding and analysis of data was conducted through Atlas.ti. The findings in this study suggest that there are barriers between service providers and the child welfare system that are experienced in a lack of identification of victims and in the areas of collaboration and funding of services. Recommendations for practice, policy, and research include transparency, education between system and community, shared input in case decision making, and future exploration of the experiences of caseworkers.