Data and Research on Human Trafficking
Goździak & Bump
Table 5 indicates the type of trafficking (labor, sex, or other) discussed in the articles in each of the four classifications based on the empirical nature of the research and peer review. This table numerically depicts two of the major criticisms of the body of trafficking research developed thus far. First, the highest concentration of articles in almost every category focus exclusively on sex trafficking. Some analysts argue that the overwhelming focus on sex trafficking by policymakers (and the researchers funded by government grants) is a result of “conservative religious approaches to dealing with gender and sexuality” that have resulted in a “raid-and-rehabilitation method of curbing sex trafficking” that has impaired our understanding of the more comprehensive nature of trafficking (Soderlund 2005). The second largest concentration of articles according to the type of trafficking focused upon in the article appears in the “labor trafficking” category. There are also 16 articles in the “unknown” category. The lack of a clear designation by authors as to what type of trafficking situations they study is a shortcoming in many articles. Table 5: Categorization of Journal Articles by Empirical Nature/Peer Review and Trafficking Type Trafficking Type Sex Trafficking
Labor Trafficking
Other
Unkn own
Total
Empirical Research - Not Peer Reviewed
2
0
0
1
3
Empirical Research - Peer Reviewed
31
11
1
0
43
Not Empirical Research - Not Peer Reviewed
67
12
4
8
91
Not Empirical Research - Peer Reviewed
86
23
0
7
116
18 6
46
5
16
253
Total
*Totals presented in this table exceed the actual number of journal articles due to multiple categorizations (i.e. a single journal article could be categorized under both “Sex Trafficking” and “Labor Trafficking”).
The uneven focus on sex trafficking and the sizeable percentage of journal articles that offer no clear indication of the type of trafficking analyzed appears to be a constant across disciplines. Table 6 shows that among articles published in criminal justice, medicine, and social science journals, most have focused on sex trafficking and a smaller number on labor trafficking.
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