Human trafficking and exploitation: A global health concern

Zimmerman, Cathy; Kiss, Lígia

doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1002437

Cited by 127 publications

(126 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…Sex trafficking is one of the most common forms of HT with more than half a million women being trafficked every year [ 6 ]. Forced labor, child labor, child soldiers, debt bondage, involuntary domestic servitude, and organ/tissue removal for transplantation are other common forms of HT [ 11 ]. Forced prostitution represents the highest percentage of HT victims with the majority being women from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and North and South America [ 8 , 12 , 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research trends on human trafficking: a bibliometric analysis using Scopus database

Sweileh

2018

Global Health

112

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BackgroundHuman trafficking is a crime against humanity. It is also a serious threat to global health and security. Globalization has made human trafficking an easier task for the criminal organizations. No data are available on the volume, research trends, and key players in this field. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the research activity and research trends on human trafficking.MethodsA bibliometric method was adopted. Literature published in academic journals indexed in Scopus database was retrieved. The study period was set from 2000 to 2017.ResultsTwo thousand forty-four documents were retrieved. The average number of authors per document was 1.9. Over one third (n = 771; 37.7%) of the retrieved documents were about sex trafficking, 616 (30.1%) were about labor trafficking/forced labor, 199 (9.7%) were about child trafficking, and 138 (6.8%) were about organ trafficking. One third (n = 707; 34.6%) of the documents were in health-related fields while 1526 (74.7%) were in social sciences and humanities. The USA ranked first (n = 735; 36.0%) regarding the number of published documents. Geographic distribution of the retrieved document showed that world regions with a high prevalence of human trafficking had the least research contribution. International research collaboration has a limited contribution to the retrieved literature. The Harvard University (USA) was the most active institution (n = 39; 1.9%). International Migration (n = 35; 1.7%) was the most active journal in publishing documents on HT. Documents published in Transplantation journal received the highest number of citations per document (25.5) and two of the most cited documents were about organ trafficking.ConclusionThere was an under-representation of health-related literature on human trafficking. Literature on sex trafficking dominated the field of human trafficking. Research networks and research collaboration between the source and destination countries is important. Future research plans need to focus on health issues and on exploited/trafficked laborers.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12992-018-0427-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Research trends on human trafficking: a bibliometric analysis using Scopus database

Sweileh

2018

Global Health

112

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“…During the trafficking process, victims usually experience physical, sexual, or psychological violence by their traffickers. It is also common for them to get injured due to accidents or violence during travelling [ 5 , 6 ]; they are also frequently exposed to infections such as malaria or STDs including HIV/AIDS. Women and girls may be exposed to unwanted pregnancy following forced or unsafe sexual practices during trafficking [ 7 – 10 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Socio-economic, trafficking exposures and mental health symptoms of human trafficking returnees in Ethiopia: using a generalized structural equation modelling

Gezie

Yalew

Gete

et al. 2018

Int J Ment Health Syst

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BackgroundMental health problems among trafficked persons could be the result of concomitantly interwoven effects of various factors. Analyzing the networked relationships concurrently could be a more substantive approach to better understand the role of risk factors in this population. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of mental health symptoms as well as the association among socio-demographic, trafficking related exposure variables, and mental health problems of Ethiopian returnees from trafficking.MethodsA sample of 1387 returnees who were trafficked via three major human trafficking corridors of Ethiopia were selected consecutively. Data related to socio-economic, trafficking exposure variables, and symptoms of mental illness were collected in personal interviews. Anxiety was measured with a brief measure for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7), depression with a patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and PTSD with post-traumatic checklist (PCL-C). Generalized structural equation modeling was employed to estimate the relationships among exogenous, mediating, and endogenous variables simultaneously.ResultsThe prevalence of symptoms of anxiety was estimated at 51.9% (95% CI 49.3–54.6%); PTSD was estimated at 34.5% (95% CI 32.1–37.1%) and depression at 58.3% (95% CI 55.6–60.9%). Restricted freedom of movement had a direct positive effect on anxiety (β = 1.24, 95% CI 0.97–1.51), depression (β = 0.94, 95% CI 0.71–1.17) and PTSD (13.00, 95% CI 11.23–14.77). Violence experienced during the trafficking period was a mediator variable and significantly associated with anxiety (β = 0.46; 95% CI 0.26–0.66) and PTSD (β = 4.00; 95% CI 2.06–5.94). History of detention had a positive total effect on GAD (total β = 1.380, 95% CI 1.074–1.687) and PTSD (total β = 15.63, 95% CI 13.708–17.545), and direct positive effect on depression (β = 0.89, 95% CI 0.65–1.13).ConclusionEthiopian trafficked persons were highly likely to return with increased levels of mental health symptoms, namely anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Socio-economic and trafficking related exposures mediated by violence were factors affecting mental health symptoms. Thus, in addition to economic re-integrations of victims, strategies should be designed and implemented to address the prevalent mental health problems.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13033-018-0241-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Forced and bonded labor causes extreme health inequalities. People in more vulnerable circumstances such as children, women, undocumented migrants, and people living in poverty are disproportionately affected [7]. At the heart of forced and bonded labor is exploitation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Brick Kilns of Nepal: A Non-Governmental Organization Perspective

Shrestha¹,

Thygerson²

2019

OJSST

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Better Brick Nepal (BBN) works under the larger NGO, Global Fairness Initiatives, to promote the reliably sourced brick manufacturing by eliminating forced, bonded labor, and child labor, promoting workplace safety and health, providing fair wages, and preventing workplace harassment. The brick industry is regarded as the second largest source for air pollution after vehicle emissions in Kathmandu Valley. The brick kiln workers who live on the kiln premises in huts are highly exposed to both indoor and outdoor air pollution. This study reviewed the practices of BBN kilns that adhere to recommended standards for worker rights, health and safety. An NGO such as BBN is proving successful at eliminating inhumane work practices and in improving brick kiln worker health and safety.

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Human trafficking and exploitation: A global health concern

Abstract: In this collection review, Cathy Zimmerman and colleague introduce the PLOS Medicine Collection on Human Trafficking, Exploitation and Health, laying out the magnitude of the global trafficking problem and offering a public health policy framework to guide responses to trafficking.

Cited by 127 publications

References 22 publications

Research trends on human trafficking: a bibliometric analysis using Scopus database

Research trends on human trafficking: a bibliometric analysis using Scopus database

Socio-economic, trafficking exposures and mental health symptoms of human trafficking returnees in Ethiopia: using a generalized structural equation modelling

Brick Kilns of Nepal: A Non-Governmental Organization Perspective

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