Identifying trafficked migrants and refugees along the Balkan route. Exploring the boundaries of exploitation, vulnerability and risk

Abstract

This article explores what we can learn about the identification of and assistance to trafficked persons from practitioners in Serbia on the front line of Europe's so-called Brefugee crisis^. Questions arise as to whether and to what extent the anti-trafficking framework is effective in offering protection to trafficked migrants/refugees in a mass migration setting, but also what is lost if the specific perspective of the anti-trafficking framework is set aside or given lower priority. It is important to discuss who is included and who is excluded; whether protection and assistance meet people's needs; and whether or how the existing framework can be used to greater effect. While it was challenging to operationalise the anti-trafficking framework, both conceptually and practically, during the Brefugee crisis^in the Balkans, it remains an important approach that should have been mobilised to a greater extent, both to secure individual protections and rights and to gather information about human trafficking in conflict and crisis, which, in turn, increases the ability to respond effectively.Crime, Law and Social Change (2019) 72:73-86 https://doi.

Human trafficking for sex, labour and domestic servitude: how do key trafficking types compare and what are their predictors?

“…Source of referral There were four main sources of referrals: police (plus gangmasters licensing authorities 9 ); the immigration authorities; non-governmental organisations; and local authorities, including social and children's services. 10 Disaggregating the data 9 Police category includes 43 referrals from Gangmasters Licensing Authority (now Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority). All their referrals involved labour trafficking so we grouped them to avoid complete separation in the data.…”

“…Differences between types cannot be explained by inclusion of GLA-referrals (n = 43) under category policing (742 referrals in total for labour trafficking). 10 Category also included one youth offending referral and one from a prison. Fig.…”

“…It is increasingly clear that human trafficking belongs on a broader spectrum of exploitation, coercion and consent, rather being than a neatly delineated phenomenon that exists in absolute terms [50,55,61,65,66,84]. The breadth and inclusivity of trafficking definitions leave obvious scope for inconsistency in their interpretation and operationalisation, whereby factors including individuals' and agencies' experiences, priorities and awareness can affect what is identified and recorded as trafficking [8,10,19,31,32,60]. Such considerations notwithstanding, much can be learnt by examining instances identified as human trafficking to advance understanding of this complex phenomenon and support more nuanced and evidence-informed policy and practice (see also [10]).…”

Innovations in empirical research into human trafficking: introduction to the special edition

“…The special edition starts with a rare quantitative analysis of individual-level data on human trafficking, using data from the United Kingdom's central system for identifying trafficking victims. For a sample of 2,630 confirmed victims, Cockbain and Bowers [38] systematically compare those trafficked for sexual exploitation, domestic servitude and (other) labour exploitation. They examine similarities and differences in terms of victim demographics, the trafficking process and official responses.…”

“…Brunovskis and Surtees [41] offer timely insights into the complexities of identifying trafficking victims in situations of massive and rapid transit movements. Their focus is on Europe's so-called "refugee crisis" of 2015 and 2016.…”