Cover2 no UN logo.qxp 17-Jun-05 17:06 Page 1 Data and research on human trafficking:Data A global survey Data and research on human trafficking: Data and research on A global survey Human trafficking has become a global business, reaping huge profits for human trafficking: 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 A global survey 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. IOM IFC.qxd 5/31/05 1:42 PM Page 1 Opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IOM. IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental body, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migra- tion issues; encourage social and economic development through migra- tion; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. Publisher: International Organization for Migration 17 route des Morillons 1211 Geneva 19 Switzerland Tel: +41.22.717 91 11 Fax: +41.22.798 61 50 Email: [email protected] Internet: http://www.iom.int _______________ ISBN 978 92 9068 240 X © 2005 International Organization for Migration (IOM) _______________ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the publisher. Cover illustration: Sigrid Belck Cover design: Angela Pedersen Data and Research on Human Trafficking: A Global Survey Offprint of the Special Issue of International Migration Vol. 43 (1/2) 2005 edited by Frank Laczko and Elzbieta Gozdziak TitlePage.pmd 1 31-May-05, 15:23 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This publication has benefited from the cooperation of many individuals from within IOM and outside. The generous support of the Government of Italy in supporting this study is gratefully acknowledged. The Government of Italy also hosted a conference in Rome in May 2004 where the papers in this volume were first presented. Thanks are due also to Mr. Luca Dall’oligio at IOM’s mission in New York who helped to initiate this study when he was IOM’s Chief of Mis- sion in Rome. We should also like to thank Mr. Peter Schatzer and all the IOM Rome staff who contributed to the preparation of the 2004 Rome conference, in particular Teresa Albano. Finally, a special thanks to Ilse Pinto-Dobernig for contributing to the meticulous proofreading and editing of all the texts in this volume, and Niusca Magalhaes, and the IOM Research and Publications staff in Geneva for their inputs. It has been a pleasure working with the authors whose papers are included in this volume. All submissions to this publication were peer-reviewed by an international panel of anonymous reviewers who offered thoughtful and detailed comments. Although they remain unnamed, the editors warmly thank each of them. Frank Laczko and Elzbieta Gozdziak TitlePage.pmd 2 31-May-05, 15:23 Data and Research on Human Trafficking: A Global Survey TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction Frank Laczko 5 Describing the Unobserved: Methodological Challenges in Empirical Studies on Human Trafficking Guri Tyldum and Anette Brunovskis 17 Methodological Challenges in Research with Trafficked Persons: Tales from the Field Denise Brennan 35 Designing Trafficking Research from a Labour Market Perspective: The ILO Experience Beate Andrees and Mariska N.J. van der Linden 55 Review of Research and Data on Human Trafficking in sub-Saharan Africa Aderanti Adepoju 75 Research on Human Trafficking in North America: A Review of Literature Elzbieta M. Gozdziak and Elizabeth A. Collett 99 A Review of Recent OAS Research on Human Trafficking in the Latin American and Caribbean Region Laura Langberg 129 Treading along a Treacherous Trail: Research on Trafficking in Persons in South Asia A.K.M. Masud Ali 141 Human Trafficking in East Asia: Current Trends, Data Collection and Knowledge Gaps June JH Lee 165 A Problem by a Different Name? A Review of Research on Trafficking in South-East Asia and Oceania Nicola Piper 203 “You Can Find Anything You Want”: A Critical Reflection on Research on Trafficking in Persons within and into Europe Liz Kelly 235 A Review of Recent Research on Human Trafficking in the Middle East Giuseppe Calandruccio 267 Human Trafficking: Bibliography by Region Romaine Farquet, Heikki Matilla, and Frank Laczko 301 NOTES AND COMMENTARY Second Conference on Identifying and Serving Child Victims of Trafficking Micah Bump, Julianne Duncan, Elzbieta Gozdziak, Margaret MacDonnell 343 Introduction Data and Research on Human Trafficking Earlier versions of the papers in this volume were initially prepared for a confer- ence held in Rome on 27-28 May 2004, organized by the International Organ- ization for Migration’s (IOM) Research Division and hosted by the Government of Italy. One of the aims of this conference was to take stock of current research on trafficking after a decade of substantial growth in the number of publications on the subject. The Rome conference discussed a number of key issues related to trafficking research, including questions such as, what are the strengths and weaknesses of current research on trafficking? How can research and data on trafficking be improved? Most of the papers in this volume present a broad overview of current research and data on trafficking in particular regions of the world. Nine of the articles focus on specific regions and three of the articles explore issues relating to research methods. The nine regional papers do not provide a detailed summary of the results of studies on trafficking, but rather try to assess the type and quality of research that has been conducted and discuss priorities for further research. The availability and quality of data on trafficking are also discussed in each of these papers. The papers by Tydlum and Brunovskis, Andrees and van der Linden, and Brennan examine in more detail questions related to research methodolo- gies and data collection techniques. As pointed out by Tydlum and Brunovskis, one of the most challenging prob- lems facing researchers is the fact that most of the populations relevant to the study of human trafficking, such as victims/survivors of trafficking for sexual exploitation, traffickers, or illegal migrants are part of a “hidden population”, i.e. it is almost impossible to establish a sampling frame and draw a represent- ative sample of the population. The papers dealing with research methods high- light some of the key problems encountered when conducting trafficking research. They have been placed at the beginning of this volume as trafficking research has been criticized in the past for saying little about the methods used 306Laczko_TitlePage.pmd 5 2005-05-30, 11:13 AM 6 Introduction to collect and analyse data (see, in particular, the chapter by Kelly). One of the aims of this publication is to suggest ways in which the research methods used to study trafficking could be made more robust. The volume also includes a human trafficking bibliography organized by region and the Notes and Com- mentary Section includes a meeting summary on “Identifying and serving child victims of trafficking”. MORE RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS ON TRAFFICKING Combating human trafficking has become an increasingly important political priority for many governments around the world. At the national level, greater efforts and resources are being devoted to combating this problem, and there is also widespread agreement in the international community on the need for a multilateral response, as reflected in the UN Protocols on trafficking and smug- gling signed in Palermo, Italy, in 2000. The organization of the largest European Union (EU) conference on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, held in Brussels from 18 to 20 September 2002, is but one example of the political priority being accorded to combating human trafficking. The conference brought together more than 1,000 representatives of European institutions, EU Member States, candidate countries, and relevant developing countries drawn from governments, inter- national organizations, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The conference issued the Brussels Declaration, which outlines a set of policy recommendations for the EU in the area of human trafficking, adopted by the EU Council on 8 May 2003. The Commission subsequently appointed an Experts Group on Trafficking in Human Beings (see EC, 2004) and is currently preparing a new Communication on Trafficking in Human Beings, which will set out the Commission’s approach to tackling trafficking in human beings. In the United States, trafficking has also become a high-profile issue. In October 2001, the US State Department created the Office to Monitor and Combat Traf- ficking in Persons, which publishes an annual report assessing global efforts to combat trafficking.