Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

International Human Rights of Women pp 1–18Cite as

Sex Trafficking and International Law

  • Living reference work entry
  • Latest version View entry history
  • First Online:

  • 176 Accesses

Part of the book series: International Human Rights ((IHR))

Abstract

The main concern of this chapter is to show that by beginning with a criminal justice approach to sex trafficking, the international community has been decisively less focused on trafficking victims’ human rights. Indeed, there are often moments during the criminal prosecution of traffickers that necessitate that victim’s rights be trampled in the name of securing a conviction. In this way, victim protection and prosecution of traffickers can be at odds – forcing state authorities to pick one over the other. Further, when prominent reporting institutions use successful convictions as the metric by which success in the fight against trafficking is measured, victim protections are sacrificed. Section “Sex Trafficking and Modern International Law: A Short History” reviews the development of modern international law on trafficking. Section “Trends” highlights global trafficking trends, and section “Data Collection Challenges” illustrates some ways in which current approaches to trafficking victims sacrifices their rights in order to convict traffickers. A version of this chapter orginally appeared in the Human Rights Review.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Aghatise E (2004) Trafficking for prostitution in Italy: possible effects of government proposal for legalized brothels. Violence Against Women 10(10):1126–1155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Akee R, Basu A, Chau N, Khamis M (2010) Ethnic fragmentation, conflict, displaced persons and human trafficking: an empirical analysis. In: Epstein GS, Gang IN (eds) Migration and culture: frontiers of economics and globalization, vol 8. Emerald Group Publishing, Bingley, pp 691–716

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Akee R, Bedi A, Basu A, Chau N (2014) Transnational trafficking, law enforcement and victim protection: a middleman’s perspective. J Law Econ 57:349–386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allain J (2017) White slave traffic in international law. J Traffick Hum Exploit l(1):1–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bales K (2004) Disposable people: new slavery in the global economy. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Bales K (2007) Ending slavery: how we free today’s slaves. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Bales K, Soodalter R (2009) The slave next door: human trafficking and slavery in America today. University of California Press, Berkeley

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettio F, Nandi T (2010) Evidence on women trafficked for sexual exploitation: a rights based analysis. Eur J Law Econ 29(1):15–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brennan D (2005) Methodological challenges in research with trafficked persons: Tales from the field. In: Laczko F, Gozdziak E (eds) Data and research on human trafficking: a global survey. International Organization for Migration, Geneva, pp 35–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Buckley M (2009) Public opinion in Russia on the politics of human trafficking. Eur Asia Stud 61(2):213–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cameron S, Newman E (2008) Trafficking in humans: social, cultural and political dimensions. United Nations University Press, Tokyo

    Google Scholar 

  • Carling J (2005) Trafficking in women from Nigeria to Europe: migration information source. http://www.migrationinformation.org/feature/display.cfm?ID=318. Accessed 24 June 2010

  • Cho S-Y (2015) Modelling for determinants of human trafficking: an empirical analysis. Soc Incl 3(1):2–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cho S-Y, Vadlamannati KC (2012) Compliance with the anti-trafficking protocol. Eur J Polit Econ 28(2):249–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cho S-Y, Dreher A, Neumayer E (2013) Does legalized prostitution increase human trafficking? World Dev 41:67–82

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dinan KA (2008) Globalization and national sovereignty: from migration to trafficking. In: Cameron S, Newman E (eds) Trafficking in humans: social, cultural and political dimensions. United Nations Press, Tokyo, pp 58–79

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher A (2009) Human rights and human trafficking: quagmire or firm ground? A response to James Hathaway. Va J Int Law 49(4):789–848

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallagher A (2010) The international law of human trafficking. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Guinn DE (2008) Defining the problem of trafficking: the interplay of US law, donor, and NGO engagement and the local context in Latin America. Hum Rights Q 30(1):119–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hathway J (2008) The human rights quagmire 49 Virginia Jounral of Intenrational Law (1):1–57

    Google Scholar 

  • Hernandez D, Rudolph A (2015) Modern day slavery: what drives human trafficking in Europe? Eur J Polit Econ 38:118–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussein S, Walter N, Hidalgo J (2005) Human trafficking in the United States: expanding victim protection beyond prosecution witnesses. Stanford Law Policy Rev 16:379–401

    Google Scholar 

  • ILO (1998) Sex as a sector: economic hardships and incentives fuel growth. World of Work. International Labour Organization, September/October

    Google Scholar 

  • ILO (2009) Trafficking in persons: overview of the ILO activities against trafficking in persons. International Labour Organization, 1 May. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/protection/migrant/areas/trafficking.htm

  • ILO (2012) ILO global estimate of forced labour: results and methodology. International Labour Organization. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_norm/---declaration/documents/publication/wcms_182004.pdf

  • Jakobsson N, Kotsadam A (2011) The law and economics of international sex slavery: prostitution Laws and trafficking for sexual exploitation. Eur J Law Econ 35(1):87–107

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kara S (2009) Sex trafficking: inside the business of modern slavery. Columbia University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Kara S (2011) Supply and demand: human trafficking in the global economy. Harv Int Rev 33(2):66–71

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley J, Simmons B (2015) Politics by numbers: indicators as social pressure in international relations. Am J Polit Sci 59(1):55–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laczko F, Gramegna M (2003) Developing better indicators of human trafficking. Brown J World Aff 10(1):179–194

    Google Scholar 

  • Parrot A, Cummings N (2008) Sexual enslavement of girls and women worldwide. Praeger Publishers, Westport

    Google Scholar 

  • Quirk J (2007) Trafficked into slavery. J Hum Rights 6(2):181–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rieger A (2007) Missing the mark: why the trafficking victims protection act fails to protect sex trafficking victims in the United States. Harv J Law Gend 30:231–256

    Google Scholar 

  • Scarpa S (2008) Trafficking in human beings: modern slavery. Oxford University Press, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Shelley L (2011) Human trafficking as a form of transnational crime. In: Lee M (ed) Human trafficking. Routledge Press, New York, pp 116–137

    Google Scholar 

  • Tyldum G, Brunovskis A (2005) Describing the unobserved: methodological challenges in empirical studies on human trafficking. In: Laczko F, Gozdziak E (eds) Data and research on human trafficking: a global survey. International Organization for Migration, Geneva, pp 17–34

    Google Scholar 

  • UNODC (2016) Global report on trafficking in persons. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/glotip/2016_Global_Report_on_Trafficking_in_Persons.pdf

  • US State Department (2009) Trafficking in persons report, 16 June. http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm

  • US State Department (2017) Trafficking in persons report. https://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2017/. Last accessed: Mar 2018

Law and Cases

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lewis & Clark College, Portland, USA

    Heather Smith-Cannoy

Authors
  1. Heather Smith-Cannoy
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heather Smith-Cannoy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Global Women’s Studies, National University of Ireland Centre for Global Women’s Studies, Galway, Ireland

    Niamh Reilly

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer Science+Business Media Singapore

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Smith-Cannoy, H. (2019). Sex Trafficking and International Law. In: Reilly, N. (eds) International Human Rights of Women. International Human Rights. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4550-9_32-2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4550-9_32-2

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-4550-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-4550-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Law and CriminologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Sex Trafficking and International Law
    Published:
    24 November 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4550-9_32-2

  2. Original

    Sex Trafficking and International Law
    Published:
    17 April 2018

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4550-9_32-1

Search

Navigation